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ALL THE KINGS MEN

Started by Guest_Harrytheheid_* , Jan 23 2016 07:53 AM

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Post #1 Guest_Harrytheheid_*

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Posted 23 January 2016 - 07:53 AM

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.....

 

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Product Description

This BBC drama portrays the events leading up to and surrounding the disappearance at Gallipoli in 1915 of the Sandringham Company, made up of the King's household staff. Led by estate manager Captain Frank Beck (David Jason), the company left their rural existence to fight in the Great War, and the news of their deaths in battle brought home the reality of the conflict to the royals for the first time. After the war, the Royal Family sent a special envoy to the region to try and discover what had happened to the company, but the truth was never fully revealed.


Synopsis

An all-star cast portrays this most poignant and mysterious event of the First World War - the disappearance in action of the Sandringham Company at Gallopoli in 1915.

Commanded by the Estate Manager, Captain Frank Beck (David Jason), they were just ordinary men - servants, grooms and gardeners - drawn from the staff of the King's private residence. They left an idyllic rural existence for the fatally ill-prepared campaign and their deaths brought the horrors of the First World War to the heart of the establishment - and to the Royal Family itself. After the war a special envoy was sent at the behest of Queen Alexandra (Maggie Smith) to discover what fate had befallen the entire company. But the truth was never fully revealed...


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Post #2 mitch

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Posted 23 January 2016 - 08:01 AM

I have not seen this yet but, will have to order it.

Mitch


The truth will set us free

Post #3 Guest_Harrytheheid_*

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Posted 23 January 2016 - 08:06 AM

I have not seen this yet but, will have to order it.

Mitch

 

FROM AMAZON;

 

"All the King's Men" is a richly textured piece of television drama, sensitively directed by Julian Jarrold. Its carefully nuanced script explores the horrors of the Gallipoli campaign in Turkey in World War One and the myth surrounding the mysterious "disappearance" of the Sandringham Regiment, who were drawn from King George the Fifth's estate.The men are led by Captain Frank Beck,the agent on the estate, who with the support of the Queen Mother defies the King and, despite his age, leaves Sandringham to lead the men who he has trained and whose lives he has been intimately involved with on the estate. Through the excellent performance of David Jason we see a man of some nobility of spirit,used to respecting his superiors all his life,trying to do his best in a situation where his superiors got it completely wrong.His idealism is nicely contrasted with the humane pragmatism of the regimental doctor who has no such illusions.
The truth of a body of men ineptly led and totally unprepared for fighting in an unknown and hostile terrain with appalling logistical support is graphically portrayed and echoes the much better known Australian film, "Gallipoli." The deliberate burying of the truth of what happened(which involved large numbers of men being shot in the head rather than taken prisoner)in order to protect social sensitivities and preserve morale is nicely dealt with through the superbly restrained performance of Maggie Smith as the Queen Mother who is clearly not fooled but never betrays the fact.
The film also sympathetically explores the social values of the English class system and particularly the close knit generation of Sandringham workers who made up the regiment. Their naive and in some cases romantic confidence in the right of King and Country fighting with God on their side(despite the fact that they were invading another country)is believably portrayed.
The perfornances of the cast are without exception of a very high class with some excellent cameos. This is the BBC at its very best and I thoroughly reccomend it to you!


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Post #4 Guest_Harrytheheid_*

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Posted 23 January 2016 - 08:31 AM

Half-way though it at the moment....

 

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....and now I'm in the mood for it, next up will be;

 

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ANOTHER HIGHLY RECOMMENDED....

 

Product Description

It's 1914. Rudyard Kipling (David Haig from Four Weddings And A Funeral), the British Empire's greatest supporter, is at the peak of his literary fame. Kipling's son, Jack (Daniel Radcliffe from the Harry Potter films), is determined to play his part in the imminent war with Germany, but finds himself rejected due to his extremely poor eyesight. When his father uses his influence to land Jack a commission in the Irish Guards, Kipling’s wife, Caroline (Kim Cattrall from Sex And The City), is bitterly upset, failing to see the glory in losing her only son to the war. 
As Jack leaves for war, Kipling consoles himself with the thought that if his son should die, it will have been his finest hour. But how would the great writer justify the consequences of his actions to himself and his wife? And how would he live with the conflict between his two greatest passions: a love for his family and a devotion to King and Country?


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Post #5 mitch

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Posted 23 January 2016 - 08:50 AM

Just nabbed it for £4.99. I will have to look for the other
Mitch

The truth will set us free

Post #6 Guest_Harrytheheid_*

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Posted 26 January 2016 - 05:01 AM

Just nabbed it for £4.99. I will have to look for the other
Mitch

 

Hope you didn't get it mixed up with this one.... :P...."War is a Drag"....and Eddie Izzard ....I should've known better!

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Seriously though, both the WW1 movies are well worth a visit.

David Jason looks far too old for his role, but by all accounts Frank Beck, the Sandringham Estate Agent was way beyond the upper age limit for active service.

"My Boy Jack" explores much the same kind of themes (strong patriotism destroyed by disillusion with the War) and is based on David Haig's stage play. Daniel Radcliffe turns in a surprisingly good performance, and I was absolutely amazed at the acting skills of Kim Cattrall.


Post #7 Guest_Jazzeum_*

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Posted 26 January 2016 - 07:39 AM

Have you seen Our World War? Three episodes about WW I. Slightly dramatized but all based on real soldiers. The first one is about the Battle of Mons, the second the Pals battalions and the third tank warfare. They are one hour long and excellent.

Post #8 Guest_Harrytheheid_*

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Posted 26 January 2016 - 08:02 AM

Have you seen Our World War? Three episodes about WW I. Slightly dramatized but all based on real soldiers. The first one is about the Battle of Mons, the second the Pals battalions and the third tank warfare. They are one hour long and excellent.

 

I downloaded them some time back but can't seem to get them to work with VLC player.... :huh:


Post #9 Guest_Jazzeum_*

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Posted 26 January 2016 - 08:28 AM

They're on Netflix. The one about the Pals battalions is psrticularly good.

Post #10 Guest_Harrytheheid_*

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Posted 26 January 2016 - 10:00 AM

They're on Netflix. The one about the Pals battalions is psrticularly good.

 

Unfortunately, Netflix is a luxury I don't have. I'll try watching them on the toshiba using a different player.


Post #11 mitch

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Posted 27 January 2016 - 06:23 AM

Just received this today. Looking forward to watching it soon

Mitch


The truth will set us free

Post #12 mitch

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Posted 28 January 2016 - 03:20 PM

Well, watched this and just finished. Not really all that impressed to be honest. Watchable but, only the once for me.
Mitch

The truth will set us free

Post #13 Guest_Harrytheheid_*

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Posted 28 January 2016 - 07:41 PM

Well, watched this and just finished. Not really all that impressed to be honest. Watchable but, only the once for me.
Mitch

 

Oh well, it would be an extremely boring world if we all liked exactly the same stuff.

Just curious, but what was the specific problem?

Certainly when I watched the DVD it was difficult not to expect David Jason to slip into Del Boy mode.

Too "Downton Abbey" maybe? Maggie Smith does play much the same role in both.

I know it can be a bit slow with possibly too much focus on the (strange?) relationship between Sgt Grimes wife and the ostracized wounded soldier living on the estate.

And it does jump around with perhaps too many flashbacks, but for me, the production values and social commentary made up for these shortcomings.


Post #14 mitch

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Posted 29 January 2016 - 03:33 AM

Pretty much sums it up for me.Too much emphasis on parts that did not really add to the story. It seemed disjointed and for me did not seem to know what it wanted to focus upon and, in the end, tried to cover it all. Maybe, it was too short in length and could have dealt with these relationships if they had shown more of the training of these soldiers prior to leaving for the fighting. The strange relationship between the Grimes wife and the soldier, the focus on dysfunctional brothers or so it seemed and, the homosexual relationship between two other characters flicking between battle scenes did nothing to enamour me to it. I did enjoy the role of the Medical officer/doctor who was just not astonished by the ineptitude of the high command.

I agree I can't stop picturing Jason as Del boy or, Inspector Frost. Again, similarities with Downtown Abbey are lost on me because I have not watched any of the shows.

It was good to see something on the campaign from a different angle. I am glad to have seen it but, as I said its not something that would come out again.
Mitch

Oh well, it would be an extremely boring world if we all liked exactly the same stuff.
Just curious, but what was the specific problem?
Certainly when I watched the DVD it was difficult not to expect David Jason to slip into Del Boy mode.
Too "Downton Abbey" maybe? Maggie Smith does play much the same role in both.
I know it can be a bit slow with possibly too much focus on the (strange?) relationship between Sgt Grimes wife and the ostracized wounded soldier living on the estate.
And it does jump around with perhaps too many flashbacks, but for me, the production values and social commentary made up for these shortcomings.


The truth will set us free

Post #15 Guest_Harrytheheid_*

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Posted 29 January 2016 - 06:01 AM

Pretty much sums it up for me.Too much emphasis on parts that did not really add to the story. It seemed disjointed and for me did not seem to know what it wanted to focus upon and, in the end, tried to cover it all. Maybe, it was too short in length and could have dealt with these relationships if they had shown more of the training of these soldiers prior to leaving for the fighting. The strange relationship between the Grimes wife and the soldier, the focus on dysfunctional brothers or so it seemed and, the homosexual relationship between two other characters flicking between battle scenes did nothing to enamour me to it. I did enjoy the role of the Medical officer/doctor who was just not astonished by the ineptitude of the high command.

I agree I can't stop picturing Jason as Del boy or, Inspector Frost. Again, similarities with Downtown Abbey are lost on me because I have not watched any of the shows.

It was good to see something on the campaign from a different angle. I am glad to have seen it but, as I said its not something that would come out again.
Mitch
 

 

Thanks for the response.

I admit I winced a bit after my initial post, because I ought to have made more clear that it's not a war movie per se. 

As for Downton Abbey, I know it's hugely popular, but you're not missing much. It's formula TV.


Post #16 Guest_Jazzeum_*

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Posted 29 January 2016 - 07:29 AM

Slightly changing the subject, I caught Five Graves to Cairo, a 1943 movie about a British tanker who survives a battle, wanders into a hotel in a small desert town and assumes the identity of a German spy when Rommel and his entourage decamp at the hotel for a few days. It's basically an espionage movie with "we must finish the war" themes but very well done. Eric Von Stroheim is superb as Rommel.

Post #17 Guest_Jazzeum_*

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Posted 29 January 2016 - 07:38 AM

I've never watched Downton Abbey, mostly because I missed the first few seasons, but critics remarked that Parade's End was a better made version of upper British life at the time of the Great War. Based on the Ford Maddox Ford novel, it's quite superb, one of the best things I've ever seen.

Post #18 Neil

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Posted 29 January 2016 - 07:58 AM

Slightly changing the subject, I caught Five Graves to Cairo, a 1943 movie about a British tanker who survives a battle, wanders into a hotel in a small desert town and assumes the identity of a German spy when Rommel and his entourage decamp at the hotel for a few days. It's basically an espionage movie with "we must finish the war" themes but very well done. Eric Von Stroheim is superb as Rommel.

sound good Brad
Neil

Post #19 Guest_Harrytheheid_*

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Posted 29 January 2016 - 08:06 AM

I've never watched Downton Abbey, mostly because I missed the first few seasons, but critics remarked that Parade's End was a better made version of upper British life at the time of the Great War. Based on the Ford Maddox Ford novel, it's quite superb, one of the best things I've ever seen.

 

Trouble with Downton Abbey is, despite the superb sets, I just don't get any kind of feeling for the era from it. Social attitudes and pecking order appear to be much more egalitarian -- as in representing the values of the early 21st century -- rather than those of the early 20th century.

Whereas All The Kings Men does seem to reflect the era it's set in.

 

I'll have a look for Parade's End though;

http://www.amazon.co...ds=Parade's End

 

And it would be interesting to find the older movie from 1964 and compare it with the newer version;

http://www.amazon.co...ds=Parade's End


Post #20 Guest_Jazzeum_*

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Posted 29 January 2016 - 10:04 AM

I didn't even know they had made it into a movie.  However, I don't think you could do justice to the book or books in two hours.  The Parade's End from a couple of years ago was a joint HBO BBC production and was six hours in length.  Benedict Cumberbatch was amazing in the role but Rebecca Hall as Teitjens' wife Sylvia was just superb. 


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