An Inspector Calls

After watching this movie adaptation of An Inspector Calls, I felt that this remake turned into a great success. At first the characters weren't what I expected, most of them seemed quite simple and bland and thought that the actors weren't suited to to their roles. But as the film progressed my attitude towards the characters changes, Eric and Sheila aren't the spoiled brats I thought they were- they actually care about the death of this young woman. Gerald, I realized has more emotional depth Han I gave him credit for, but Mr and Mrs Birling we're exactly what I thought they'd be like and their attitudes towards Eva didn't really change. As for the Inspector I thought that David Thewlis did a great job being the Inspector and his character was also amazing but what I didn't like about the Inspector was that towards the end of the film, he starts time traveling (Priestly hinted that the Inspector was supernatural) but I started getting very confused and became unsure of if he was there before she died and it was a flash back or he is the reason she is dead... I have no idea. But overall this was an amazing movie and I really enjoyed it.

I saw the 1954 version and although I liked it very much I didn't cry. I saw this version and I just couldn't stop crying. The ending was utterly heartbreaking and although I usually disagree with changing the endings of well known books, plays etc (for example Agatha Christie's works that on the newest adaptations it's some kind of a "norm" to change the endings) I hoped down to the last second of the movie for the ending to change. An amazing adaptation. One I will never forget.

Having seen the original movie and a rather strange stage version starring the late Barry Foster, I had no doubts about the content of this telemovie - but was curious about how this modern version would treat it. Brilliantly cast, it did not disappoint, although it did tend to drag at times. On the whole the suspense was well maintained and it stayed quite close to the original, although the later scenes after the Inspector left the house were new and added little to the overall story. In fact it would have been better without them. This is a story that has to be taken at face value (the mystical part aside) - it would be easy to question the possibility that all the persons gathered together in that household had the impact they are supposed to have had on one young woman. It was written as a morality play, very relevant to its times and even today relevance can be found in many of the disclosures made. It tells us to think before we act and to be less likely to prejudge and to take responsibility for our actions. An interesting story, that makes you think - what more can one ask for?

As an English student who recently read thoroughly the play this movie is based of, my main thoughts about this film is that it's a perfectly crafted piece that follows the plot of the play quite accurately, but I also consider myself quite "unexperienced" in the matter because I have only seen this adaptation and not the rest- so maybe by watching the rest of the movies my opinion on the quality of this movie may differ, but I hope that not drastically.

To be honest, right at the beginning when the characters were presenting themselves at the dinner table I found most of their portrayals quite bland and out of character in a sense- especially Eric and Sheila. I found them lacking that strength and uniqueness that had made me strive for them while reading the play, but then again it's true that at the beginning their personalities were much more superficial and that were mostly developed as the play progressed- something which was shown naturally in the film.

Nevertheless, as soon as the plot starting moving the skepticism faded away and I was left awestruck by the actors' outstanding performances; Mr and Mrs Birling were just how I pictured them throughout the story; Gerald was given much more emotional depth than what I had imagined and Eric even though it wasn't how I initially thought of him made me comprehend a completely different interpretation of his character. I am not quite sure of Sheila yet, but I do have to admit that Chloe Pirrie reflected her major character development, but I imagined Sheila as a more immature and naive girl in the beginning. Let's not forget about Sophie Rundell's breathtaking job as Eva: taking only brief descriptions from a dead girl and turning that into a round character with a profound, political and representative meaning behind it.

Even if the characters' portrayals is essential to the film, what really sticks to the audience are the audiovisuals, and I can assure you this film excelled in that job. The shots were beautiful and gave the story a deeper meaning for me as a viewer and indeed hinted many subtle messages that otherwise wouldn't have made much sense. Above all, what most impressed me was the score; from the beginning until the very end the score was used skilfully to match the characters' emotions in certain scenes, but the feeling of strings and a piano matched the main themes of the play, and probably may be the main reason for my passionate liking of this film.

Inspector Goole arrives unannounced at the home of the Birling family. The family had been celebrating the engagement of daughter Sheila, to Gerald Croft, a match that would unite two powerful businesses. The Inspector informs the family of his business, that of the death of a young woman, Eva Smith. It turns out each member of the family has encountered Eva, and each in turn damaged her life in some way.

I must admit I had my doubts beforehand about this, I tend to think sometimes if it ain't broke don't fix it, I love both the 1954 and 1982 versions respectively. This though had me utterly engrossed, it was an outstanding version. It looked superb, the factory scenes looked incredibly authentic, as did the scenes in the house.

I liked how it began too, not straight into the dinner setting, we were given a little bit of background. From then on it kept to the story beautifully, it must have been tempting to have tweaked it in some way. Definitely the most serious version of it, no softer humorous side, this was pretty bleak. I couldn't pick a standout performance as I thought every cast member was wonderful.

Truly captivating, 10/10