Change Your Image
adoniel
Reviews
The Winslow Boy (1999)
Let Right Be Done, but is it?
This outstanding film focusing on issues of justice in England, is both very well written and extremely well acted. It is taken from a Terrance Rattigan play of the same name (if you are not familiar with him, watch The Browning Version, especially the older black and white). It is 1911 and the middle class is expanding it clout in the final days before the Great War (after which all was lost for decades in wars, depression and loss of empire). Thirteen year old Ronnie is accused of being dishonest and scrubbed from an elite boys school operated by the British Navy. His family is quick to defend his right to a trial, etc., although, oddly and unfortunately, the boy, so central to the plot, has little say in all the events that happen to him or the political and legal battles fought for him. While really a play in movie form, the quick paced witty dialog, the well crafted shots and the excitement of the outcome allows this story to more than holds its own, making the film a pleasure to watch. The older black and white version is regarded as a classic as well. Interestingly, the actor who played Ronnie in the 1948 version plays the head of the Admiralty in this one.
The Devil's Miner (2005)
14 year old Basilio and his 12 year old brother Bernardino are miners
There are a number of excellent films about children available. This is a new one, and certainly merits attentions. It is a very moving study of the lives of children who every day face a very harsh reality. These children work in the silver mines of Potosi, Bolivia, famed for the terrible acts of depredations perpetrated on the Native Americans by the Spanish colonial powers. This is both a wrenching study of kids willingness to do what must be done to survive as well as a fantastic statement about their strength and hope. Thanks to the film and the notoriety that went with it and the support of child advocacy groups, the story has a happy ending. If you saw and were impressed by such films as Death in Gaza or Promises, which also depict children suffering at the hands of adults in today's world, you will be equally moved by this one.