Glorious 39 (2009)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Stephen Poliakoff

Writer:

Stephen Poliakoff (writer)

Release Date:

20 November 2009 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | History | Romance | Thriller | War

Plot:

A mysterious tale set around a traditional British family on the eve of World War Two.

Plot Keywords:

Year In Title | London England | WWII | Number In Title

Cast

Romola Garai	...	Anne Keyes
Bill Nighy	...	Alexander
Julie Christie	...	Elizabeth
David Tennant	...	Hector
Juno Temple	...	Celia
Eddie Redmayne	...	Ralph
Asier Newman	...	Mick
Christopher Lee	...	Walter
Charlie Cox	...	Lawrence
Hugh Bonneville	...	Gilbert
Jenny Agutter	...	Maud
Jeremy Northam	...	Balcombe
Tom Goodman-Hill	...	Reginald Payne - Director
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
James Bartholomew	...	Police Photographer
Sam Heydon	...	Henry Appleby
Sam Kubrick-Finney	...	Young Walter
Toby Regbo	...	Michael Walton

Also Known As:

1939 (UK) (working title)

Runtime:

Canada:129 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

UK:12A | Ireland:15A

Filming Locations:

Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England, UK

Company:

BBC Films

Trivia:

Stephen Poliakoff's first feature film for 10 years.

Taut Thriller With a Few Flaws

I had the privilege of attending the world premiere of this film at the Toronto International Film Festival last night. It tells the story of the aristocratic Keyes family in the days leading up to the outbreak of WWII. The father played superbly by Bill Nighy is an influential MP and an all round "good egg" of a dad to his three children. The oldest daughter Ann, played by Romola Garai is an adopted child but seems to fit in perfectly with her younger siblings and is the life and soul of the family. The film starts as a classic English period piece with lavish settings in Norfolk and London involving picnics and parties. However, as war gets closer, dramatic and strange events involving the family and friends slowly change the mood of the film. Other reviewers have made comparisons to Hitchcock's films and I have to agree with them. I enjoyed the film but there were definitely a few situations that did not ring true. The ending was particularly clumsy and there were some strange scenes that just didn't seem to fit. At 130 minutes it was probably 20 minutes too long. There were good performances by Julie Christie as a batty aunt and Jeremy Northam as a sinister government official. A good watch if you like British mysteries