Leofwine_draca
GLORIOUS 39 is an attempt to make a film in the same vein as GOSFORD PARK and REMAINS OF THE DAY, adding in a tacked-on mystery thriller plot as per the 1930s political situation. From the first scene you know this has an exemplary cast, with the likes of Eddie Redmayne, Jeremy Northam, and Charlie Cox all appearing in solid roles. Romola Garai has always been a good fit for period drama - like the excellent BBC TV series THE HOUR - and she's fine here, apart from at the climax in which she's asked to go way over the top and becomes embarrassing as a result. A shame, then, that the writing is so sloppy, offering up one dull character after another and nobody to like. The plot twists and turns are routine, and the old-timers like Bill Nighy and Julie Christie show up and do nothing. The less said about David Tennant the better, but at least he doesn't get much screen time. Christopher Lee is a welcome presence, but he gets even less.
cexchange22
I have a Bachelor of Science in film, but more than that I love good movies. This however is not one of them. Absolutely awful, and in so many ways. Why any of the actors featured in this film would participate in such a badly written piece of absurdity is beyond me. It is not worth your time. Period. Based on the trailer, I expected a film that dealt in a realistic way with the evolving conflicts that might impact a British aristocratic family during this period of history. Instead what I saw was a film dealing in Fellini type absurdities and characters who behaved like zombies in one surreal scenario after another. It is unrealistic, difficult to follow and boring. Save your time, and watch another film. Any other film.
cobbler88
I'm sorry, but this movie was a pile.Yes, the acting and filming were well done, but anyone who believes that this was in any way suspenseful or a "taut thriller" is WAY too used to old-school, glacially paced British dramas.Heck, I can't say for certain that there was any true drama to this rare combination of political intrigue AND plodding storytelling.There was neither a single twist nor genuinely suspenseful moment right up to the end, which I imagine was supposed to leave us gob-smacked but only served to make us feel good that we were able to predict it about two hours earlier.If you are wavering between this and something else, pick the something else. Even "Monuments Men" is preferable to this film.
Anthony Page
I've heard this movie is considered a thriller. This movie is many things but a thriller is the least of them. Like the great movies this movie has a theme and a overall moral that is vital to learn. This movie is really about the nuances and many forms of racism and bigotry. A subject Stephen Poliakoff in his genius has shown in the past with many of his other films. Of course many of the Great Films were not recognized at the time of their release. And unfortunately Glorious 39 is one of them.This movie is beautifully filmed in wonderful locations. In this once again Poliakoff does not disappoint. Anne begins her journey in the English countryside a member of one of the great aristocratic families right before the events of World War 2. Amazingly during this journey she see's the insidious nature of racism and bigotry as it takes possession of her family and eventually robs her of them (it may have been there all along with the times). One of the most potent scenes of the film is when Anne's observant cousin warns her "they don't really love you". With the revelation of Anne's ancestry and the showing of their true regard for Anne during the course of the movie Anne begins to realize this fact and at the end makes her escape from the strange, racist and corrupt family.Were they in the right to try to appease Hitler? Looking at England at that time it is doubtful that they would have won a war with Hitler's Germany. America was supremely isolationist. And Russia had signed their own peace treaty with Germany. But looking back and seeing how events played out it shows more that ever the importance of always doing the right thing. Still this takes almost a back stage to the real theme of this movie. The genius of Poliakoff has always been his theme's and how he reveals them over the course of the film in his own marvelous way. Be sure to check out his next work "Dancing on The Edge" a five-part series set to debut new years 2013.
AD
