POIGNANT DRAMA OF LOVE LOST AND FOUND IN THE BBC-TV MOVIE ”MAN IN AN ORANGE SHIRT”

Julian Morris and Vanessa Redgrave in a scene from "Man in an Orange Shirt"

Our British cousins shared with us their language, customs and laws for 169 years before we subjects of the Crown and colonists too, decided that we preferred to govern ourselves; opting to be free and independent, going so far as to fight a war with ‘Mother England’ to make sure that the American experiment would become a reality. Moving pictures may have been invented by the French, but the Brits and the Americans have turned the magic of the movie experience into a worldwide phenomenon. True, there are practitioners worldwide, but America and the United Kingdom (UK) are preeminent as creative visual artisans when it comes to the stage and/or the unlimited flexibility and range of the motion picture camera in creative hands.

The British film “Man in an Orange Shirt”, is one example of how a poignantly written romance drama, performed by gifted actors, all of whom have been deftly directed by their countryman Michael Samuelson, can take a small, intimate film dealing with the highly emotional and radio-active subject of homosexuality, then turn it into a compelling and relevant movie about England’s punitive homosexuality laws that have existed for decades is worthy of one’s attention regardless of one’s sexual identity or preference.

The British government has been slow in coming to the party of legally joining the rest of Western society in realizing that all people have inalienable rights as human beings to live, love, and marry whomever they please. The English “Gross Indecency” laws concerning males – like those that ensnared and ended the career of famed playwright and author Oscar Wilde at the end of the 19th century – were finally decriminalized and removed from the law statutes with Parliament’s passage of the Sexual Offenses Act of 1967.

In a sidebar digression it might be interesting to share some statistical clarity for context and perspective of the film written by novelist Patrick Gale, based in part on his novel and his family’s history. The UK is a country of some 53 million people. According to 2018 government records, only 6 per cent of the population identifies as LGBT. In America a country with 328 million citizens, the LGBT community consists of only 4.5 per cent of individuals 16 years and older who so identify; according a May 5th Gallup Poll taken in 2018. I believe it’s a safe bet to say that the gay population is not planning on taking over the world.

The film “Man in an Orange Shirt” was originally produced as a two-part British TV miniseries. But for American audiences, the two interwoven stories of love relationships over a period of two generations, have been joined into a single film presentation that screened on PBS stations across the country. I reviewed it earlier this month.

Oliver Jackson-Cohen and James McArdle
portray star-crossed lovers in "Man in an Orange Shirt"

The richly textured film features an inter-generational story that tells of the obstacles that Western society and England in particular is placing on love relationships of two veterans. Captain Michael Berryman (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) and Captain Thomas March (James McArdle) who briefly meet during the waning days WW II. Their attraction for one another however is immediate, passionate, and incendiary. It’s also against English law; men cannot have sex with or marry another man.

Once back in civilian life, Michael and Thomas have been meeting secretly, which places a huge strain on Michael’s marriage to young Flora, played by Joanna Vanderham (later to be played by Vanessa Redgrave). From the day Flora discovers love letters from Michael to Thomas is the day Flora burns the letters signifying that their marriage has changed to that of a brother-sister like relationship. Betrayal produces emotions that are difficult to control. Beware the woman scorned…

Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Joanna Vanderham, and
James McArdle in "Man in an Orange Shirt"

The story thread then moves on to the trials and tribulations of 21st-century partnerships using the example of Captain Berryman’s grandson Adam (Julian Morris) and architect Steve (David Gyasi). Their story is filled with obstacles that also seem insurmountable. Steve leaves his twenty-year relationship with his partner and art designer to begin anew with the younger Adam. The film’s nexus point of the two stories are linked by Flora Berryman, (Vanessa Redgrave) as Michael’s grieving wife and Adam’s grandmother, whose unrequited love over the years for the long-deceased Michael, keeps her from confronting Adam with the truth about his grandfather. Flora finally expiates her secrets and betrayal by erupting into a hateful response to Adam’s news about his coming out and planning on spending his life with his architect companion Steve with the hope that love which has the redeeming power of forgiveness will win over his grandmother.

The real beauty of this engaging, powerful and achingly poignant film lies in the performances of its sublime ensemble cast. They’re experienced, talented, and spot-on in their portrayals, and all are in the thrall of the great 80-year-old (when she made the film) Vanessa Redgrave. The great ones never seem to lose that special gift of star quality. “Man in an Orange Shirt” should be on your “must-see” list so keep checking your local TV listings for dates and times of its screening. Remember a great nation deserves great art. Support all the Arts.

  -- Jack Lyons

BRITISH GOVERNMENT WHISTLEBLOWER DEFENDS DECISION AND CHALLENGES THE GOVERNMENT IN GAVIN HOOD'S "OFFICIAL SECRETS"

Keira Knightley portrays real life British whistleblower Margaret Gun in "Official Secrets"

Nobody beats the Brits when it comes to stories and movies that deal with their Intelligence services. They have at least a three hundred year advantage over the world’s other agencies in protecting their state secrets and clandestine operations.

In the world of espionage and/or governmental networks and agencies, there are literally legions of people who tirelessly and secretly work to keep their respective countries safe from foreign agents and spies attempting to steal highly classified state secrets and confidential files and documents.

Two American security breach cases spring to mind: In 2010, U.S. intelligence analyst Bradley Chelsea Manning, was charged with espionage by delivering hundreds of thousands of classified documents to Wikipedia, a foreign-based company. Then in 2013, American ex-CIA/NSA contractor Edward Snowden, released hundreds of thousands of government files and documents to Wikipedia and Julian Assange, revealing our own NSA involvement in the surveilling of American citizens without their knowledge.

Every now and then, however, a riveting movie arrives based on the machinations and perfidy by a government official or the actions of a “whistleblower” that screams for full transparency and full disclosure from the media; first via newspapers and then to TV and ultimately the internet.

In the dog eat dog world of journalism, scoops abound on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean along with the baggage of embarrassment and the urgency to deny or confirm the rushes to judgement in order to quell a whistleblower’s coup or actions plus the downplay on the government’s culpability in failing to protect the country and its people from such exposures is what’s at stake in all cases.

Security breaches like the one in Director/Co-screenwriter Gavin Hood’s deftly directed, fact-based movie “Official Secrets”, did indeed occur in Great Britain in 2003 on the eve of the George W. Bush administration’s invasion of Iraq. At the constant urging of U.S. VP Dick Cheney, the reason for the U.S. going to war in Iraq was allegedly to search for and destroy hidden weapons of mass destruction claimed by Chaney, which in the final analysis revealed that there never were any hidden nuclear weapons of mass destruction in Saddam Hussein’s Iraq.

This intense BBC-PBS co-production movie stars Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes, Matt Smith, Matthew Goode, Adam Bakri, Indira Varma, MyAnna Buring and Tamsin Grieg. Screenwriters Gregory and Sara Bernstein chronicle the events that place Ms. Knightley, who portrays real-life British civil servant Margaret Gun, in legal jeopardy for violating Britain’s Official Secrets Act.

In Great Britain, UK law forbids any employee who signs the Official Secrets Act from ever revealing anything about the work they did for the government. To do so brings a charge of treason and jail time.

Ralph Fiennes is brilliant attorney Ben Emmerson in "Official Secrets"

Conscience plays a huge role in this gripping story of UK analyst Margaret Gun, an educated, articulate multi-lingual, principled young woman married to a Turkish national. In the story line, she inadvertently comes into possession of a top secret American document that might possibly save thousands of lives in the impending Iraq war.  She mails the information in an unsigned letter to aggressive young newspaper journalist Martin Bright (Matt Smith), who writes an incendiary expose setting in motion a search for the writer of the letter in UK intelligence agencies including Margaret’s own special branch unit.

Matt Smith as British journalist Martin Bright
in "Official Secrets"

At first, she denies knowing anything; but introspectively, she has been having mixed emotions about the letter she wrote to journalist Bright and why she did it. Eventually, she voluntarily informs her superiors that she was the whistleblower. She is arrested and placed in jail to await her trial.

Brilliant English actor Ralph Fiennes plays Margaret’s stoic top-rated defense lawyer Ben Emmerson, who, along with her colleagues Matthew Goode, Indira Varma, Rhys Ifans, and Adam Bakri, as her husband, offer strong support.

However, no more spoiler alerts from me. One will have to see for one’s self how this well made, tautly written film about the efficacy of truth, honesty, loyalty, and duty comes front and center when one is confronted in making life-altering decisions.

This I will say this about “Official Secrets” - it’s one of Keira Knightley’s best performances. Gone is the young beauty from Jane Austen-like roles.  Her screen persona now displays the full range of her talent. We now see a confident, mature actor capable of handling any role she may want to tackle.  And it doesn’t hurt to have one of England’s finest classical actors in a movie with you either.

The technical credits are first-rate as well. “Official Secrets” will no doubt be screened again, but if you can’t wait for it on PBS or Showtime, perhaps your local superstore will have rental copies available.Then again there’s always Netflix.

Remember a great nation deserves great art. Support all Arts!

-- Jack Lyons