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Timothy Spall

Spencer: Freeing the Ghosts of Camelot

November 5, 2021 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

Christmas with the family can be a challenge for anyone. However, in Pablo Larrain’s Spencer, it becomes an absolute nightmare.

Set during the three days surrounding Christmas, Spencer focuses on the emotional journey of Princess Diana (Kristen Stewart) as she struggles to survive her holidays with the Royal Family. With her marriage crumbling and knowledge of Charle’s affair with Camilla now public knowledge, Diana arrives at Sandringham emotionally exhausted and looking forward to time with her sons. However, as she is forced to endure soul-draining traditions that leave her empty, she continues waste away internally. Broken and weary, Diana begins to rebel against the decorum that she has come to despite, raising the ire of a new employee (Timothy Spall) who has been hired to keep her under his strict watchful eye.

In Spencer, director Pablo Larrain weaves a tale that feels more like gothic horror than it does a tale of royalty. As his follow-up to the superb character drama Jackie, this film takes a more thematic approach to its narrative than it does factual recreation of events. In other words, rather than tell a traditional biographical story, Larrain blends both whimsical elements and factual events into a mixture entirely his own. (For instance, the opening text informs the audience that this is a ‘fairy tale based on actual trauma’.) In doing so, he is able to create his own reality that also still feels true to Diana’s emotional stress over her last few years in the Royal Family. 

Of course, anchoring the film’s success is a truly remarkable performance by its star. Kristen Stewart has always excelled when she plays characters who are struggling to cope. Even so, to play Diana requires so much more of her. As one of the most identifiable and beloved characters of the 20th Century, the role of the Princess of Wales would pose an incredible challenge to any actress. However, Stewart provides a memorable performance as the People’s Princess that feels authentic to the icon. As Diana, she does an excellent job recreating the mannerisms and voice that made her recognizable around the world. Yet, she also fuels her performance with a sadness and confined rage that takes the focus off of the glamour and reveals the pain of her soul. (However, it’s also worth noting that the moments that are most memorable come when she’s allowed to laugh and have some fun. These brief glimpses of joy are the moments that truly allow Stewart to sparkle onscreen.)

Opening with a shot of a bird being rolled over by military convoy, Spencer is another tale that takes place in the middle of the life of a fallen hero. Taking place over three days over Christmas, Larrain structures the film around a time for family and celebration, yet this is hardly a time for levity. At every turn, this is a reminder of how this beautiful bird was trampled under the weight of tradition and masculine pressure. When she arrives at Sandringham, she is ordered that she must weigh herself before the weekend to be able to measure how much enjoyment was taken from the meals. She is told that she is viewed as ‘currency to be traded’ and that that is where her value lies. Then, when she finally confronts Charles, she is refuted, being told that she needed to be two people. Very much the victim of systemic abuse and control from the powers that be, Diana is forced into an emotional box by Royal traditions and etiquette. (“It’s just a bit of fun after all,” she is repeatedly reminded.) As a result, she struggles to cope with the unreasonable expectations placed upon her that steal pieces of her soul and quietly descends into her own madness. (Incidentally, while the film maintains a slow pace throughout its runtime, this is undoubtedly intentional. Like the ticking of the clock, Larrain wants the viewer to experience time as Diana does while she endures the horrors of the holiday.)

In order to further exemplify this, Larrain visually leans into the mystique of the Monarchy while also heavily accentuating its darker edges. While there are those who would view the hallowed halls of Sandringham Estate as a modern-day Camelot filled with royal servants and quaint traditions, Spencer takes a decidedly different view. Instead of emphasizing Elizabethan charm and mystique, Lorraine imbues the country house with an ominous sense of oppression and dread. Despite its size and grandeur, Lorraine makes the buildings feel claustrophobic. Patterns on the wall feel like prison bars. Morning fog creates an atmosphere of captivity rather than captivation. No matter the time of day, the manor appears suffocating.

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As these traumas unravel, Diana is shown to be a woman who is being haunted by ghosts, both figuratively and literally. Plagued by appearances by Anne Bolin, she is reminded of the toxic nature of her relationship with her husband. Stuck in a dead relationship, Diana aches for the simple life and wishes to be the person that she was 10 years ago when this all began. She yearns to find the joy that she wants held that has been stripped of her and wants to protect her children in the same way. However, despite being held under the watchful eye of the Monarchy, Diana gradually begins to kick against the culture of repression. Pressured by the power of the monarchy to conform, Diana’s inner strength begins to bubble to the surface and she begins to take matters into her own hands. (Never has drapery taken on such significance within a film.) For Diana, pleasing the system that surrounds her is not as important as the health of her soul and so she looks for opportunities to give herself space to breathe again.

In the end, Spencer is a unique look at toxic oppression and its relationship to the soul. While this fable may not be based on actual events, Larrain’s film still feels like an authentic representation of reality. With elegance and patience, he constructs thoughtful piece that gives voice to a young woman who had hers taken from her by a system designed to maintain the image of perfection. While others may view it as ‘little bit of fun’, Larrain shows that, in the case of Diana, it’s no laughing matter.

Spencer is available in theatres on Friday, November 5th, 2021.

Filed Under: Featured, Film, Film Festivals, Reviews, TIFF Tagged With: Kristen Stewart, Princess Diana, Princess of Wales, Sally Hawkins, Spencer, Steven Knight, Timothy Spall

TIFF ’21: Spencer

September 16, 2021 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

Set during the three days surrounding Christmas, Spencer focuses on the emotional journey of Princess Diana (Kristen Stewart) as she struggles to survive her holidays with the Royal Family. With her marriage crumbling and knowledge of Charle’s affair with Camilla now public knowledge, Diana arrives at Sandringham emotionally exhausted and looking forward to time with her sons. However, as she is forced to endure soul-draining traditions that leave her empty, she continues waste away internally. Broken and weary, Diana begins to rebel against the decorum that she has come to despite, raising the ire of a new employee (Timothy Spall) who has been hired to keep her under his strict watchful eye.

In Spencer, director Pablo Larrain weaves a tale that feels more like gothic horror than it does a tale of royalty. As his follow-up to the superb character drama Jackie, this film takes a more thematic approach to its narrative than it does factual recreation of events. In doing so, he is able to create his own reality that also still feels true to Diana’s emotional stress over her last few years in the Royal Family. 

While there are those who would view the hallowed halls of Sandringham Estate as a modern-day Camelot filled with royal servants and quaint traditions, Spencer takes a decidedly different view. Instead of emphasizing Elizabethan charm and mystique, Lorraine imbues the country house with an ominous sense of oppression and dread. 

As her traumas unravel, Diana is shown to be a woman who is being haunted by ghosts, both figuratively and literally. Pressured to conform by the power of the monarchy, Diana’s inner strength begins to bubble to the surface and she begins to take matters into her own hands. For her, pleasing the system that surrounds her is not as important as the health of her soul and so she looks for opportunities to give herself space to breathe again.

Spencer premiered at TIFF ’21 on Wednesday, September 15th, 2021.

Filed Under: Film, Film Festivals, Premieres, TIFF Tagged With: Kristen Stewart, Pablo Larrain, Princess Diana, Sally Hawkins, Spencer, TIFF, TIFF21, Timothy Spall

Finding Your Feet – Never Too Late for a New Beginning

March 30, 2018 by Darrel Manson Leave a Comment

It’s never too late to find a new outlook on life and love, at least that is what Finding Your Feet tells us. On the surface, this looks like a date night movie for the Leisure World set. But the wisdom the film imparts can be absorbed by people of any age.

Lady Sandra Abbott’s (Imelda Staunton) life looks rosy. Her husband is retiring from the police where he has risen to Commissioner and received a knighthood. They will have the time to enjoy life and travel. But at his retirement party, she discovers he has been having an affair with her best friend for the last five years. She goes to the only person she can think of, her estranged sister Bif (Celia Imrie) who lives a free-spirited life in public housing. The Odd Couple contrast between the up-tight and proper Sandra and her colorful sister makes for some difficult times, but of course, their time together will be healing for them both.

Sandra isn’t very fond of Bif’s friends, but when she begins to go with her to a community dance class for seniors, she begins to lighten up. When she begins to warm to the working-class Charlie (Timothy Spall), the film shifts into romcom mode, which often works well with people of a certain age, as it does here.

As one who is old enough to live in a retirement community, I can appreciate watching people of this age dealing with the struggles of falling in love at this point in life. I also appreciate the age-specific issues that provide the complications: including cancer, dementia, and grief. But although the film reflects issues that affect seniors more than younger people, in the end what it teaches is applicable for everyone.

This is a story of second chances. Not so much about giving people a second chance as much as being willing to take the risk to find a second chance. Sandra’s life, as rosy as it seemed at the beginning, quickly fell apart. Many of the friends she meets in her new world are all dealing with struggles of one sort or another. Yet as they come together to dance from week to week, they find something new in their lives. They get the opportunity to live with joy, even when there is darkness all around them.

Perhaps what makes this age group so appropriate for a film like this is not that seniors are more likely to face having to start over.  Rather, by the time you reach this age, you may look back and understand that life is filled with these new beginnings. Therein lies the wisdom of the film. It teaches us, no matter our age, that change can bring joy yet again.

Photos courtesy of Roadside Attractions

Filed Under: Film, Reviews Tagged With: Celia Imrie, comedy, dementia, Imelda Staunton, odd couple, romantic comedy, Timothy Spall, UK

Denial – Does Truth Matter?

September 30, 2016 by Darrel Manson Leave a Comment

Does truth even matter anymore? I receive frequent emails from FactCheck.org that looks at the statements made by political candidates and rates their accuracy. It may not come as a surprise that some statements are blatantly false. Is the truth just an annoyance that gets in the way of what we’d like to say and believe? Standing for the truth is the core of Denial, a true story courtroom drama about a professor who is sued by a Holocaust denier for libel.

Deborah Lipstadt (Rachel Weisz), a professor of history at Emory University, has made a name as one who has studied Holocaust denial. In a book she mentions David Irving (Timothy Spall), a British self-taught historian of World War II, as a Holocaust denier and Hitler apologist. He sues her for libel leading to a sensationalized trial in London. Her defense team, led by solicitor Anthony Julius (Andrew Scott) and barrister Richard Rampton (Tom Wilkinson), sets a strategy that troubles Lipstadt—to not put her or any Holocaust survivors on the stand. Rather, they planned to focus on Irving and his racist, anti-Semitic views that had led him to distort history.

DENIAL

While much of the film is the courtroom drama (and all of the courtroom dialogue is taken verbatim from the trial transcripts), it is also the personal story of Dr. Lipstadt through this persecution. (The film is based on her book, Denial: Holocaust History on Trial.) Often we sense her solitude in the midst of all the media frenzy. Even when with her legal team, she is often alone. They have their legal experience and strategy. For them, her defense is all important, but for Lipstadt the truth is what really matters and that is why she is not willing to settle. She wants to make it clear that fact of the Holocaust is not subject the whim of whoever may not want to acknowledge it. She wants the pain of the Holocaust victims to have voice. For the others involved, the truth does matter, but it seems to be secondary to winning.

DENIAL

Irving, on the other hand, is portrayed as a self-aggrandizing egotist. For him, the truth is what he wants it to be. He relishes the acceptance this trial seems to give to him and his ideas. It is exactly that approach which is the target of the legal defense. Rampton, in his cross examination treats him as totally unimportant. He refuses to even look at him. It is not so much that he is worthy of contempt. They want to portray that he is not even worthy of notice because he cares nothing about truth.

The film does, of course, speak to the veracity of the historical truth of the Holocaust. That, however, is only a minor part of why the film is important. It is not so much about whether the Holocaust actually happened. (We are expected to already know the fact about that.) Rather this is about what credence we should give the various lies that people speak in order to gain acceptance. Which brings us back to the current electoral process. Sites such as Factcheck.org and Politifact.com (which will rate some things as “Pants on Fire) try to help us get a handle on the truth, half-truths, and sometimes outright lies that candidates and their proxies tell us. But often, even in debates and interviews, those half-truths, errors, and lies go unchallenged. Denial reminds us that the truth matters and that sometimes we have to stand up and demand that lies and those who tell them must be called what they are.

Photos courtesy of Bleeker Street

Filed Under: Film, Reviews Tagged With: based on a true story, courtroom drama, David Hare, Holocaust, libel, Mack Jackson, Rachel Weisz, Timothy Spall, Tom Wilkinson

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