Archive
NAPOLEON – Martin Phipps
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Considering what a major figure in world history he was, I don’t remember ever seeing a proper biopic of Napoleon Bonaparte before. Most people know the basics of Napoleon’s life – he was born in Corsica in 1769, and rapidly ascended the ranks of the French army, showcasing his tactical brilliance in various campaigns. In 1799 he seized power in France in a coup, and later in 1804 crowned himself Emperor. Napoleon had a fractious political relationship with England – and indeed with most of the rest of Europe – for most of his life, and he subsequently engaged in many battles during what became known as the Napoleonic Wars. His victory at Austerlitz in 1805 established him as a military genius, but his ambition for European dominance led to a costly and disastrous invasion of Russia in 1812, which eventually resulted in his abdication and exile to the island of Elba in 1814. He briefly returned to power later that year, but suffered a final defeat by the Duke of Wellington at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 and he was ultimately exiled to the remote island of Saint Helena, where he died in 1821. During this time Napoleon also engaged in a torrid love affair with the aristocratic widow Josephine de Beauharnais, who eventually became his wife. Read more…
THE RAILWAY CHILDREN RETURN – Edward Farmer and Martin Phipps
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
For British children of a certain generation – specifically mine, those born in the mid-1970s – The Railway Children was a seminal film. Based on the Edwardian-era book by Edith Nesbit, it was one of those typically genteel, wholesome, overwhelmingly English adventures, in the same vein as Swallows & Amazons, or Enid Blyton’s Famous Five stories. It evokes a nostalgic, perhaps rose-tinted, view of a time gone by, where children enjoyed warm summer days exploring the gently rolling green and pleasant countryside, and became involved in grand adventures that they solved with a combination of ingenuity and pluck, helped by an inherent sense of right and wrong and fair play. The film – which was, essentially, a story about a group of children helping to clear the name of their father, who had been accused of espionage – has since become an iconic piece of British cinematic heritage. It has taken almost 50 years for there to be a sequel, but it has now arrived in the shape of The Railway Children Return. Read more…
Shop at the Movie Music UK Store
Member of the
MOVIE MUSIC UK 