Longford
(British Telefilm/HBO/DVD-Video)
Picture:
C+ Sound: C+ Extras: B- Telefilm: B
Frank
Aungier Pakenham, the 7th Earl of Longford (Jim Broadbent) fights
against the system in his quest to make sure prisoners are treated with rights
and dignity no matter what the crime. He
has done this for years and it has not been without its controversy. He is a deeply religious man and respected,
but all this also is strained when he defends child killer Myra Hindley
(Samantha Morton) who becomes the scourge of the country and is even constantly
targeted in jail.
Pakenham
believes in moral redemption, but the print, radio and TV media does not and
extended conflict begins as Hindley’s case slowly unravels, including what
really happened over the murders, why and who inside the government might find
it convenient to their careers and other activities to keep her demonized and
Pakenham away from her altogether.
This is
very impressive, powerful and the performances by Broadbent and Morton are
exceptional. We occasionally see good TV
movies from Britain, but can see why HBO wanted this one in particular. Director Tom Hopper manages to pull off
telling the story without being judgmental or heavy-handed, something most
directors would have done to take the shortcut way out of the challenge of the
situation. Peter Morgan’s teleplay is
very thorough and the result is a very smooth presentation of a sad situation
for all. Don’t miss it.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image occasionally has stock footage in it
that is older video, while the newer footage can be soft and color seems to
have been removed somewhat. We guess
Director of Photography Danny Cohen is one of the deciders of this, but it is
an understandable approach. The Dolby
Digital 2.0 Stereo mix is good for dialogue and has no surrounds. Extras include For The Record, a piece
about the actual murders and an audio commentary by director Hopper and writer
Morgan that is very good.
- Nicholas Sheffo
