Crumbling empires and families
Added 11/17/2009
Any movie with Gabriel Byrne or Emily Watson in it is well worth watching. So this one, graced with both of their presences, is a shoe-in.
Actually, the entire cast is fantastic in this tale of the artificial life a cadre of privileged British ex-pats in colonial Swaziland have created for themselves, complete with adultery and alcoholism. In this volatile mix, a fragile boy makes his way to manhood maneuvering through his crumbling family life.
Such is the craft of this movie that you have sympathy for every member of the family... the wife who runs away, the alcoholic father, the artistic and abandoned son, the new wife. I could understand the desertion, the adultery, the dependence on alcohol, the facial tics. What a dreadful cocoon to be trapped in!
At least the lives of these blighted souls are leavened with a little clean fun and levity -- one of the plot lines involves a play the community puts on for royalty. I recently read The Bolter, a true story of British colonizers in Kenya, and the action was unrelentingly depraved. It makes you truly glad for the appearance of the bright and irreverent American that Emily Watson plays in this movie. Insular little worlds need her kind of shaking up!
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No shooting, no violence
Added 10/13/2008
Great coming of age tale with superb acting, beautiful scenery and a nice plot that's watchable without being cloying. Definitely worth the time.
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"A Bloody Masterpiece"
Added 8/1/2008
What a bloody masterpiece! All of the parts are played to perfection. I lived that adolescent angst family dynamic and Nicholas Hoult portrays it heroically. Gabriel Byrne is a bloody genius. I especially like the clever way that newsreels of the actual emancipation event were so artistically inserted into the film--beautifully done.
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Memories from my youth
Added 6/25/2008
I was born in Swaziland in 1968 (the year of independence depicted in the film) and lived there for 10 years. My parents obviously remember more than I do but I can vouch for the accuracy of the movie:
> The infidelity was indemic - although my mom is adamant the father was a much worse than the mother (who according to her had just the one dalliance and ended up marrying the guy). But you have to admit it was pretty dumb to fool around with you son in the back seat.
> He gave great puppet shows, he was a regular attraction at kids birthday parties, including my own. I guess the beginnings of his Directing talents...
> It is a beautiful country, although run down in the last decade or two through poor leadership after the old king died.
Richard is a talented and engaging actor who has a bit of a cult following mostly off the back of "Withnail and I" but he has done a great job as a Director, getting strong performances out of a talented cast.
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An excellent film, in every respect
Added 5/23/2008
As stated earlier, don't let the gross sales figures (or anything, for that matter) put you off from watching this excellent film. Brilliant acting, lovely intimacy and lush scenery lend to this winner of a film. Others have already done the job of beautifully summarizing it. Do yourself a favor and watch it a few times. You'll be amazed at what you pick up as you go through it. Nicholas Hoult and Gabriel Byrne are simply brilliant.
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