The Well Made Play ... And Adaptation

A weekend with contrasting cinematic experiences. First up was Steve Jobs. Here Aaron Sorkin (see various earlier entries for my admiration of the man) gives us a well made three act play which rather oddly (perhaps not odd - more likely money) has been made as a film. Actually rather a good film if a tad overwritten. Director Danny Boyle (he of Olympic Opening Ceremony fame) rather grandiosely compared the historical liberties taken with the Jobs story to Shakespeare's history plays. Well yes Danny, but the Bard waited rather more than four years (Jobs died in 2011) before he went off on one. This however is a minor complaint. It's a good film and it is not hard to believe that Jobs was a bit of a mad bastard. 7/10.

This afternoon we bathed in the nostalgic warmth of one of my all-time favourites - The Railway Children. Adapted and directed by Lionel Jeffries this is a beautiful piece of film-making and that final scene still chokes me up. Bernard Cribbins: brilliant. 8/10.

classic