Movie Cosmos - The Falklands Play

Description:

The Falklands Play is a dramatic account of the political events leading up to, and including, the 1982 Falklands War. The play was written by Ian Curteis, an experienced writer who had started his television career in drama, but had increasingly come to specialise in dramatic reconstructions of history. It was originally commissioned by the BBC in 1983, for production and broadcast in 1986, but was subsequently shelved by Controller of BBC One Michael Grade due to its alleged pro-Margaret Thatcher stance and jingoistic tone. This prompted a press furore over media bias and censorship.The play was not staged until 2002, when it was broadcast in separate adaptations on BBC Television and Radio.

Top Cast >

Patricia Hodge

As Rt. Hon Margaret Thatcher (Prime Minister)

John Standing

As Rt Hon William Whitelaw CH MC MP (Home Secretary)

Michael Cochrane

As Rt Hon Nicholas Ridley MP (Financial Secretary to the Treasury)

James Fox

As Rt Hon Peter, 6th Baron Carrington KCMG MC (Foreign Secretary)

Colin Stinton

As Alexander Haig (US Secretary of State)

Anthony Calf

As Robin Fearn (Head of Falkland Islands Department, Foreign Office)

Jeremy Child

As Rt Hon Francis Pym MC MP (Foreign Secretary)

Richard Cordery

As Tom Enders

Robert Hardy

As Sir Anthony Parsons

John Woodvine

As Adm. of the Fleet Sir Terence Lewin

Rupert Vansittart

As Sir Robert Armstrong (Cabinet Secretary)

Jonathan Coy

As Richard Luce MP (Minister of State, Foreign Office)

Clive Merrison

As Rt Hon John Nott MP (Secretary of State for Defence)

Peter Blythe

As Rt Hon Sir Michael Havers QC MP (Attorney-General)

Jeremy Clyde

As Sir Nicholas Henderson (HM Ambassador to the United States)

Shaughan Seymour

As Adm. Sir Henry Leach (First Sea Lord)

Jasper Jacob

As John Wilkinson MP (Parliamentary Private Secretary to John Nott)

Bob Sherman

As President Ronald Reagan

Lorelei King

As Jeanne Kirkpatrick (US Ambassador to the UN)

Garrick Hagon

As Vernon Walters (Senior Adviser to the US Secretary of State)

Arturo Venegas

As Javier Pérez de Cuéllar (UN Secretary-General)

Vernon Dobtcheff

As Nicanor Costa Méndez (Argentine Minister of External Relations)

Robert Bowman

As Sir Hamilton Whyte (Member, British Mission to the UN)

Tom Chadbon

As Adm. Sir John Fieldhouse (C-in-C Fleet)

Gordon Langford Rowe

As Rt Hon George Thomas MP (Speaker of the House of Commons)

Patrick Godfrey

As Rt Hon Michael Foot MP (Leader of the Opposition)

Ron Meadows

As Rt Hon Peter Shore MP (Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer)

Renny Krupinski

As David Lambie MP (Labour)

Charles McCurdy

As John Browne MP (Conservative)

Martin Oldfield

As Rt Hon Enoch Powell MP (Conservative)

Geoffrey Wilkinson

As Sir Anthony Meyer Bt MP (Conservative)

Alan Rothwell

As John Wells MP (Conservative)

Geoff Holman

As Rt Hon Tony Benn MP (Labour)

David Fleeshman

As Denis Healey MP (Labour)

Top Crew >

Michael Samuels

Director

Reviews:

CinemaSerf (7/10)

Recently, there have been a spate of singularly poor dramas about historical figures from the British Isles - "Mary, Queen of Scots" (2018), "Robert, the Bruce" (2019) being two of the least agreeable - but this takes that low benchmark and throws it under the bus (or chariot). Anyone expecting a battle-fest featuring this famously brave and courageous Queen leading loads of people in woad fighting off the fearsome Roman Legions is in for an huge disappointment. You will possibly have seen bloodier battles on a rugby field - indeed, what action there is seemed more about whether our as yet only teenage Boudica was going to be seduced by a deserting Roman legionnaire impersonating, well, who really cares. I'm afraid that this is just dreadful - the sort of film you would be proud of your kids making at college, but deserving of no more than that. The production quality is adequate, and actually the technical aspects - costumes, wattle huts etc., are adequate too - but the acting, dialogue and the whole pace of the thing makes you ever grateful that it's just 80 minutes long... Avoid, you know you want to.

2023-09-03