It is a sad truth universally acknowledged that women are only allowed to step when their men are called away to war.
The first season of the French television series Woman at War was recently released on Netflix. As World War I rages on, four women step up to save their country. Marguerite (Audrey Fleurot) is running from her past. Agnes (Julie De Bona) is a Mother Superior whose convent has been turned into a military hospital. Suzanne (Camille Lou) has the law on her tail. Caroline (Sofia Essaïdi) has been tasked with running the family business while her husband is on the front lines.
Blending personal drama with the compounding effects of a military conflict made for one heck of a story. The writing was fantastic, the actors were pitch-perfect and I was thoroughly drawn into the narrative.
Do I recommend it? Absolutely.
Women at War is available for streaming on Netflix with English subtitles.
Sometimes, life throws us unexpected curves. What matters is not the curve itself, but how we deal with it.
The new Netflix film, Lady Chatterley’s Lover, is based on the book of the same name by D.H. Lawrence. The starts with the marriage of Constance “Connie” Reid (Emma Corrin) and Sir Clifford Chatterley (Matthew Duckett). It looks like it is going to be a long and fruitful relationship. Then World War I intervenes.
Clifford comes home in a wheelchair. They try to settle into a new normal, but whatever brought them together in the first place is starting to fizzle out. Encouraged by her husband to have an affair in order to extend the family tree, Connie starts sleeping with Oliver Mellors (Jack O’Connell), the estate groundskeeper.
What starts out as a release of pent-up sexual energy turns into something much more. Like all secrets, it eventually comes out. Connie could pretend that it did not happen. The other option is to do what her heart tells her to do and ignore the naysayers.
I’ve never read the book, but I have heard of it. If there was ever a definitive list of banned books, Lady Chatterley’s Lover would surely be at the top. Its frank discussion of sexuality and a woman making her own choices is as relevant now as it was a century ago.
I liked the film. It was well done and well acted. I felt for all of the characters, especially Connie. It is not that Clifford purposefully excluded her, he was just caught up in his own world and forgot to include her.
Do I recommend it? Yes.
Lady Chatterley’s Lover is available for streaming on Netflix.
After Samuel is killed in World War I, the dynamic between Tristan and Alfred changes. They both fall in love with Susannah (Julia Ormond), Henry’s fiance. As they compete for her heart and their future, their formerly tight bond starts to fray.
Nearly 30 years on, it has become a modern classic. It is beautifully shot and tells the story of an ordinary family living through extraordinary times. While I appreciate the humanity of the Native American characters (who in the past have only been shown as 2D stereotypes), I dislike the portrayal of Susannah.
As usual, her sole role is that of the love interest and the reason for the division of the male characters. She does not have any agency or any other reason for existing within this narrative. Which is a shame, because Ormond has proven herself as a capable actress.
The image of royalty is that of fine clothes, jewels, titles, and opportunities that the average person does not have. But anyone looking closely would see that that experience is far more complicated than what the media portrays.
The Netflix six-part miniseries, The Royal House of Windsor, aired back in 2017. It tells the story of the British royal family starting during World War I and ending in the present day. Going into great detail, it reveals the family trauma, the scars, and the behind-the-scenes drama that is only that is generally kept from the public.
I liked this series. Adding onto what is already known, it is a deep dive into the Windsors and reveals the humanity underneath the press and the imagery that is created by the PR machine. It’s that humanity that allows us to see them as someone we can relate to as opposed to someone who is the image of far-away perfection.
When a company such as Disney chooses to make a movie based on one of the rides in their theme parks, the requirements for a successful adaptation are different than another IP. The writer(s) are only limited by their imaginations. However, there must also be some adherence to the original context, even if it comes out of an unorthodox direction.
The new Disney movie, Jungle Cruise premiered this weekend on DisneyPlus. Taking place during World War I, Dr. Lily Houghton (Emily Blunt) desperately wants to be accepted by the scientific community. But because she is a woman, her work means nothing. Wanting to prove the naysayers wrong, Lily and her brother MacGregor (Jack Whitehall) travel to the Amazon. Her goal is to prove that a centuries-old curse is not a myth, but the truth. Their guide is the smartass Captain Frank Wolff (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson), whose boat looks like it could sink at every turn.
As they get deeper into the jungle, the secrets and dangers slowly reveal themselves. On their heels is Prince Joachim (Jesse Plemons), who has his own reasons for wanting the magic that is supposedly promised in the stories.
This film is an interesting hybrid of The Mummy and The African Queen. Blunt and Johnson have decent chemistry. I appreciated that Blunt’s character. She certainly breaks the mold in terms of how women in his genre are seen and treated. I also appreciated that one of the main characters is LGBTQ and while they may seem to neatly fit into a stereotype, they don’t.
Overall, it was enjoyable. But I wouldn’t call it completely memorable. For an action/adventure, it was decent, but not as thrilling as it could have been.
Do I recommend it? Maybe.
Jungle Cruise is available for streaming on DisneyPlus.
Every family has secrets and stories that disappear as the elder members of our families pass on. The question is, what happens when the younger members of our families start to ask questions and there is no around to ask?
Last month, writer Hadley Freeman published a memoir. Entitled House of Glass: The Story and Secrets of a Twentieth-Century Jewish Family, the book tells the story of her father’s maternal line in the 20th century. Her grandmother, Sala (also referred to as Sara) was born in Poland, the youngest child and only daughter in a family of six. After Sala’s father died as a result from his World War I wounds, the Glahs (renamed Glass) moved to Paris to escape poverty and antisemitism. All was well until 1939, when the world flipped on its head once again.
Initially inspired by the contents a shoebox Freeman discovered years after her grandmother’s passing, it took her a decade to put together the pieces of this intricate puzzle together. The final result is a thrilling and emotional narrative that speaks to everyone about the complicated topics of relationships, family, and faith.
*For the foreseeable future, some Character Review posts may not be published every Thursday as they have in the past.
*Warning: This post contains spoilers about the characters from the television series World on Fire. Read at your own risk if you have not watched the show.
There is something to be said about a well written, human character. They leap off the page and speak to us as if they were right in front of us, as flesh and blood human beings, instead of fictional creations. Sometimes, the only way to grow up is to be knocked down a peg or two. As difficult as the experience is, it is the only way to learn that lesson.
On World on Fire, Tom Bennett (Ewan Mitchell) is a young man living in England as World War II looms in the distance. Akin to many at that age, he is a headstrong know it all. Raised by his widower father Douglas Bennett (Sean Bean), he and his sister Lois Bennett (Julia Brown), Tom’s priorities are to be young and have fun. While Douglas lives with the PTSD after serving in World War I and Julia juggles work, household chores, and her growing singing career, Tom does not have a care in the world.
After one too many run ins with the police, he is given a choice: enlist in the army or go to jail. Though he originally intended to avoid enlisting by claiming to be a conscientious objector. Tom knows that he has no choice. He has no idea what he is about to experience and how that will change him.
Starts at 38 seconds
To sum it up: Though Tom is part of a certain generation, who he is when we meet him is emblematic of that stage of life, regardless of the era that we live in. Youth grows into maturity, but not without going to the school of life. Joining the military and fighting for his country teaches Tom that there is more to life than just having a good time.
*For the foreseeable future, some Character Review posts may not be published every Thursday as they have in the past.
*Warning: This post contains spoilers about the characters from the television series World on Fire. Read at your own risk if you have not watched the show.
There is something to be said about a well written, human character. They leap off the page and speak to us as if they were right in front of us, as flesh and blood human beings, instead of fictional creations. From the outside looking in, fighting in a war is heroic and glamorous. But anyone who has looked death in the eye knows that it is not as glamorous or heroic as it appears to be. Those who come home, if they come home in one piece, face internal battles that will last for the rest of their lives.
In World on Fire, widower Douglas Bennett (Sean Bean) is veteran of World War I. Dealing with the lingering effects of PTSD, he would do anything to avoid Britain getting involved in another war. But his attempts are unfortunately futile. Watching both his son Tom (Ewan Mitchell) and daughter Lois (Julia Brown) getting involved what would ultimately become World War II, brings back memories that Douglas would rather forget. They are made worse when Tom, who has joined the Navy, is briefly MIA.
But in spite of this darkness, there is still a little bit of light in his life. An unexpected friendship with a young refugee who is staying with his daughter’s ex-boyfriend’s mother, Robina Chase (Lesley Manville) and the news that Lois is pregnant allows Douglas to realize that it is still possible to hope that the future is bright.
To sum it up: Douglas is a man who has seen enough to know that war is not what it seems to be. But he lives in a world that for any number of reasons, does not see what he sees. It is not a surprise that given his circumstances, his PTSD is exacerbated. But to his surprise, he is able to find something to make him feel good. That gives him the opportunity to believe in the future and more importantly, believe in hope and humanity.
*For the foreseeable future, some Character Review posts may not be published every Thursday as they have in the past.
*Warning: This post contains spoilers about the characters from the television series World on Fire. Read at your own risk if you have not watched the show.
There is something to be said about a well written, human character. They leap off the page and speak to us as if they were right in front of us, as flesh and blood human beings, instead of fictional creations.
Love and loss often compels us to act in ways that we would otherwise act. On World on Fire, Lois Bennett (Julia Brown) is initially introduced to the audience as an idealistic young woman living in England at the start of World War II. Though she has a day job, her true passion is singing. At night, she performs at night clubs with her friend, Connie Wright (Yrsa Daley-Ward). She is also happily in love with Harry Chase (Jonah Hauer-King), in spite of his upper class mother Robina’s (Lesley Manville) misgivings.
But life is not all sunshine and roses. Lois lives with her hot-headed brother Tom (Ewan Mitchell) and their widowed father Douglas (Sean Bean). Douglas is a veteran of World War I. Still dealing with PTSD decades after returning home, he is against Britain getting involved in another war.
After she and Harry break up, Lois joins the ENSA and the war effort. When she finds out that he has returned to England with a young boy who is his brother-in-law, she is furious. When they meet, one thing leads to another and they sleep together.
Upon finding out that she is pregnant, Lois decides to keep the baby. But, she does not tell Harry and rejects financial help from Robina. At a local army base, Lois meets Vernon Hunter (Arthur Darvill). She initially rejects him but eventually agrees to marry him.
Starts at 3:43
To sum it up: There are two ways to deal with loss, especially loss that is associated with romantic love. We can wallow in self-pity. Or, we can find a way to move on from that loss, even if it is difficult. What I like about Lois is that she does not let the breakup with Harry stop her from living. That strength I find to be inspiring and powerful.
An election, especially a Presidential Election is a unique time in the political history of the United States. It is a time in which we, the people, can hire and/or fire those who we choose to represent our interests.
The 2020 Presidential election is two months away. At this point in time, the pressure on both sides of the campaign is only beginning to ramp up. Both the Republicans and the Democrats are doing everything in their power to win the election. However, there is one way to lose voters. The way is to insult them.
Yesterday, you know who called American soldiers who were captured and/or killed in battle “losers” and “suckers”.
This, from the guy who got out of serving in Vietnam because of “bone spurs”. This man is a coward and a bully. He talks a big game, but is never able to follow up with action. While our military and their families serve and protect our country, he insults them.
I come from military veterans. My grandfathers and uncles fought in World War II. One of my great-uncles on my mother’s paternal line was a veteran of World War I. Having their memories and their years of service spit upon by a man who did everything he could to avoid serving crosses a line that I take personally. It is just another reminder of who this person truly is and why he is unfit for office.
Obviously, his goal is to be President for another four years. Referring to those who gave their lives for the United States as “losers” and “suckers” is not the way to win a Presidential election.
Writergurlny 
You must be logged in to post a comment.