Shades of Black: The Conrad Black Story

The film begins unpromisingly with an announcement that one of the main characters is completely fictitious, and with a shot of a fancy cocktail glass, some fancy fabric, and some fancy jewelry as if it is going to be some kind of dollhouse movie for girls to coo over. The fictitious character seems to have been invented sheerly to ask questions that elicit exposition, and the replies that contain the exposition are not believable as dialogue. Conrad Black starts out showing no interesting motivation, and the film seems on its way to being Citizen Kane without Rosebud. Eventually, though, the fictitious character finds his way into a fictitious but not uninteresting plot twist and Black delivers a speech that broadens his character into something of significance. Albert Schultz underplays Black nicely. Lara Flynn Boyle tries and fails with her accent (and, it seems, her lipstick) whereas Jason Schombing seems unaware that outside New York, Jews do not grow up speaking like New Yorkers. And did Margaret Thatcher really sound so much like Anne Robinson, the lady from The Weakest Link?

A worthy effort, given the limitations of TV docudramas. It is well acted, and narrates to complex life and character of Conrad Black. Black is a personna of tragic resonance. Gifted in intellect, insight and discipline, brought to the precipice of impending bankruptcy and imprisonment by an overarching narcissism, arrogance and disdain for others, especially those unlucky enough to have worked for him.

Toronto residents will not only recognize the upper class environs of their city, but the parochial ambitions of its elite.. and the stuffy colonial quality of its clubs and boardrooms. It a cautionary tale of those who take their circumstances in life as divine license to step on the well being of others. That will only provide enemies with a thirst for revenge.