Reviews

I was somewhat worried that this episode might deviate too far from the original book, especially as "The Shadow in the North" is my favourite of the Sally Lockhart quartet. However, I was pleasantly surprised, it stuck extremely close to the book and really brought Philip Pullman's creation to life. The acting was superb, Billie Piper as the Financial Consultant-cum- detective Sally Lockhart was very convincing as the feisty, yet vulnerable young woman who is pulled into a dark underworld of corruption and murder. Equally, Jared Harris as evil tycoon Axel Bellman was great- understated yet chilling, just as Pullman envisaged him. I can't fault the script or pace of it either, it was gripping but managed to obtain the essence of dialogue/ storyline without leaving out anything significant, and some adaptations might tend to do. Overall, highly enjoyable and entertaining, a worthy adaptation of Pullman's great story!

THE RUBY IN THE SMOKE and indeed the whole Sally Lockhart Quartet is one of my most favourite series of books for children- so my expectations of it were very high. However, the BBC pulled this off very well; the cast and acting was brilliant, very convincing indeed. It was beautifully filmed, and I was delighted to see that the excellent plot was hardly meddled with at all. In fact, the film completely reinforces the greatness of the book, and was in itself a thoroughly entertaining drama.

In Philip Pullman's THE RUBY IN THE SMOKE Sally Lockhart, a courageous 16 year old orphan finds herself embroiled in a mesmerising mystery, centring around an infamous ruby. As she unravels the mystery she is thrown into many exciting (and dangerous) situations, and meets several dear friends along the way who share her adventures with her. This little summary doesn't do either the book or the film credit- so read, and watch both! All in all, great family entertainment for Christmas, and I'm looking forward to seeing THE SHADOW IN THE NORTH, the second instalment in the Sally Lockhart Quartet, later on next year.

It is an extremely difficult film to watch, particularly as it targets the innermost core of all of our lives. But ultimately it is a very beautiful and deeply moving film. Any person who finds it cynical I have to say that they must have greatly missed the point of the film's entire message. For those who actually watch the film, they will see that the way the issues are dealt with is absolutely necessary, and the outcome is ultimately uplifting. Sure, it's very hard to watch, a difficult subject matter and even brutal. Yet it's extremely relevant to society and everybody. It shows the peak of what world cinema is doing at the moment (I will not restrict that term to just France) and everyone should try to see it. I will say that it is best to go in with a clear head without being swayed by conflicting views, and just let the film work for you.

This is exactly what French cinema is best at doing, a brilliant, psychological drama that absolutely makes you sit up and think. I won't spoil the plot for you, as I think everyone should take the time to watch this film, and figure it out for themselves. I will say that the acting is incredible, Jean-Pierre Darroussin and Carole Bouquet provide a real tour De force as the main couple. All the incidental characters also make it stick, and the film is so artfully filmed, in fact everything combines together to make an overall brilliant picture. Perhaps needless to say, it is a very psychologically demanding film, but absolutely essential viewing. France after a slip in the 80s and early 90s has come back with vengeance in the Cinema stakes, and hopefully the rest of the world will sit up and take notice of this Cinema Revolution currently going on! Flawless and truly unmissable.