Private Private

Got half way through episode two and couldn’t take any more. This frustrating and irritating series lacked reality and was a waste of a talented cast. The plot was so obvious and the interminable advert breaks, that kept including trailers for the actual series, was too much to bear! A waste of time, money and talent!

Although slow and rather pedestrian for the first half, once its truly religious theme emerges this film is quite fascinating in how it puts forward an extreme religious viewpoint. One of the biggest problem for me, apart from the actual concept, was the evangelical nature of a major protagonist whose eyes and demeanour made one suspect he was more than a little deranged and this rather undercut the film’s ostensible “message”. Of course its thesis was problematic, even for committed Christians, and its portrayal of an unforgiving God threatening the world with the Rapture, does little to promote their cause. Still, the ending was quite effective, in this competently filmed and fairly well acted production, even if the overall project was somewhat questionable.

A fabulous old movie filled with heart and the Christmas spirit. Great performances, a well written script and some heart-stopping moments make it a true seasonal treat. Legend DVD has an excellent restored print and a colourised version too which I heartily recommend. It’s in a 3 disc set.

Fascinating and often quite chilling in its way. Wings of Fame is certainly a more challenging experience than mainstream cinema offers.

The concert was stunning and the BBC’s coverage brilliant right up to the end when the programme was badly chopped off! On IPlayer that moment is even worse. Whoever was responsible for that edit needs to understand how damaging that ridiculous decision was!