Eleanor Reviews

  ***** DVD Release In April 1945, Berlin became the front line. In his bunker, Adolf Hitler was entering his final few days alive. Surrounded by his remaining officers, a handful of soldiers, Eva Braun and his female secretaries, we watch as the once powerful dictator sinks into despair and bitterness. There has been a plethora of World War Two films, but ‘Downfall’ adopts an angle that we perhaps have not seen before – Germany is falling to the Allies, but this time we see this from inside the Nazi headquarters as opposed to the point of view of the victorious nationalities. In his elaborate underground bunker, Hitler (Bruno Ganz) is an old man rapidly losing control of the situation – many of his high ranking officers have betrayed and abandoned him, and he has run out of troops to fight off the approaching Russian forces. Ganz is outstanding as Hitler – his is bitter, broken, angry, but at moments also strangely tender, especially towards the women in his company.

**** Based on the novel by the same name, ’12 Years A Slave’ is the story of Solomon Northup who lived as free black man in New York. After being deceived and sold into slavery, he battles despair and intense cruelty, all the time trying to prove his right to freedom. This film is incredibly difficult to watch in places, and is mostly so utterly joyless that it I cannot say that I really enjoyed the experience no matter how moving I found it. The camera is watches unflinchingly as Solomon is beaten in a cellar, and then again as he is left hanging from a tree with just his toes brushing the ground to stop him from straggling completely. There is also an extremely long and painful shot of a young woman being lashed until the skin is ripped from her back, which left several people in the screening I was in covering their faces and fidgeting. Throughout the entire film I was dreading what would happen next, constantly fearing for the welfare of Northup and his fellow slaves –

  ** DVD Release After King Richard the Lionheart is killed in a siege in France, long-serving Robin Longstride and a small group of fellow soldiers set off back to England. On the way, Robin receives a sword from its dying owner who wishes for it to be returned to his father, Sir Walter Loxley. Meanwhile, King John (newly crowned after the death of his brother) finds his position compromised after his right-hand man, Godfrey, persuades him to ruthlessly pursue the missing taxes. With the country out of love with the new king, Godfrey hopes the French will be able to invade and overtake with ease, and begins shipping troops into England. So, the historical accuracy of this film is about as far from the truth as Ridley Scott’s previous film, Gladiator . The lack of accuracy doesn’t really matter in Gladiator , however, as it is such an excellent and exciting film that you get swept along in it, but this is not the case with Robin Hood . For starters, the tone of the fil