dneher

Because of the promos, I thought I would be in for an onslaught of conspiratorial sensationalism. Instead, I got what amounts to a behind-the-scenes look at the Commission's creation and investigation. I cringed whenever the film veered into examining evidence that the Commission either did not have access to or was not inclined to consider, but the film handles those tangents judiciously and with restraint; not much fuel is added to the conspiratorial fires. The clashing personalities and agendas of the members of the Commision depicted in the film probably will be of most interest to political wonks, but there's plenty for the rest of us to enjoy, too.

This film seems meant to be an acompaniment to a school curriculum on early Virginia history. It earnestly, if somewhat ploddingly, tries to make the case that Virginia was the bellwether of cultural and political progress in the New World. Sometimes the case is convincing (first representative assembly), sometimes not (first "Thanksgiving").

The film modifies the original story in minor ways and injects some humor --- not exactly Dickens' strong suit --- into the proceedings. The humor, however, is hit or miss and often veers into farce. Also, while color-blind casting of family members is probably the wave of the future, I found that it interfered with my ability to suspend disbelief.