Glorious 39 (2009)

Director:

Stephen Poliakoff

Writer:

Stephen Poliakoff (writer)

Release Date:

20 November 2009 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | History | Romance | Thriller | War

Plot:

A mysterious tale set around a traditional British family on the eve of World War Two.

Plot Keywords:

Year In Title | London England | WWII | Number In Title

Cast

Romola Garai	...	Anne Keyes
Bill Nighy	...	Alexander
Julie Christie	...	Elizabeth
David Tennant	...	Hector
Juno Temple	...	Celia
Eddie Redmayne	...	Ralph
Asier Newman	...	Mick
Christopher Lee	...	Walter
Charlie Cox	...	Lawrence
Hugh Bonneville	...	Gilbert
Jenny Agutter	...	Maud
Jeremy Northam	...	Balcombe
Tom Goodman-Hill	...	Reginald Payne - Director
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
James Bartholomew	...	Police Photographer
Sam Heydon	...	Henry Appleby
Sam Kubrick-Finney	...	Young Walter
Toby Regbo	...	Michael Walton

Also Known As:

1939 (UK) (working title)

Runtime:

Canada:129 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

UK:12A | Ireland:15A

Filming Locations:

Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England, UK

Company:

BBC Films

Trivia:

The film reunites Bill Nighy with two of his on screen daughters from different movies, Romola Garai from I Capture the Castle (2003) and Juno Temple from Notes on a Scandal (2006). Bill Nighy portrays their father in this movie as well.

Close my eyes... and ears!

Despite a promising premise and a fine cast, "Glorious 39" is let down by possibly the worst script in London. Stephen Poliakoff, once a beacon of intelligent British cinema and television, has long since lost his way. His once sharp eye for character dulled, he fails to write dialog which is anything but undiluted exposition, every line.

The story structure is little better, the occasional scenes of thriller tension - and, yes, there are some good ones - being lost in a meandering sea of nothing much happening.

The cast put a brave face to their unspeakable lines and carry on, in the spirit of the blitz. Even the redoubtable Bill Nighy appears flummoxed by his part, and fails to find his way out of first gear. It is to Romola Garai's great credit that she shines far brighter than the script would seem to allow. A star-making turn, but nothing can save this ship.

Someone really needs to stand up to Mr Poliakoff, who has clearly grown lazy since being hailed as Britain's leading screen dramatist. Had he shown this script around without his name on the front there's not a reader worth their salt who'd have got beyond page ten.