joanne jones

Why is it so important to get interiors and costume authentic for the era but not the casting. A person of Indian descent wouldn't have been a police officer never mind a woman in that position. It's inverted racism and misogyny. If I were of Indian descent I would be so annoyed that my true heritage in the early 20th century was being misrepresented for PC point scoring.

I never expect the dramatisation of a book to stick rigidly to the storyline and more recently always expect timelines to be completely turned on their head. By doing just that, this drama completely lost the most critical part of the novel. The original story draws you into the two entirely separate, but parallel, lives of Marie and Verner, slowly building to an inevitable meeting. The fact that this anticipated event is so fleeting yet so memorable is the crux of the story. To have them meet, kiss and pledge themselves to each other is sweet but it effectively sugar coats a tragic story in a violent, unforgiving time. But as a stand alone drama it was very beautiful. The portrayal of Verner completely outshone any of the other actors.

As the script was written by the author of the book upon which the film was based I knew it would be true to the story. Jim Broadbent, Penelope Wilton were so accurate in their portrayal. Less certain about the fellow pilgrims though. I really hope Queenie's story gets heard in a second film (and the murano glass makes an appearance along with its obnoxious owner).