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Reviews
The Diary of Anne Frank (2009)
Light hearted and callow
I downloaded all five episodes to iPlayer. I didn't know any background about the dramatisation but with going by the title alone, and from the BBC, guessed it ought to be worth watching.
I have just watched the first two parts and after the first 30 minutes I decided to do some research. As the official BBC about page (http://www.bbc.co.uk/annefrank/about.shtml) confirms to me, the show is aimed at a young age group. I feel the show so far has a very educational bent, as if it's one of those old BBC2 educational shows aimed at school children. As the BBC webpage confirms, with links to the war timeline, other resources and how many of the comments are by children, the similar age to Anne.
Although it must have been a breath of fresh air to share such a cramped and hostile apartment with such a lively and outgoing young girl, I feel there is an overly joyous and 'look on the bright side' perspective to the directing. To me it detracts from the importance of the subject and as other reviewers have suggested, turns it almost into a SOAP like format.
The filming is done very well, and the actors play the parts well. It is a good, stock BBC production there. The one downside to the acting is it's just too 'English'; a bit of a put-on Dutch, German accent or more prominence to other languages around them, would've been more realistic for me.
However, my real gripe is the lack of a dark side. All the dialogue is very clear and carefully spoken, both in terms of diction and subject. Perhaps this is just the view from a young girls diary, but I feel the true impact, grittiness and any reality is missing.
I am struggling to continue to watch to be honest. If I hadn't already downloaded the series I think I would've changed channel already. It is lacking in suspense, or rawness. It's all too jolly. So far.
Maybe I'll change my mind as the series progresses, but as I say, if I hadn't already downloaded I certainly wouldn't stay in to catch the next episode.
Another reason I'll continue to watch is because of the other reviews, you're all so impressed with it! Maybe it does become more gripping.
Cassandra's Dream (2007)
I must've missed something
I think that being English is not a help for this kind of film, has Woody Allen even spent more than two weeks there?
McGregor and Farrell both laid on the London speak well (but from Scottish and Irish fellas that's a slight at their true acting abilities). Neither of them really had a boy about town statement. I felt the whole film was filmed in one day, which makes the statement from Farrell "more takes in this whole film than one scene for Miami Vice" understandable, even if it is a bit Irish. And my sentiment hangs true (not only because I've rarely seen summer days last they months they seemed to here), because the whole film had this sort of play like feel to it. The start was so rushed, I was really starting to wonder if I was watching a copy of the film made purely from the out-takes.
I haven't read up on this film, but guess it was made on the meanest of budgets, bar the salaries they paid to McGregor and Farrell. Seeing the characters drive the same 'borrowed' cars on different days didn't help neither. But saying that, those cars did help give a bit of nostalgia to the oh-so English scene, as did the scenes following the guy along the mews'.
Once I realised the story wasn't going to slow down, nor the editing get grittier, I tried to understand a little about the meaning of the film, but I am sorry, the lack of spontaneity Clare Higgens and John Benfield gave as the lads parents would've been questionable on 'The Archers'.
And the characters that hung around Hayley Atwell were so wannabee acTors it was sickening. This film did not produce the realism in any manner, not least because of the speedy editing and corny lines.
I would rather've watched a John Noakes BBC2 school education documentary.