BROADWAY AND FILM STAR TOVAH FELDSHUH MORPHS INTO “BECOMING DR RUTH” AT NCRT

Tovah Feldshuh as beloved 'sexologist' Dr. Ruth Westheimer in North Coast
Repertory's production of "Becoming Dr. Ruth"

North Coast Repertory Theatre (NCRT) of Solana Beach, CA, brings gifted, multiple award-winning actor Tovah Feldshuh to their stage to star in playwright Mark St. Germain’s breezy and delightful one-woman stage play “Becoming Dr. Ruth” in the platform streaming movie format. 

Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Ph.D., the diminutive (4’ 7”) munchkin-like, giggling, ‘grandma’ image and author of some 40 plus books on human sexuality became an overnight sensation back in 1980 with her open, fresh approach to the subject of sex.  Dr. Ruth, as she is popularly known, is a licensed sexual therapist and grandmother.  

Call-in listeners to her 1980 radio show on station NYNY 103.5 FM in New York City would ask for her advice on personal sexual matters, which she discussed in an open, straightforward, professional medical manner.  Listeners heard words they thought they would never hear coming from their radios. The popular show went viral when Dr. Ruth moved one year later from radio to America’s television screens, becoming; a worldwide celebrity in the process.  

Playwright Mark St. Germain was of the opinion that the life and career of the pixie-like German-born American citizen and holocaust survivor would make for a wonderful uplifting stage play.  He was absolutely correct, of course.  “Becoming Dr. Ruth,” his stage play, is filled with drama, bravery, courage, wisdom, wit, tragedy and yes, comedy.  All of the components necessary for a wonderfully poignant and compelling stage play for all to enjoy in its 2021 streaming movie format. 

In 2019, the uninvited pandemic guest of covid-19 forced brick and mortar venues to switch their productions from ‘live stage mounted’ to ‘streaming service’ in the movie format.  NCRT has been a leader in the vanguard of presenting quality entertainment in Southern California both on stage and now in the pandemic era of streaming movie formats.  All of their 39th season of productions have been presented in the movie-style format.  But it appears that these restrictions are about to be lifted by California Governor Gavin Newsom on June 15, 2021.  Stay tuned.

The next step and challenge facing David Ellenstein, North Coast Rep Theatre artistic director - who directs “Becoming Dr. Ruth - was to cast an actor who has the talent and skills to breathe life into St. Germain’s insightful and entertaining 90-minute play.  Not to worry, Ellenstein’s search was a no-brainer.

Actor Tovah Feldshuh is a theatrical force of nature in performance and a six-time Tony and Emmy nominee who, as Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Ms. Feldshuh not only immerses herself literally into becoming Dr. Ruth (no pun intended) that one forgets she’s also an actor of uncommon talent who happens to specialize in one woman productions.  Who can forget her powerful and riveting performance as Golda Meir in “Golda’s Balcony”?  Or laugh at her antics in TV’s “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” series as the yenta-like Naomi Bunch, mother of the show’s lead character Rebecca Bunch that starred Rachel Bloom.

Ms. Feldshuh’s mesmerizing performance as Dr. Ruth gives her audience a peek into the life of a holocaust survivor from the POV of a young girl to becoming a famous elderly celebrity whose personal philosophy of never giving in to the ups and downs of life; it's what makes her performance so compelling to watch.

Director Ellenstein’s many clever directorial touches are so seamless that one is unaware of the movie being directed at all.  The rapport between director Edelstein and Ms. Feldshuh is evidence of two pros doing their thing.  One marvels at her stamina, range, and pace while we embrace and laud the vision of director David Edelstein.  It’s great stuff.

The technical team that makes the movie magic happen includes Aaron Rumley, as director of photography and co-camera operator along with Phil Korth and Chris Williams; Marty Burnett, Set Designer extraordinaire, transfers the Solana beach stage into a New York City Condo with a sweeping view of the Hudson River from Dr. Ruth’s front room window that lends additional authenticity to this, at times, inspiring story about the celebration of life and the human condition.  

Costumes by Elisa Benzoni and Properties by Phil Korth; Wig designs by Peter Herman along with Camera operators Phil Korth, Aaron Rumley and Chris Williams, complete the technical film unit team.  The Board Operator is Matt Fitzgerald.

“Becoming Dr. Ruth” streams until July 11, 2021.  For ticket information, go online to NorthCoastRep.Org It’s a must-see production! 

Remember… a great nation deserves great art.  Support all the arts!

HBO SCORES WITH A NEW RIVETING FILM VERSION OF THE BROADWAY STAGE DRAMA “OSLO”

If this Covid-19 pandemic has taught us anything it’s forced the American viewing public to think outside the traditional creative arts box when it comes to entertainment. “Streaming” was not a familiar term a couple of years or so ago, unless one was speaking of water or possibly flags streaming in the wind on National Holidays.

Today “streaming” is how a majority of Americans view their entertainment options at home. But the light at the end of this runaway train nightmare pandemic is finally coming into sharper focus as long as we continue to follow the CDC guidelines. Vaccination is free and relatively painless and it contributes to the health and well-being of all Americans. It works! Do It!

It’s anticipated that most brick-and-mortar venues will open in 2022. In the meantime, one can still enjoy quality stories and productions via streaming services. For anxious brick and mortar theatre owners, however, their concerns about returning audiences is an unknown X factor. Will audiences indeed return or stay at home and view plays on film with a snack and a beverage? Time will tell whether live theatre audiences, moviegoers, and the moviemakers themselves will win the fancy of future fickle audiences.

The “theatre” has long been the province of the playwright and the actors. Movies, on the other hand, belong to the vision of the director. Thanks to the breadth and sweep of the motion picture camera the movie industry’s technical wizards bring the insights and emotions of the screenwriter, the actors, and the director front and center in producing astonishing scenes with mind-blowing Hollywood-style CGI techniques.

The camera, with its creative and powerful use of movement and the intimacy of the close-up, would appear to have an audience advantage. Each medium, however, has its fans and followers. For variety, why not embrace both mediums, where and when possible, making the choice a win-win entertainment decision?

Savvy heavyweight Hollywood movers and shakers like Steven Spielberg, Marc Platt, Kristie Macosko Krieger, producer Mark Taylor, and director Bartlett Sher lend their considerable talents and heft into a timely remake of the 2017 Tony-winning stage production “Oslo”. The 2021 movie version is also written by J.T. Rogers from his eponymous stage play, adding new inputs as a way of sharpening and updating the dialogue by Rogers and others.

We live in an ever-changing society. What passed for questionable dialogue a generation ago is now woefully considered passe and behind the times. Today, four-letter word expletives are increasingly being hurled from the stage as well as from the TV and movie screens.

Think of all the film and plays we’ve seen in our lifetimes…how did we ever survive or enjoy those plays and movies without using those expletives in dialogue compared to now where every other word to describe what is happening begins or ends with the letters ‘F’ or ‘S’. Back in the day, it was the job of the actor to breathe life into the characters created by the playwrights or screenwriters. But I digress…

The movie version of the Tony-winning “Oslo” stage play follows the plot line pretty faithfully. The difference comes in the editing of the talky stage version that ran a tad over three hours. The 2021 film production only runs about two hours. Having seen both stage and film versions I would be hard-pressed to favor one over the other. However, when the story elements and the performers engage the audience, the litmus test of acceptance and success is when the performance time-elements seemed to have whizzed by.

The story of “Oslo” is how one international ‘shadow diplomacy’ coup – one that actually worked - was ‘touch and go’; based on true events that revolved around the 1993 Oslo Peace Accords. The shadow diplomacy occurring in the film became a fraught tool with secret negotiations taking place in distant Norway between trenchant enemies Israel and the PLO who were forbidden to acknowledge even the existence of one other, let alone discuss a covert peace plan for the Middle East.

The air in the initial meeting fairly crackles with electricity and pent-up emotions, along with nervous energy and uncertainty. The characters appear to be walking on eggs and holding their breath waiting to see what happens next in this intriguing and gripping drama - just like we the viewers. It's great stuff and so compelling to watch.

We can all thank a secret back-channel operation created and brokered by Norwegian husband and wife team of Mona and Terje Jull (brilliantly portrayed by Ruth Wilson and Andrew Scott) that followed two years of facilitated discussions. It was one of thorniest and incendiary-filled series of meetings ever undertaken by sworn enemies who rise above their personal feelings to come together in safe and neutral Norway, in the name of world peace.

The word “trust” was a keyword that kept the participants coming back to their secret meetings. The ground rules, laid down by facilitators Mona and Terje Jull, were only that the four diplomats present would be responsible for advancing forward the peace process. The only gathering and interactions of everyone occurs outside the meeting room at mealtimes and during personal time and relaxation.

Getting to know one another as human beings and 'friends', helps grease the wheels of understanding and generates a sense of trust in one another which becomes the mother’s milk of their dangerous undertaking. Despite the seriousness of what’s at stake, there are light moments that run throughout the movie… just as in real life.

In defense of no spoiler alerts here, it would be better if readers of this review search out the date and time of HBO’s next scheduled screening. “Oslo” is an important film that will resonate with many because it’s 2021 ‘déjà vu moments that are currently playing out in the Middle East to a shaky cease-fire agreement between Hamas and Israel. The burning question for all is: Will this latest attempt for a peace process hold?

The beauty of this movie relies on the collaborative efforts of many talented individuals. If one buys the premise of the story then you will probably buy the bits it takes to accept it. “Oslo” is blessed with a sublime cast of highly skilled and creative professionals. Some you will recognize, others will be newcomers to the American viewing public, but all will be remembered.

I consider this casting aspect to be a plus for viewers. The ring of authenticity as to what takes place at these meetings has been scrupulously researched by screenwriter J.T. Rogers and is smartly and deftly directed with insightful and creative touches by Bartlett Sher. Shout-outs also for the inventive, lush photography of Janusz Kaminski and to Jay Rabinowitz for his effective and nicely paced film editing.

The ensemble cast responds accordingly with a series of nuanced and finely judged performances. The aforementioned actors Ruth Wilson and Andrew Scott lead a list of wonderfully dedicated actors that include Salim Daw as Ahmed Qurie; Waleed Zuaiter as Hassan Asfour (both speaking for the Palestinian side); Jeff Wilbusch as Uri Savir; Igal Naor as Joel Singer; Dov Glickman as Yair Hirschfield; and Rotem Keinan as Ron Pundak.

This HBO production, which no doubt will be rescheduled, is well worth the wait. Quality filmmaking is still available for those who are not only discerning but are patient as well. A note of caution, however. “Oslo” has a boatload of expletives running throughout the film.

And, remember a great nation deserves great art. Support all the arts!

TCM-TV ANNUAL PROGRAM SERIES “31 DAYS OF OSCAR” FEATURES FAN FAVORITE “THE RED SHOES” PLEASING NEW AND OLD ALIKE

Moira Shearer stars as tragic heroine Victoria Page in the 1948 classic film "The Red Shoes"

TCM is the gift that keeps on giving when it comes to movie fan loyalty and their classic favorites; especially when TCM’s “31 days of Oscars” program is screened nightly, one month ahead, to prepare the viewers for Hollywood’s annual Oscar bash, and the awarding of the best in filmmaking during the previous year.

English live theatre productions of Shakespeare’s plays for the stage have been nonpareil over the last 75 years.  It’s been baked into the British DNA for centuries. Very few performers could match the skill and talent of the man who made the English classics come alive for American audiences.   The brilliant British stage and film actor Laurence Olivier turned Shakespeare’s iambic pentameter speech and dialogue into scenes that both English and American audiences have come to embrace with increased clarity and understanding.  

American movie studios and stories of the 1930’s and 40’s generally wrote scripts and stories targeting American audiences.   The British cinema rarely produced films for American audiences.  They believed English comedies and dramas wouldn’t find their intended audience because of the differences in our language and culture.

Their shortsightedness allowed the wits and wags of the day to agree and credit George Bernard Shaw with the apocryphal biting quip; “Britain and America are two nations and people separated by a common language.”  Even English Prime Minister Winston Churchill, a pretty fair writer himself, got to weigh-in concerning the English vs. the Americans quips.  After all, his mother Jennie Jerome was American-born in Brooklyn New York, making Churchill an Anglo-American.  He was awarded honorary American citizenship in 1963 by the Congress; the only such honor ever awarded to a foreigner.

All those cultural differences, however, came to a screeching halt, at least for me, when the formidable gifted English writing, producing, and directing team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger debuted their flawless 1948 movie gem “The Red Shoes” in London.

Set amid the world of modern ballet, the psychological romantic film wonderfully explores the beauty and discipline of the ballet world, one of the oldest of the art forms which they imbued with technical aspects that only the movie camera provides and captures:  Sweeping vistas, huge casts, unique camera angles, powerful close ups, interior dialogue, flash forward sequences, along with the magic that the editing process delivers in keeping film stories moving  forward, was a game-changing bonus for world cinema.

I would even venture further saying that the success of the “The Red Shoes” helped pave the way, two years later, for the 1950 dramatic non-musical Oscar winning film “All About Eve”, a bitingly, authentic, blistering dramedy and one of the best movies ever written about the stage and Broadway.

There would be no “Red Shoes” movie, however, without the sublime acting talents of Anton Walbrook as the charismatic, arrogant, curt and demanding ballet Impresario Boris Lermontov, who could also charrm his benefactors when required.  The film is loosely based on the life of Sergei Diaghilev founder of Ballets Russes of Monte Carlo.  Stories about Diaghilev and his martinet treatment of demanding loyalty and obedience from his dancers and ballerinas are legion even among his friends and associates. 

 

Moira Shearer and Anton Walbrook in The Red Shoes

I cannot, however, think of another actor to play the role of Lermontov as perfectly as Anton  Walbrook did.  His polished, nuanced and riveting performance elevates the ballet movie genre to a new level of excellence.  It was a real shame and pity that Walbrook wasn’t nominated for a Best Actor Oscar in 1948. He certainly deserved it.

Young, beautiful, Scottish ballerina Moira Shearer, who was just twenty-one when she was chosen to play Victoria Page, the uber-talented, dedicated and committed young dancer becomes a sensational overnight star in the world of ballet thanks to Julian Craster, a promising young English composer’s, new ballet called “The Red Shoes”.  

Marius Goring might appear to be a tad too old in playing brash, young, gifted, English composer Julian Craster who falls deeply in love with Vicky Page; He marries her, incurring the wrath of Lermontov for ‘stealing’ her away from her destiny of “becoming the greatest dancer who ever lived" only if she remains with Lermontov. Their sin in Lermontov’s world is the placing of one’s human interests and emotions above the interests of the ballet.  That act is an unforgivable betrayal in the eyes of Lermontov and results in Vicky being fired from the company as punishment. 

The film story owes its origins to Hans Christian Andersen’s somewhat dark fairy-tale of a young girl who sees and buys a pair of red ballet shoes from a sly shoemaker who knows the deadly secret that whomever wears the ballet shoes will die from continuous dancing and exhaustion because the shoes once slipped on cannot be removed.  Only upon the death of the wearer can the spell of the red shoes be broken.  Just as in real life, celluloid choices also have life altering consequences to consider as well.

The supporting cast is filled with terrific character actors who know their way around a movie set as well as a ballet stage.  Australian actor/choreographer Robert Helpmann, as Ivan Bolesla, created the 17 minute astonishing ballet sequences danced by Shearer and himself, and at times, with the full company.  The dance of the red shoes sequences are stunningly choreographed by Leonide Massine as Ballet Master Gricha Ljubov, who also portrays the shoemaker in the ballet scenes.

Moira Shearer and Leonide Massine i

Beloved character actor Albert Bassermann, as costume and set designer Sergei, and Esmond Knight as Livy, the music director and orchestra conductor bring authenticity and experience  to their performances. The vivid lush technicolor-filmed photography is lovingly created by award winning master cinematographer Jack Cardiff.  American film director Richard Fleischer (who directed Kirk Douglas in the “Vikings”) said “Jack is not only creative, he’s very fast and very good – two qualities that are absolutely necessary for a cameraman to possess.”

As a side bar, it is interesting to note the similarities in the character portrayal of Lermontov as directed by real life director Powell. Both are strong and opinionated men who are used to having their own way.

During the filming and editing process, co-director Emeric Pressburger questioned Powell on the efficacy of using the footage as shot in the film sequence where Vicky is seen running down the back-stage steps area just prior to making her initial stage entrance where we see she is already wearing her red ballet shoes as posed by Pressburger to Powell in their debate issue was shrugged off by Powell, who later wrote in his diary, that in the coda section of the script.  “I am a director, and a storyteller, and I knew she must (wear the shoes despite the anachronism) I didn’t try to explain it.  I just did it.”

Which to me underscores the mind-set of Powell, and by extension, the mind-set of Lermontov. There was a lot of Lermontov in Michael Powell’s DNA.  Tyrants come in different forms and the real problem in dealing with them is, they also make such wonderful and fabulous motion pictures.

TCM –TV films are free to view and are some of the finest motion pictures ever made. To enjoy “the Red Shoes” and a ton of other quality motion pictures keep checking your local TV listings for “The Red Shoes” screening dates and times for viewing.  You won’t be disappointed. It’s a Masterpiece!

KEN BURNS' PBS DOCUMENTARY "HEMINGWAY" EXAMINES THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE LEGEND

Ernest Hemingway, the American novelist and author, became a giant of American 20th century literature.  His style was new in the early 1920s.  It was fresh, and it was being embraced by readers. He loved in his later years being called "Papa" by his friends and admirers which were legion. But his admirers never knew of the ghosts and demons of his past that plagued him all his life.

"Hemingway," the film, epitomized the romantic idea and notions for a generation of young American writers like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ezra Pound, Gertrude Stein, John Dos Passos, T. S. Eliot, and Edith Wharton, among others that were key in leaving the legacy of "the great war of 1914 to 18" to the dust bin of history.  

There is no glory or service in war only death and destruction was Hemingway's cynical observation. Yet he served honorably and bravely in both World Wars, receiving medals for his bravery and wounds received under fire, thus endearing him to men young and old worldwide. His three most successful novels came from war settings based mainly on his own life experiences:  "The Sun Also Rises," "A Farewell to Arms," "For Whom the Bell Tolls." 

Hemingway was an enigma wrapped in a mystery that could always get away with things that ordinary people could or words never do. He relished his celebrity status to the hilt, and he was a party-going charmer when he needed to be. He was envied by men and was desired by women from afar.  In his twenties, he had matinee idol looks and worked them to his advantage.

These 'Young Turks' of writing in the early 1920s discovered "the lost generation" and made decisions in their writing to revitalizing the style and subject matter of their current society into the new and exciting 'Roaring Twenties' Hemingway influenced a generation of writers who were eager to leave the literature of the early 20th century behind. They much preferred to tell their stories that appealed to mid-20th century America, placing them in the vanguard of America's emerging writer population.  (Many who read this essay/review, perhaps, are too young to remember this early to mid 20th century golden period of literature and films in America; fortunately, I am not one of them).

The brilliant American documentarians Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, America's foremost literary and film historians, have written and produced a monumental six-hour film chronical on the life and time of Ernest Hemingway that highlights and celebrates his tragic life warts and all.   

They have created this insightful, riveting film epic into three episodes of two hours each; that is to be viewed on three successive nights on PBS. I watched all three episodes from April 5 thru 7.

Genius in any form is always revealing, always engaging, and can, at times, be, dare I say it … be boring or even cruel.  Hemingway was a complicated, flawed, four times married man who had a penchant for younger women (the youngest of his four wives was just 18), and he could be difficult to be around when he dipped into his 'dark-night-of-the-soul periods.  He was an inveterate alcoholic with medical issues that went along with his disciplined writing genius.

He possessed a lust for life that endeared him to his many "he-man" image-driven acolytes everywhere. And his fans adored him; however, Celebrity can become a two-edged sword at times, as Geoffrey C. Ward's inspired script attests.

Ward is an award-winning writer who, with Burns and Novick, appears to do his best work when Ken and Lynn are together in this very created triumvirate. "Hemingway," along with "The Civil War" and "Baseball," are three of Ward's best efforts in a string of wonderful and insightfully written scripts.    

Make sure you see "Hemingway" on PBS when it next appears on your TV screens.  Check your local TY listings in your area.  You won't be disappointed that you did.

AWARD-WINNING ISRAELI FILMMAKER MAYA ZINSHTEIN TACKLES THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AMERICAN EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANS AND THE NATION OF ISRAEL IN THOUGHT-PROVOKING DOCUMENTARY 'TIL KINGDOM COME

How does one cover 2000 years of religious history of the Jewish people and Gentles in the Common Era (CE)?   Perhaps, a good start would be seeing life through the lenses of the other regarding the impact that both religions have experienced on the planet we call Earth. 

For starters, it is necessary to approach such sensitive subject matter with openness, genuine respect and tolerance.  To agree to do so peacefully would be a giant step forward toward a better understanding of one another, especially now in the fraught nuclear arms race by more “wanna-be” players.  Their obsession to expand and join the world’s exclusive nuclear club could be dangerous for all concerned.  

The volatile Middle East, home to millions of Muslims, Christians, and Jews, has been a festering, religious open sore for centuries.  It’s also ironic that the Holy City of Jerusalem, sacred to Jews, Muslims and Christians has been the centerpiece and focus and the reason of how so much blood has been shed in the name of religion and God than all the military wars combined throughout recorded history, speaks volumes about man’s ambitions and priorities. 

Award-winning Israeli filmmaker Maya Zinshtein, tosses her director’s hat into modern-day Israel and America to document the 21st century relationships with its supporters, neighbors, and friends - mainly the United States – as the most loyal supporter of Israel since declaring itself a sovereign nation in 1948.  

Zinshtein’s documentary film ‘TIL KINGDOM COME chronicles the story of how one faith-based American Evangelical Baptist Church, owned and operated by the dynastic Bingham family of Middlesboro, Kentucky, embraced the prophecies and the authenticity of the Hebrew Bible concerning the “end of times” and the return of Jesus to Earth. 

Pastors Bingham II and Bingham III also talk about the prediction that the Armageddon that will follow will last for seven years.  When that “happening” or the “Rapture” occurs it’s not clear to what happens to non-believers.  The ‘when’ of such events, however, is still a work in progress waiting to happen. Scientists say our Sun still has about four billion years to go before the fat lady sings.

The American connection to the IFCJ featured in this film documentary is the Evangelical Baptist Church of Middlesboro, Kentucky, under the leadership of Pastor Boyd Bingham II and his son Boyd Bingham III, who fervently believe and preach that God gave the Holy Land to the Jewish people in perpetuity. 

The only problem with following the edict thousands of years later is that the area selected then is now, unfortunately, too small an area to protect and accommodate all the faithful from other religions who lived there before as well, and who still have the desire to live there; this is the sticking point for Middle East. peace

There are many video clips with speeches praising the work and dedication of IFCJ’s many humanitarian accomplishments, and rightly so.   In this documentary film viewers see and hear from celebrities and politicians; including former President Trump, Israel’s current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Pat Robertson, founder of The 700 Club, along with casino mogul billionaire and political donor Sheldon Adelson, and, of course, the people of Jerusalem and Middlesboro, KY. 

The documentary is a testament to what can be accomplished when people of Faith work together. That being said, the film also dips a toe into the toxic waters where religion meets the strange bedfellows of politics and politicians  One feels at times that one is watching an hour-long Republican political fund-raising dinner event.

Polite people years ago were urged to never mix or discuss politics and religion in the same conversation. That’s old fashioned thinking these days. It’s good business now to blur those old secular safety nets and “no-no” zones between politics, money, and religion.  It’s a changing and complicated, new world we have entered in dealing with such hot button issues as religion and politics in the 21st century.

‘TIL KINGDOM COME is a well-made, technically first rate, commercial film from director Maya Zinshtein  that shows off the important work being done, and rightly so, by the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, who over its 38 year existence has raised more than $1.8 Billion to help Israel’s poor, elderly and all Jewish holocaust survivors. 

The welcome mat is still out for all far-flung Jews inviting them to return to their ancient homeland in Israel.  The IFCC’s new and dynamic President and CEO, is American-born Yael Eckstein of Chicago, who hosts the film.

‘TIL KINGDOM COME was released to selected theatres on February 26th  to coincide with the lifting of the quarantine ban for movie theatres.  Check your local schedules for dates and times of screenings.

-- Jack Lyons

SHOWTIME SCREENS THE INCENDIARY POLITICAL POWER PACKED DRAMA “THE COMEY RULE”

Jeff Daniels as Jim Comey and Brendan Gleesen as Do
in THE COMEY RULE on Showtime

PART ONE:  The Comey POV

On the subject of “timing” in politics, it is said that nothing is ever coincidental or random.  It’s always well thought out and planned for maximum impact, right down to the “leaks.”  Showtime TV channel premiered its long-awaited two-part political drama series “The Comey” Rule” on Monday and Tuesday, September 27 and 28, 2020.  

It screened two nights before the 2020 Presidential debates that the country was salivating to see on practically every TV set in America.  Coincidence?  Or was it by design?  Television programmers are clever manipulators when it comes to maximizing audience ratings, and of course, monetizing their film product revenue dollars.  Regardless, “The Comey Rule” movie will no doubt please some and upset others depending on your political party affiliation and for its treatment and/or bias of its potent subject matter: The 2016 Presidential Campaign.  

I prefer not to dwell on the public hullabaloo and the circus-like political firestorm surrounding the firing by President Trump of former FBI Director James Comey in May 2017.  Those are actual historic events familiar to all  I’m interested in seeing how this first-rate, complicated, and very compelling movie by screenwriter and director Billy May, was able to pull-off the making of one of the most powerful, thorniest, and anticipated movies about the FBI versus the President of the United States of America, in a long, long, time. 

There are echoes of the writing style and familiar character types that screenwriter/producer Aaron Sorkin created with the brilliant casts of individual and ensemble performances in his “West Wing” set–stories from 1999 to 2006.  That’s pretty heady company for comparison.  “The West Wing” garnered tons of awards in its seven seasons on TV.

In the film drama “The Comey Rule,” writer-director May bases his script on many sources.  First and foremost, however, is Jim Comey’s 2018 tell-all book “A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership.”  It is a principal source that has been fleshed out with authenticated facts, notes, memos, interviews with high-level Washington insiders, and political players on both sides of the aisle.  It provided rich anecdotal information for journalists who then authored books on the first three years of the Trump presidency.  The research and time spent on the script has been exhaustive in its veracity and plausibility.  Once again, truth is indeed stranger than fiction.

There have been volumes written that include conversations from government eyewitnesses familiar with the Comey/Trump affair that led to Comey’s ultimate firing.  In short, there is a wealth of research to support May’s screenplay. But ultimately it will be the viewers who will determine the success of the film by an outstanding huge cast.

There are over seventy roles for actors in this compelling production, with fifteen of them playing themselves as journalists, White House staff, and elected or appointed government officials, culled from archival television footage of the 2016 Presidential Campaign. The sensational story is well documented with an ending already known to the audience who have been waiting four years for someone to offer clarity on what really has been going on with a group of people who are loyal to one man and are sworn to Omerta-like secrecy to protect him.  

James Comey, the ex FBI director, is a truth-teller to power. He’s a dedicated, decisive, intelligent, highly principled FBI officer whose raison d’etre in life is the “Bureau” as it’s known in Washington D.C.  He’s a cool, composed customer who, when under stress, “walks on water” in the eyes of his close-knit staff of seven highly skilled analysts.

Jeff Daniels as James Comey
in THE COMEY RULE

It’s impossible to list the many deserving actors who bring this potent motion picture to life.  However, there are always stand-outs:  Led by actor Jeff Daniels, fresh from his Tony-nominated Lead Actor performance on Broadway in “To Kill a Mockingbird,” plays James Comey. 

His portrayal is a study in how actors stay in the moment when story-wise, chaos is exploding all around them. It’s a finely judged performance that floats all the boats in Billy May’s highly-charged, politically explosive showdown with President Trump, who is sensationally played by Irish actor Brendan Gleesen.  More about him later.

The main sticking point between Trump and Comey is the FBI director’s refusal to politicize the FBI for Trump’s “personal war” on his perceived enemies.  The president wants Comey to agree to a loyalty oath as a way of leveraging his cooperation when National Security Advisor Mike Flynn becomes compromised by Russian GRU agents and diplomats. A request for leniency for Flynn comes personally from Trump, asking Comey to let this pass as Flynn is “really a good guy.”  The FBI director eloquently refuses to let Flynn off the hook for his political indiscretions with Russia as a violation of FBI policy and rules. His decision, however, motivates President Trump to seek revenge.  

PART TWO: The Trump POV

The movie is about our newly practiced American politics, warts, and all under Trump. It’s no more Mr. nice guys.  Just raw, brutal, win at all costs hard-ball.  The actors sound like characters from “The Sopranos” in their portrayals at times.  The only prop missing in the “highlight” dinner scene between Trump and Comey as solo diners was a baseball bat, a favorite “convincing tool” of Al Capone back in his day when his problems didn’t go away quickly enough. (Just joking, as the President often says these days). But mobsters over the years have had unique and odd ways of eliminating their competition.

Brendan Gleesen as Donald Trump
in THE COMEY RULE

The performance of actor Brendan Gleesen as President Trump, however, is no joke.  Unlike his Saturday Night Live (SNL) comedy sketch impression as Trump, Gleesen’s frighteningly menacing and thug-like portrayal is an eye-opener. As the antagonist in the movie, Gleesen preens, glowers, and speaks in low, breathy exchanges intended to intimidate.  It’s a highly nuanced, eerily performed characterization that will, no doubt, be discussed long after Mr. Gleesen moves on with his career. Great stuff from both Daniels and Gleesen.

Part One was getting to know Comey, his supportive wife Patrice, sensitively played by Jennifer Ehle, and thanks to an old theatrical device of a character/interlocutor in this case: the duplicitous Rod Rosenstein is deliciously played by Scoot McNairy in a performance that would please Shakespeare’s Iago.

Comey’s brilliant staffer/analysts team led by Michael Kelly as Andrew McCabe; Comey’s number One, includes Amy Seimetz as Trisha Anderson, Steven Pasquale as Peter Strzok, Oona Chaplin as Lisa Page (who are having an affair at work), Jonathan Banks as James Clapper, Brian d’Arcy James as Mark Giuliano, and Sean Gallagher as Jim Rybicki deliver solid support.  Holly Hunter, as US Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates and Michael Hyatt as US Attorney General, Loretta Lynch, and Kingsley Ben-Adir as Barack Obama, have smaller but important key roles.

Academy Award-winner Holly Hunter as
Sally Yates in THE COMEY RULE

I believe it’s safe to say that most American viewers are familiar with the term “Drain the Swamp.”  Four years ago, the incoming players promised to drain the swamp and ‘Make America Great Again.’  Some in the country are still waiting for that to happen.   

Today, we have a politically divided country that appears to be doing very little to bring the nation together. Instead, we’re mired in partisan chaos, protests, looting, police violating their sworn oaths to protect the public and property from violence, random shootings, etc.  

Film director Billy May and his inspired cast offer his view of the first three years under the presidency of Donald Trump. Part Two is a peek into the machinations of how our two-party democracy system works under Trump and his Republican party enablers.  The more the country knows, the more we become concerned as to just how much there is to know and how to handle that information when the American people begin to process the truth.

Remember, a great nation deserves great art.  Support the Arts!

-- Jack Lyons

BBC/PBS MOVIE” ELIZABETH IS MISSING” EXPLORES THE WORLD OF ALZHEIMER’S AND DEMENTIA

 

Dame Glenda Jackson stars in the BBC/PBS drama "Elizabeth Is  Missing"

I’ve been asked over the years, “what is it that makes these British actors so good at what they do on stage or in the cinema?  Is it something in their drinking water or their food choices perhaps, or is it a cultural thing that sets them apart from their peers.

Shakespeare was indeed correct when he penned the words “the Play's the thing” over 450 years ago.  And, no, it’s not their water or food that gives them their abundance of rich acting talent.  It’s their dedication and unwavering commitment and discipline to their profession of acting that gives them an edge.  And it’s baked into their cultural DNA.

I honor talent and creativity knowing what both of those gifts can do for audiences.  I’m not too doctrinaire or picky either when it comes to where talent originates or resides. For me, performance is where the rubber meets the road period.

Which brings us to the great 84-year-old British actress Dame Glenda Jackson, who starred “Elizabeth is Missing,” an emotional and moving BBC/PBS TV film production centering around the frightening subject matter of dementia and how to deal with it; each in our own way. 

As an actor of uncommon talent and energy with a boatload of awards and trophies (two Tony Awards, two Emmy Awards several BAFTA awards, Golden Globe Awards and other honors, Glenda Jackson managed to take a hiatus from acting to “squeeze in” a 23-year career as a political member of Britain’s Parliament serving as a Labor MP.  

Following her retirement from government at age 80, Dame Glenda heard the siren call of her old acting days. As the saying goes, if one wants to get a job done, give it to a busy person.  Jackson still has the fire in the belly when it comes to energy along with the stamina required to go the distance in the physically demanding plays and TV movies she selects.

The lure of the theatre and films brought her back to her first love – the stage.  And she returned in 2016 with a vengeance playing Shakespeare’s most demanding role of King Lear in an astonishing-gender-bending, stamina-driven, brilliant performance. She is known and most admired for her fearless, bold and ferocious performances – when they come along – in creating memorable characters and theatrical moments.   

Jackson’s dedication and loyalty to the play and to theatre, in general, is legendary.   When theatre discipline is discussed, she ranks among the best: Olivier, Chaplin, Daniel Day Lewis, Judith Anderson, Peggy Ashcroft, and Leslie Manville, plus an illustrious list of British performers too numerous to mention here; who still practice their craft well into their 80’s.  In America, however, female actor careers are over at 50 or 60.

Apparently, in Hollywood, producers think there are no stories worth writing roles for elderly actors. The art of writing nowadays is very formulaic. Good actors, however, need quality writing to soar in their performances.  I’ve been waiting for over ten years for a return to quality writing that playwright Tom Stoppard used to deliver to stages and movie screens.

In the U.K., stories are character-driven.  However, in the states, they’re action-driven, i.e., explosions, car chases, Half-humans, and robots causing mayhem are more in vogue thanks to today’s SyFy, dystopian-based locations that now boast more scenes by computer-generated imagery (CGI) than live actors, making these ‘technical gurus” the new “stars” of modern film productions.

Glenda Jackson at age 82 returned to the Broadway stage in playwright Edward Albee’s “Three Tall Women” (2018) winning another Tony Award.  Two years later she was nominated for her astonishing, gender-bending, stamina-driven performance as an addled King Lear in the throes of dementia.

2020 found the acting legend up to her old tricks of winning another BAFTA acting award.  This time she starred as Maud Horsham, an elderly woman struggling with dementia.  The subject matter may be fraught with old age issues; however, thanks to a spot-on cast of solid actors, the audience is drawn into this compelling, mystery/drama despite its off-putting subject matter.

None-the-less, the performances are just sublime, especially Glenda Jackson.  One has the sense that one is eavesdropping on a real person/patient session as to what the patient/person is experiencing with their memory issues. The 97-minute poignant movie that in the future may come calling on you or me, it might help in understanding the plight of ageing in the 21st Century. 

“Elizabeth is Missing” is sensitively and empathetically directed by Aisling Walsh, with a screenplay by Andrea Gibb, from a story by Emma Heney.  Lucas Strebal is the Cinematographer, and the TV movie is edited by Alex Mackie.  

The film debuted on PBS, January 4, 2021.  Check your local TV guide for the date and time of its next screening.  It’s worth the wait.

And remember, a great nation deserves great art.  Support all the arts.