Viceroy's House

There are very few actors who will get me to the cinema on Monday night.  I caught the tv spot for Viceroy’s House during a rare occasion when I was forced to watch television adverts, and it was at the moment, that I realised Gillian Anderson had the pull to get me to the cinema and see a film that I knew nothing about.

PLOT:  It’s 1947 and Lord Mountbatten (Hugh Bonneville) has just been appointed the new and last viceroy of India.  Mountbatten has been given the task of withdrawing British rule and implementing a smooth transition to Indian independence.  With tensions running high between the political parties and violence spilling out onto the streets, Mountbatten must decide whether or not to split India into two separate countries, or keep the country whole.  END PLOT

My interest in Viceroy’s House began and ended with Gillian Anderson. It was only during the opening credits that I realised that I was about to watch a Gurinder Chadha film.  The tone of Chadha’s films is usually lighthearted and they always seem to capture the vibrancy of India through colour, music and romance.  They are a joy to watch and, for my shame, I admit that they are not watched enough.  Viceroy’s House does have moments of sweetness and the love story running alongside the main partition plot adds emotion and romance, but the overall tone is one of a serious drama.  It felt like a change of pace, but one I thoroughly enjoyed.

Unfortunately, my knowledge of the tensions between India and Pakistan comes from The West Wing so I have no real understanding of the situation, but, when the characters made reference to the religious divide in Ireland, I was able to see why they could draw this comparison.  The story focuses on the theme of politics being divided by religion with almost all scenes set in or around the Viceroy’s House.  This did not take away from the human cost, as the bloodshed on the streets and tension between former neighbours and friends was not glossed over.

Hugh Bonneville and Gillian Anderson lead the cast well and with ease.  I will point out that Anderson’s crisp accent was so sharp it could cut glass, but it’s only a minor quibble and I suppose it was to be expected when listening to a Lady of the aristocracy.  The performances of Manish Dayal and Huma Qureshi brought heart to the film and it turned out that I was very much invested in the romance between Jeet and Aalia.  I am getting soft in my old age.

The film is gorgeously shot, but you wouldn’t expect anything less from Gurinder Chadha.  There was a hint of a dance number but it quickly faded into the background.  I suspect this was purposely done as Viceroy’s House chose to commit to the format of a historical drama.  As with most historical dramas there were written closing credits but these did not focus on the Mountbattens.  I have no idea what happened to them or if they ever left India, but what I do know, is why this film was so important to Gurinder Chadha.  It made me love the film more.

I’ve never been so glad to venture out of the house on a Monday night. If it weren’t for a chance encounter, I would have missed Viceroy’s House completely, and it would eventually become relegated to a film I would watch on Netflix, half asleep, with one hand on my phone.  Viceroy’s House deserves much more than that.  It gets an 8/10.  I am now going to blow the dust of my copy of Bride and Prejudice.

Shadow Dancer

Shadow Dancer is based on the novel by Tom Brady which I have not read. Shocker.

I like political thrillers but there is always something uneasy about watching one that is set so close to home.

PLOT: Collette McVeigh (Andrea Riseborough) is a voluntary member of the IRA but after getting caught by MI5 she becomes an informant to keep her son from being placed into care. Mac (Clive Owen) promises Collette’s safety in return for information on her brothers Gerry (Aiden Gillen) and Connor (Domhnall Gleeson) however his boss Kate Fletcher (Gillian Anderson) is more concerned about her own informant, code named Shadow Dancer. END PLOT

Shadow Dancer is set in Belfast in 1993 towards the end of the Troubles. It is hard to watch any film set during this period without starting a debate over who’s at fault and to its credit Shadow Dancer does a decent job of maintaining a neutral stance.

The film is extremely slow paced and not much happens but it is still compelling viewing. The reveal of Shadow Dancer wasn’t an earth shattering revelation but the business like way in which both MI5 and the IRA dealt with it was unnerving.

Shadow Dancer didn’t hold back in showing that the Troubles were very much a family affair. There were several scenes in which mothers were in the kitchen making tea whilst their sons loaded guns in the living room. Brid Brennan, who played the McVeigh’s mother had very little to say on her children’s activities but her eyes and facial expressions spoke volumes.

There was next to no action but Shadow Dancer did contain some very tense moments. A brief scene showing Connor McVeigh getting water tortured is just topped by an unnamed IRA soldier casually preparing a bedroom for an execution whilst Collette is being questioned about where her loyalties lie in the next room.

The film is low budget but it suited the grey setting. Shadow Dancer wasn’t shot in Belfast and the lack of familiar landmarks was disappointing.

Andrea Riseborough was a more than capable lead with her accent being as spot on as her performance. Credible Northern Irish accents are hard to come by but I didn’t know she wasn’t Irish until after the film had ended.

Clive Owen’s performances are very much hit and miss but in Shadow Dancer he was fine if unremarkable. He was almost too well known for the role as he stuck out in a cast of relative unknowns.

Although his role was minor Aidan Gillen is slowly becoming over exposed but he and the rest of the supporting cast, notably David Wilmot, were all very strong.

Shadow Dancer is a solid film which gets 7.5/10. The local aspect meant that it was a film I needed to see but it was almost too understated to be anywhere near as strong as films such as Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.