A historical figure whose achievements are all the more remarkable due to the obstacles faced as the son of a white father and black mother, Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, is highlighted, but not quite as richly celebrated in Stephen Williams‘s Chevalier. And given the extraordinary details of his life story, it’s a shame that…
Read MoreA historical figure whose achievements are all the more remarkable due to the obstacles faced as the son of a white father and black mother, Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, is highlighted, but not quite as richly celebrated in Stephen Williams‘s Chevalier. And given the extraordinary details of his life story, it’s a shame that…
Read MoreReimagining another literary masterpiece, as he did with both Pride & Prejudice and Anna Karenina (and, to a lesser extent, the ambitious but much maligned Pan), Joe Wright‘s interpretation of Edmond Rostand‘s 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac is a suitably lush affair that manages to reinvigorate a tried and true story, one that we have…
Read MoreJoe Wright is no stranger to a period piece, having adapted the literary dramas Pride & Prejudice and Anna Karenina, the acclaimed romantic war tale Atonement, and the Oscar-winning political drama Darkest Hour. So, there’s really no one more suited to adapting Edmond Rostand’s classic 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac. Based upon the 2018 stage…
Read MoreDespite this year’s Oscars honouring one of 2019’s more diverse offerings (Bong Joon-ho’s Korean black comedy/thriller Parasite), the whitewashing of the event was overwhelming. In a cinematic year where actors of colour delivered universally-praised performances (see Lupita Nyong’o in Us, Awkwafina in The Farewell, and Jennifer Lopez in Hustlers, for a start), it was disappointing that…
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