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Reviews
The Queen of Sheba's Pearls (2004)
An interesting look at an upper class family in post war England
For a while I was more interested in how the presence of such an outstanding Irish figure as Lorcan Cranitch in the family was going to be explained. When given it made sense. In the meantime the mystery of how Jack's aunt could pop up from nowhere and somehow have been overlooked by her mother kept us glued to the screen. There was however one major gaffe at the beginning of the film. When Jack is boarding the train to take him to his grandmother, the fact that it is wartime Britain is illustrated by not only Jack, but a number of others on the platform, all carrying the general issue cardboard gas mask boxes strung from their shoulders. This would place the scene in either 1939 or even perhaps the end of 1940, since those boxes soon dropped to pieces, and a large variety of other containers were used and came into fashion. I remember having mine replaced with a chocolate coloured round tin cannister. Ladies were able to buy containers resembling handbags, but round at the bottom, and wide and flat at the top, with matching straps. It was quite a blow when the fact that Jack's mother had died eight years before the King, was revealed. I was on embarkation leave when the King died in February 1952 so remember the time well. Eight years earlier put the death of Jack's mother around the beginning of 1944. At that time I doubt whether a single person still carried a gas-mask, never mind a brand new cardboard box.
Heartbeat: In the Bleak Midwinter (2004)
Heartbeat - Bleak Midwinter
Whilst I have seen most of the Heartbeat Series, this episode has warmth that breaks through the snow swept landscape of North Yorkshire on a cold wintry day. It was though the unmistakable voice of Alan Price that really made it unforgettable. Though he has aged his voice and music haven't. The two performances at pub piano and on village stage evoked memories of days now long past.
Perhaps the story line was weak and one that most people will have come across many times before. But that can be said about countless films, soaps, and novels. In the end it is the actors' performances, settings and direction that make or break the presentation. The main characters in this episode combined with a Star whose name was once a household word lifted and warmed the heart, while the move in the background music from 'Sixties' to 'Carols' also played a part in making this 'Heartbeat' a cut above the rest.