I wasn't going to review The King's Speech, the current biopic about how Lionel Logue helped cure George VI's stuttering, because I mostly review Australian films. But, I do like a biopic and this film does have some Australian connections. These connections may not be particularly literary but, what the heck, at least one of the … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: The King’s Speech (Movie)
Biopics
Bright star, or a thing of beauty?
What can ail thee knight at arms, Alone and palely loitering? The sedge has wither'd from the lake, And no birds sing. I have always loved these opening lines of John Keats' "La Belle Dame Sans Merci". The first two lines with their mystical, but also traditionally Romantic, melancholy, just roll off the tongue. You … Continue reading Bright star, or a thing of beauty?
Challenge of the biopic, Redux
Back in July I posted about biopics and about the tensions inherent between fact and fiction in what is, essentially, a dramatisation. Despite this - despite the fact that I know I can't rely on them for the facts - I like biopics. Of course, I don't like all biopics, and there are some I … Continue reading Challenge of the biopic, Redux
The Young Victoria
As I wrote in a past post, I do love a biopic! And this week I saw another one, The Young Victoria. In many ways it covers much the same ground as the 2001 miniseries, Victoria & Albert. Both show Victoria's lonely childhood, the poor relationship between her mother and Victoria's uncle the King, her … Continue reading The Young Victoria
The challenge of the biopic
I do love a biopic - essentially, a movie dramatisation of the life of a real person - but I also know that I must always keep in mind that it is a dramatisation. That is, it is not a biography but more like a biographical novel. The challenge with this is that when I … Continue reading The challenge of the biopic
Whispering Gums 