Monday, September 22, 1997

Disraeli - Portrait of a Romantic

V-03324 / G / GB / 1978 / Whatham, Claude / TV drama

Disraeli - Portrait of a Romantic / Disraeli. PC: ATV Network Limited. An ITC release. P: Lorna Mason, Cecil Clarke. D: Claude Whatham. SC: David Butler. CAST: Ian McShane (Disraeli), Mary Peach ( Mary Anne), Rosemary Leach (Queen Victoria), John Carlisle (Gladstone). 258’ at PAL speed. DIST: Finnkino. Big screen projection of a timecoded VHS video at VET, Helsinki, Monday, 22 September 1997. *** The four part television drama is to be released on video in the large ITC series. Its viewpoint is revealed by the subtitle: how the Romantic novelist becomes Prime Minister. It is about the romance of the British Empire. Ian McShane (best known to me as Lovejoy) is excellent both as the dashing dandy and the brandy-sipping gout-ridden buck. The screenwriter relishes in recounting the legend, and the actors enjoy uttering witty dialogue. It is about world history as a chamber piece. It is about the theater of politics. It is also about political wisdom, and about diplomacy. ”Intrigue is for the second rate. Honesty is for the great minds”. What was the secret of Disraeli, what helped him win seemingly insuperable obstacles? The answer of the makers of this film is: love.

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