Glorious 39

I have this week off work and rather than doing my usual vague pottering and trash tv watching I decided to be productive this time. So, yesterday I went to Croydon to do 'the Christmas shop'. Usually this would be a complete disaster but for once I got myself organised and wrote a list, stuck to it and consequently am about 95% complete on the Christmas shopping front (pending deliveries from both Amazon and Play). Today, I went into Reigate (a very different kind of shopping experience) and did some shopping then took myself off to the cinema to see Glorious 39.

Now, I don't know about you, but there are few things in life quite as enjoyable as going to the cinema on your own in the afternoon. It somehow just feels so decadent! I treated myself to some milk chocolate honeycomb pieces and sat slap-bang in the middle in front of everyone else so I could feel as though I was there on my own. As it was, there was only about six other people in the cinema (again, the joys of a small independent cinema cannot be underestimated!)

Now, on to the film. I heard about Glorious 39 during the London Film Festival. The director is Stephen Poliakoff, who is a favourite of mine - everything I have seen of his has been really interesting, not to mention beautifully shot. He tends to also introduce an element of the unusual, which I love. Glorious 39, therefore, is a little more than a straight-forward period drama. I don't want to give away the plot, but basically it centres around Anne, the eldest (adopted) of three children in an aristocratic family. She discovers some unsettling plots connected to the outbreak of war and slowly things begin to unravel as she discovers who the 'bad guys' actually are. I absolutely loved every minute of this film. There was a real undercurrent throughout the film and some of the characters and situations were genuinely menacing. Watching a character fall apart is emotionally difficult and I found myself spending the journey home thinking about the true horror of the war and it's cost both emotionally and physically to everyone.

Romola Garai was engaging and beautiful, and all the supporting cast were equally strong. It was interesting to see Bill Nighy in a serious role, which I don't think I have seen him play before. I also loved Juno Temple, who is simply gorgeous (and got to wear some enviable outfits) And on top if it all, I adored the all the clothes, period detail and cinematography. A definite 5* film and one I can't wait to own on DVD.