Small Island, part 2

Masterpiece Classic concluded for 2010 on an extraordinarily high note with this adaptation of Andrea Levy’s novel Small Island (which I now HAVE to read!). Small Island is, in many respects, a heart-wrenching story, but it’s made beautiful by the hope and picture of human resiliency and possibility that unfolds on-screen. Here’s the summary of episode two from the PBS website:

Small Island concludes Sunday, April 25, 2010 on MASTERPIECE CLASSIC. Hortense (Naomie Harris) and her husband Gilbert (David Oyelowo) find life in England isn't what they dreamed, but discover much about each other in the process. Queenie (Ruth Wilson, Jane Eyre) witnesses firsthand the travails of her tenants, but is soon drawn into a life-altering situation that will force unthinkable sacrifices. Small Island is based on Andrea Levy's award-winning novel. (90 minutes, TV-MA, S)

My favorite aspect of this half of Small Island is following the developing relationship between Hortense (Naomie Harris) and Gilbert (David Oyelowo). The two were virtual strangers when they married for convenience’s sake, and when Hortense is finally able to join Gilbert in London the two face adjustments and strains to their relationship that neither could have foreseen. This part of the story is where Gilbert’s character really gets the chance to shine. Talk about a stand-up guy – Gilbert is a character who wants to better himself, simply wants the chance make something of himself and succeed – and in the face of overwhelming prejudice the man just refuses to quit. However, this resilience and strength of character doesn’t come without a price, and Oyelowo does a superb job of conveying the full range of Gilbert’s emotions and struggles on-screen.

My sympathy and understanding of Hortense’s character grew tenfold over the course of this episode. She’s a prickly character, with very definite ideas about the world and her place in it. But when she moves to London, and everything familiar is stripped away, you are smacked in the face with the heartbreaking reality that much of what makes Hortense a rather difficult character to like is a defense mechanism. I absolutely loved watching Hortense come to appreciate and care for the man she married, realizing that Gilbert was so much more than just a means to a end, that he was instead a man she could build a life with, who would support her dreams at the expense of his own. Naomie Harris does a brilliant job with her portrayal of Hortense, particularly in how Hortense grows and matures and opens up by the end of this film. The “never say die” spirit you see in both Hortense and Gilbert is truly an inspiration.

As I mentioned in my review of part one, Hortense and Queenie (Ruth Wilson) serve as the anchors of this story. Born in two very different cultures, with very different backgrounds, these two women are revealed to have more in common than either would have ever dreamed. Since her husband Bernard (Bernard Cumberbatch) never returned home when the war ended, Queenie has largely been able to live life on her own terms. Wonderfully free of the prejudices that people like Gilbert and Hortense encounter at every turn, Queenie has been able to cultivate rich friendships and remain rather immune and insulated to how her white neighbors view her interracial relationships. She just doesn’t care – but that starts to change when Michael (Ashley Walters), the black RAF airman whose attentions captivated her during the war, returns and rekindles their affair. When their last encounter results in pregnancy, followed by the unexpected return of Bernard, Queenie is faced with an unfathomable choice. In order to give the one she loves most a future filled with love, she has to come face-to-face with how the prejudices of those who surround her may force her to make an unthinkably difficult sacrifice. Ruth Wilson blew me away with her performance here. The depth of life, emotion, and pain that she brought to bear in the role of Queenie was breath-taking. As an actress she’s proven herself capable of more than I ever gave her credit for – this was a fantastic performance and I look forward to seeing more from her in the future.

A person could probably write a book on the different ways Michael – “the hurricane” – impacted Queenie and Hortense’s lives and changed them forever. In pondering this, I have to conclude that Hortense was definitely blessed by her early separation from Michael’s influence. The differences between Michael’s and Gilbert’s respective characters are like night and day as far as selflessness and consideration are concerned. Though both men faced the same prejudices and obstacles, there’s a lot to learn and digest by observing the way each man let those fires refine and form their characters. And then on the other end of the spectrum you have the button-up Bernard, who makes some tentative steps towards overcoming his prejudices, not because he believes they are inherently wrong, but more out of love for Queenie. Even so, that was a step that was in its own way beautiful to see – because if you make that first step in the right direction, the next can be easier, no? Whether he could have changed more, if given time, or if he was simply too set in his ways is a question that remains unanswered. That said, Cumberbatch plays the difficult role of Bernard very, very well. In a less capable actor’s hands I think it would be easy for Bernard to become a caricature, easily dismissed – but Cumberbatch succeeds, to my mind at any rate, in showing how Bernard is a product of his times, not entirely unsympathetic by any stretch.

Small Island is a beautifully constructed, well-made, thought-provoking film. The characters are the kind that stay with you - you can't help but mull over their situations and choices and responses to situations long after the film ends. I'm so, so glad Masterpiece introduced this powerful story. Small Island could have been a very dark and rather bleak story, but there's so much hope here, so much courage in these characters' lives that quite honestly I came away enriched by the story. Now to make time for the book... ;-)

Sharpe's Peril

Woo-hoo, maybe I will actually catch up on my blogging... :) Here's the summary of Sharpe's Peril from the Masterpiece Classic website:

Colonel Richard Sharpe (Sean Bean, The Lord of the Rings) may have a nose for mischief, but his only interest now is returning to England. But before he goes, he is prevailed on for one last, seemingly straightforward duty — safe transport of some property across central India. The "property" in question turns out to be Marie-Angelique (Beatrice Rosen, 2012), who Sharpe quickly pegs as petulant, spoiled and selfish. The journey, through more than 600 miles of hostile territory, will prove to be riddled with surprises and rebellion and bring Sharpe, his comrade-in-arms Patrick Harper (Daragh O'Malley) and their ragtag troops into a dark conspiracy and one climactic, perilous battle. Sharpe's Peril is based on the characters created by novelist Bernard Cornwell.

This installment in the l-o-n-g running Sharpe film series picks up shortly after the events of Sharpe's Challenge (my review). Sharpe and his friend Patrick Harper are still trying to get home from India so they can officially retire. Given that this is Sharpe's life accomplishing that is a lot more difficult than it sounds. *sigh* I have to think that Sharpe must sometimes really regret saving Wellington's life back in the day, since it's commissions or recommendations from the duke that are always getting him into trouble. ;-)

I'm not going to go through the story in great detail, honestly I just don't care enough about this series. This series has been going on for so long every film follows pretty much the same essential pattern. Sharpe finds himself on some unwanted mission, discovers traitors, has love/hate relationships with every woman he meets, etc. and etc. While I missed the presence of a charismatic villain (like Toby Stephens in Sharpe's Challenge), since I'd never seen this movie before it was interesting to see a a new storyline and new (to the series) faces in the cast.

Raza Jaffrey plays Lance Naik Singh, an honorable native soldier who stops the attempted rape of an Indian woman when Sharpe & Co. reach a fortress that's been mysteriously ambushed. Jaffrey played Zafar Younis in seasons 5 and 6 of the British spy drama MI-5. I have to mention Luke Ward-Wilkinson who played Beauclere, not because he's a familiar face but because he looked like he was about ten. It was very random. He did a pretty decent job playing a boy trying to be a man, wanting desperately to follow in his less-than-honorable father's soldiering footsteps. I did like seeing how Sharpe sort of took the young soldier under his wing (good job Sean Bean! *g*). Steve Spiers is a more familiar face - he played the soldier Wormwood, and he's appeared in everything from Doctor Who to Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. Velibor Topic (isn't that a great name?) plays the treacherous Dragomirov. I recognized him from his appearance in Kingdom of Heaven as Almaric.

Well that's that...I promise to do my best to return to more inspired Masterpiece blogging now that I've slogged my way through the two Sharpe entries in this season. ;-)

Sharpe's Challenge

Since the Masterpiece Classic season is about to draw to a close, I really need to catch up on my blogging. *sigh* I'll blame the two Sharpe films - I've never been that excited about the film series to begin with, plus I watched Sharpe's Challenge years ago when it originally premiered on BBC America. However, these films are often fun showcases for favorite and familiar actors, so let's discuss for a bit. Here's the summary of this episode from the PBS website:

War weary and retired, Colonel Richard Sharpe (Sean Bean, The Lord of the Rings) is summoned by the Duke of Wellington to find a missing agent, but he resolutely declines. When he learns the MIA officer is his old friend Sergeant Major Patrick Harper (Daragh O'Malley), fighter and free spirit Sharpe quickly reconsiders, and begins a perilous adventure amidst rebellious forces in British India. Sharpe's seemingly impossible mission: storm an impenetrable fortress, rescue the daughter of a British general and quell the rebellion. With the odds stacked against him, Sharpe confronts shifting allegiances, incompetent leadership within the British troops, the conniving seduction of Madhuvanthi (Padma Lakshmi, Top Chef) and an explosive confrontation with an old foe. Has Sharpe finally found one challenge he won't be able to conquer? Sharpe's Challenge is based on the characters created by novelist Bernard Cornwell.

The Sharpe films have always reminded me of my beloved Hornblower film series starring the even more beloved Ioan Gruffudd in the title role. I've got to say I always preferred the nautical Hornblower films more - Gruffudd trumps Bean (sorry Sean!) and that series quit while it's ahead in my view, while the Sharpe series currently stands at a staggering sixteen films.

I really can't think of an actor better suited to play the rough-and-tumble soldier, honorable, and *of course* a hit with every woman he meets Richard Sharpe than Sean Bean. He's just got the look for it, know what I mean? In this film, he's pulled out of retirement by the Duke of Wellington. This rank-and-file soldier earned an "in" with the illustrious Wellington when he saved the duke's life years earlier. Wellington is played by Hugh Fraser, who is always fun to see. I became a big fan of Fraser after watching him play Captain Hastings opposite David Suchet's Hercule Poirot in the long running mystery series. Sharpe agrees to return to India when he discovers that missing British agent Wellington wants to find is his long-time friend Harper (Daragh O'Malley). Now's as good a time as any to mention the setting, which is one of this movie's strongest points. Colonial India is a setting you don't see a whole lot of in period dramas, and that fact alone makes for a refreshing change of pace. The British attitude toward the native Indian soldiers (and vice-versa) also seems to be pretty realistically and doesn't shy away from the prejudices and racial tensions of the day.

Dodd, the villain of this piece is played by the deliciously yummy Toby Stephens. :) I love it when Stephens plays a romantic hero (as he did so memorably in Jane Eyre), but let's face it, the guy specializes in villains (Prince John in Robin Hood, Gustav Graves in Die Another Day). Stephens has a real knack for making bad appealing, plus he's quite easy on the eyes. Just sayin'. The experience of watching Sean Bean face off against Toby Stephens is enough to make this movie worthwhile on that point alone. *wink*

When this film first aired in 2006, I completely didn't appreciate the fact that it features Lucy Brown as one of the heroines - better known now as Claudia/Jenny in the television show Primeval. I definitely prefer Brown's later role. Here she exists as little more than a romantic option for Sharpe, so there's not much in the script for her to work with.

So that's about it...long time fans of the film series or the novels are sure to enjoy this installment in the series. It's a decent little adventure flick - not great, not bad, I'm just rather ambivalent about the whole series I guess. :) Thoughts?