“Historical Dramas: 5 Film Collection” (Corinth Films DVD)
Emily Watson (Angela’s Ashes) stars in Within the Whirlwind (2009). She won’t be the only face in the cast recognized by Britbox fans. Despite this, it’s reckoned as a German-Polish-Belgian film, exemplifying the transnational financing and production that have become commonplace. The director, Marleen Gorris, is Dutch.
Set in the Soviet Union under Stalin, Within the Whirlwind is adapted from the memoirs of Evgenia Ginzburg, a Russian literature professor sentenced to 10 years hard labor on absurd charges. Although a true believer in the Communist system as well as a lover of literature, she is swept away in the rising tide of murderous paranoia. Under Stalin, knowing someone who knew someone who knew something who might be politically incorrect was enough for a stiff sentence (or even execution). Ginzburg was a link in a false chain of accused Trotskyites, followers of Stalin’s rival. Watson plays Ginzburg with her usual wan determination as a woman who lost everything but for love of poetry (and life).
Within the Whirlwind is packaged alongside four other films set during the World War II era—all but one a coproduction involving Germany and her wartime enemies: Calm at Sea (France-Germany), Remembrance (Poland-Germany) and Haberman (Czech Republi-Germany). The Chronicles of Melanie is Latvian.
“Historical Dramas” is a dip into an ocean of, well, recent historical dramas set in Europe’s smaller nations as they try to reckon with the past century. All share similarly good production values and decent casting. (David Luhrssen)
Sesame Street (In Theaters Jan. 14)
Image by Kiely Design kielydesign.com
Sesame Street - blue fur
Anne Hathaway teams up with the Sesame Street crew for this musical celebrating the show’s 50th anniversary. She appears as plucky history show host Sally Hawthorne, intent upon proving that Sesame Street is an actual place. The question takes on relevancy after Oscar, Big Bird and Cookie Monster (along with other Muppets) become lost in Manhattan and are unable to find their way home. Sally discovers the city’s mayor has reasons of his own for hiding Sesame Street from the world, but millions of fans know it ain’t right! Life will imitate art once again because New York City is reportedly renaming an as-yet-undisclosed street to Sesame Street in honor of the long-running, award-winning show. Thumbs, paws and wings up! (Lisa Miller)
Scream (In Theaters Jan. 14)
A quarter-century after the first Scream film, and a decade after its fourth installment, the franchise gets this five-quel. It begins with a streak of familiar murders in Woodsboro, where a new killer has donned Ghostface’s mask and picked up his knife. When teens are targeted, survivors: Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), reporter Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) and sheriff Dewey Riley (David Arquette), place themselves in Ghostface’s crosshairs while seeking to unravel a motive that will lead to discovering the killer’s identity. The motive I vote for is the collective $600-million-plus in ticket sales, along with reinvigorating a few stalled careers. (Lisa Miller)
