http://www.qnetwork.com/index.php?page=review&id=880
I agree with you, Judy, that more praise for our guy would have been welcome--not just because we love to hear him lauded, but because he so deserves it here. It's a marvelous performance!
I do agree with the reviewer's singling out Nigel Hawthorne. The more I watch the film, the more I'm in awe of what he does.
What's more, I agree with the reviewer about Rebecca Pidgeon. Her performance is stiff, but I believe it was intentionally that way. One of the biggest changes David Mamet made to the play--or at least to the 1948 movie version of the story (I've never seen the play either)--is to the character of Catherine Winslow. Her role is expanded in this adaptation: we see her engaged in her suffragette activities and she's portrayed as more of an active partner with her father in the quest for justice for Ronnie. And Mamet seems to have added the part about Catherine being cold and closed off from her emotions; that's where the stiffness in the performance comes in. For me, it works perfectly.
If any of you get the chance to see the 1948 movie, by all means do! It is indeed quite different from the 1999 version, but it's great film nonetheless. It's a star turn for Robert Donat and he delivers a breathtaking performance.
Several years ago, Gill wrote a wonderful, informative post on the JN Blog about the two movie versions of the play and the historical basis of the story. Well worth a (re)read.
http://jeremynortham.co.uk/2011/08/10/the-winslow-boys/
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