Reviews

I watched this play last night on BBC4 and must say I found it disappointing, mainly due to the inability of the mostly Glasgow based actors to totally master the Doric accent. ? It was also disconcerting that the female actresses weren't wearing any eye make up, which made their features disappear. Maybe the director was aiming for authenticity as women in the farming community at the time wouldn't be wearing make up, but a little eye make up would have been better, My family came from Aberdeenshire so I am totally familiar with the Doric accent' Nice to see a young Brian Cox in the final play, though.

I've never been a fan of Julia Roberts so I'm probably not the best person to review this film, whose romance and charm completely escaped me. My main gripe, however, is how on earth the director filmed the local area without a single black or Asian face? Although I don't know the area very well, I do know the area is ethnically diverse. Did the director arrange for the streets to be cordoned off, and then people it with white extras? It looks like it. I gather Richard Curtis's daughter recently castigated her father at a recent book festival for his films, especially "Bridget Jones" for using the word "fat" all the time, but she also mentioned the lack of ethnic characters in "Notting Hill".

This post is in response to Richard Chatten's review of this film. His comments are spot on, except for the name of Nigel Patrick's character. It was Superintendent Hazard, not Race. Major Race was the name of his character in another film "League of Gentlemen". Needless to say, he was excellent in that film too. I've always been a fan of his. This film was televised the other night on "Talking Pictures TV". Incidentally, Michael Craig is scheduled to be a guest at the TPTV festival in July in Monmouth. He must be over 90 by now. I'll definitely try and ask him about "Sapphire" during the question and answer session.

I read the novel years ago and very much enjoyed it. I was looking forward to seeing this film adaptation but was very much disappointed. For a start, moving the action from the UK to America (though filmed in Canada) was a big mistake. For instance, how does an illiterate woman manage to apply for a passport and a visa? It just doesn't make sense. Also, I felt Rita Tushingham, although a good actress, was too sympathetic for the part of Eunice. The contrast between the upper-middle class snobbish Coverdales and the working class Eunice and Joan Smith was better portrayed in Rendell's novel. Giles, the nerdish stepson, was much more bland in this movie. All in all, a disappointment. Stick to the book.

I tried to watch this film on BB2 last Sunday night, but had to give up after 20 minutes or so. The reason: the dialogue was almost incomprehensible. I have no problem with the Doric dialect - my parents came from Aberdeenshire but were not from the Buchan area - but because of the actors' continual mumbling. Did the director really encourage his actors to be so incomprehensible? Even James Dean in his heyday was more understandable. Memo to Mr Graham: I don't expect actors in Scottish films to talk like RP, but if films like "Local Hero" are understandable to non Scottish audiences, the so should this one.

I watched this play last night on Sky Arts and am full of admiration for Maureen Lipman. She was on stage for nearly two and a half hours relating the story of a Jewish woman, born in the Ukraine and subsequently lived in Warsaw, Atlantic City and Florida. Rose has had many tragedies in her life, including her father's death when she was a child and losing her first husband and daughter in Warsaw but somehow manages to overcome them. Fittingly it was broadcast on Holocaust Memorial Day. I urge everyone to see it. How Maureen managed to memorise pages and pages of lines is beyond me. Well done Maureen!

I couldn't agree more with the majority of the entries. This series was slow, slow, and slow! And very pretentious. Why ditch the characters of Captain Hastings and Inspector Jupp? Not forgetting the unrelenting political correctness. Just what you would expect from the BBC in its anti-Brexit propoganda. The language used by some of the characters was more 21st Century than the 1930s. A disaster, except for the casting of Rupert Grint, who played Inspector Froome. Well done, Rupert! You've more than proved yourself in an adult role.