The Serene Wombles

Today marks one year since my very first post on this here writing and review site. And what a year it has been! Me with the reviewing, you with the sometimes reading my reviews. Not to mention the occasional paid writing success, the publication of my labour of love analysing the end of The Dark Tower, the completion of my novella, and so many other things. For the first couple of months this blog averaged six views a day, now it averages sixty-two, and around 1,800 views a month. It’s still an itty-bitty blog spewing into the ether, but it’s reassuring to know that some of you found something interesting in what I had to say.

Anyway, in celebration of ISotHM’s birthday, I’ve decided to cap off the year by handing out some meaningless awards: The Serene Wombles!*.

Eligibility for a Serene Womble in conferred by being the subject of a review in the past year. There may have been better or more worthy things that came out this year, but if I didn’t find them relevant to my interests, or if I simply didn’t have the time to review them, they won’t be eligible for a Serene Womble. I make no pretense that these awards are significant or important in any way, but I enjoy having the opportunity to praise and draw attention to things I have loved.

The Serene Wombles are divided into two categories, those that apply to recent releases, and special Time Travelling Wombles for the most awesome things in my Reviewing Through the Time Machine posts. The division between the former and the latter may at times seem arbitrary – why should a film that came out in 2009 count as a recent release, whilst a TV Show that ended in 2009 requires a time machine? It’ll always be a judgement call, and the judgement will have been made on a case-by-case basis at the time of reviewing. Sometimes I use a time machine for my reviews because I want to review something that came out in 1939, sometimes because I want to review something more recent that’s out of print, or because it’s a TV show that’s been cancelled. A show that was cancelled in 2009 therefore seems different to me than a film that was in the cinema in 2009, but may have only recently reached my eyes. At the end of the day, these are not the Oscars, they’re the highlights from a blog, and are therefore subject to my whim.

Let’s get started!

The Serene Womble for Best Film: Captain America: The First Avenger
Eligible Films: Moon, X-Men: First Class, Green Lantern, Possession, Captain America: The First Avenger
There was some stiff and not so stiff competition in this category, but nevertheless, a clear winner. Moon was aesthetically pleasing, but a bit slow, and short on female characters and ethnic minorities. X-men: First Class was exciting and joyful, but deeply problematic in its representation of women and non-white people. Captain America was a fast-paced joy from start to finish that dealt expertly with its subject matter turning out something nuanced and impressive from a premise that could have been uncomfortably ‘all-American’ and patriotic. I’m very happy to award the first Serene Womble for Best Film to the First Avenger.

The Serene Womble for Best TV Show Game of Thrones
Eligible TV Shows: Misfits, Dirk Gently, Outcasts, Being Human (US), 10 O’clock Live, Doctor Who, Game of Thrones, Torchwood: Miracle Day.
Will this be a surprise or not? I don’t know. I’ve done a lot of squeeing and cheerleading for several TV shows over the past year. If I wanted to split this into fiction and non-fiction I’d be able to reward 10 O’clock Live the way I want to, but then it would be the only one in its category. If you’d asked me half a year ago, I’d have said Misfits without a doubt. It’s very close, and I’d love to reward Misfits for its originality and indie-quirkiness. If I were judging on its first series it would have won hands down. I didn’t feel the second series was quite as strong throughout, though, and whilst I still loved it, A Game of Thrones wins in terms of groundbreaking TV for this year, bringing epic fantasy to hugely successful, internationally acclaimed television in a way I don’t think has been done before. Perhaps the closest previous offering would have been BBC miniseries such as Gormenghast and the 1980s Chronicles of Narnia, but I don’t think we’ve ever seen epic fantasy produced on such an international scale that was as sexual and violent and true to its source material. It also offered roles like that of Tyrion Lannister to the superb Peter Dinklage, allowing him to shine in a way that’s rarely possible in the sort of roles usually offered to actors with dwarfism. It was stonkingly well-cast all round as well as being a visually stunning and gripping adaptation of a beloved fantasy series.

The Serene Womble for Best Actor Eve Myles for her portrayal of Gwen Cooper in Torchwood: Miracle Day
Eligible actors: too many to mention. This category is open to any actor in any recent production that I’ve reviewed in the past year – film, TV, radio, podcast, whatever. I’ve also made the decision not to distinguish on gender. It’s not something I really understand in this day an age. It’s not like sport, where physical differences might mean that men won over women disproportionately often. All that matters for this category is the acting. Having said that, maybe Eve Myles will be a controversial choice. You all know I supported Peter Dinklage for his Emmy, and his contribution to Game of Thrones certainly added to its win for TV show, but Eve Myles wins hands down, for me. I was blown away by her acting in Torchwood: Miracle Day. Any previous series of Torchwood? No, she wouldn’t have had a chance. I never really liked Gwen, before, but Eve Myles brought it this series, and she deserves recognition for a consistently shining performance on all different levels.

The Serene Womble for Best Novel Jumper, by Steven Gould
Eligible novels: A Dance with Dragons, by George R R Martin; Witch Week, by Diana Wynne Jones; Charmed Life, by Diana Wynne Jones; Hexwood, by Diana Wynne Jones; The Dragon Keeper, by Robin Hobb; Dark Lord of Derkholm, by Diana Wynne Jones; Jumper, by Steven Gould; Reflex, by Steven Gould; Jumper: Griffin’s Story, by Steven Gould; I, Zombie, by Al Ewing.
This was probably the hardest category to judge. So many entries, so many good books. It was particularly complicated by the whole Time Machine issue – unlike film and TV books can remain ‘current’ for a long time, and, for the most part, I only put them in the Time Machine category if they’re out of print (at least in the UK, where I live) or otherwise over-looked. So new books like I, Zombie are up against classics like Hexwood. This was further complicated because I reviewed some books before I introduced the Reviewing Through the Time Machine category of posting, and, what’s more, I reviewed a whole bunch of Steven Gould books in one post, two of which are out of print where I live, but three of which aren’t. Helm and Wild Side I had to order second-hand as ex-library books from the US, whereas Jumper, Reflex, and Jumper: Griffin’s Story I bought new. Give me some slack, I’d only been doing this blog 20 days by that point. Anyway, I decided to resolve this by saying that the three Steven Goulds I bought new belong in the ‘recent’ category, whilst the others will go in the Time Machine one. Once I decided this, my life became much easier.

I, Zombie was astoundingly original and tickled me, personally, but it has an odd break in the middle where it almost becomes another book and starts following a character much less appealing than the main character. Very close to winning, but not quite. Hexwood is a classic and one of my all time favourites – a got-to comfort book. It’s more cohesive than I, Zombie, and just as original, in its own way, but it’s also of a very similar mould to a lot of other Diana Wynne Jones books, with the strong female character who falls in love with a broken-yet-powerful charismatic and enigmatic man. In all honesty I would have felt I’d slighted one or the other if I’d had to choose between them. Jumper, on the other hand, is simply excellent. Tight and fast-paced, but full of interesting and engaging characters. This is the best superhero novel I’ve ever read, and much more interesting and original than most superhero plots full-stop. If only the film had been closer to the book! It’s got everything, as well as hitting some of my particular happy buttons, such as an expert handling of secret-identity angst.

The Serene Womble for Best Podcast The History of Philosophy Without any Gaps

Eligible podcasts: The History of Philosophy Without any Gaps and Marco and the Red Granny
Only two entries in this one. I’ve mentioned more podcasts in passing, but these were the only two I reviewed. I was torn. I sort of felt like I should choose Marco and the Red Granny simply because it is an SF story, and the general purpose of this blog is to review SF/F/Spec Fic. But I also review stuff if I love it really hard, and The History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps is well worth your time. Ultimately, I felt that although the ideas are bright and original, the pacing for Marco and the Red Granny was uneven and the central character a little difficult to engage with. I still think it’s a great podcast and think Hub are awesome for experimenting with the field of podcasting for longer fiction, but The History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps won out. Hard to compare two podcasts of such different genres, but the latter is polished, entertaining, and informative.

Peter Adamson has a smooth and engaging podcasting voice. He’s also an expert in his field, and he brings in other experts to supplement his accounts and offer alternate view points. This podcast is pitched at just the right level – accessible for the interested layman but also informative for the experienced philosopher or historian. I’ve taught Ancient Philosophy, and I felt it really filled out my existing knowledge. This is great easy listening for the lady or gent on the go, looking for a bit of ear candy on the way to work, or down the allotment. You’ll drift in and out of an ancient world, feeling soothed and entertained, and you’ll actually come away having learnt something, as well. Of course, it’s not the same as reading the texts themselves, but I’m sure you’re all aware that there are more books worthy of your attention than anyone could read in lifetime. Let Peter Adamson do some of the work for you.

The Time Traveling Wombles

The Time Traveling Womble for Best Film Mr Smith Goes to Washington
(Embedding has been disabled for this clip, but you can go watch it here. Please note that this is the climax of the film, and as such both very famous and spoilerific. It contains nothing I didn’t know before watching the film for the first time, but if you want to avoid spoilers this is the clip I linked to in my original review.)

Eligible Films: Silent Running, Mr Smith Goes to Washington, Bell, Book, and Candle
In a year when politics and big business has been prominently in the news, where a lot of people have felt the rich have been squeezing the poor, where democracy has sprung from revolution and here in the UK we debated and voted on voting reform, Mr Smith Goes to Washington held a particular relevance. 1939 to 2011, the issues are still the same. I was watching it in my bedroom with tears rolling down my face. I’d seen it before and known the plot long before I saw it, but it didn’t matter. ‘Filibuster’ is nearly synonymous with the above scene, to me. Maybe it doesn’t have quite the same familiarity with non-US audiences – I have a slight trans-Atlantic background, and it can make it difficult for me to judge these things – but people everywhere should watch this film. If they remade it now, it wouldn’t be as good, but if they released it now, it would still be relevant. Sometimes a classic seems ponderous and clichéd when viewed through modern eyes, but this one isn’t weighed down with its worthiness. It’s funny and moving and electrifying. It’s also quietly feminist in a way a few modern films could learn from. Clarissa Saunders is an icon to be envied – probably the brightest, most savvy person in Washington, embittered by politics, but still willing to hope when prodded by Mr Smith’s naïve enthusiasm. And this is 1939, folks!

Make time for this film. If there’s only one film I recommend that you go and watch, make it this one. It will reward you.

The Time Traveling Womble for Best Actor James Stewart
Eligible actors: again, too many. Anyone who acted in any of the productions I reviewed through my time machine. Jean Arthur and Lee Pace are honourable mentions, as are Kristin Chenoweth and Kim Novak, but there was really no contest. When Jimmy Stewart brings his game to town he’s incandescent, and there’s no denying that he’s on fire in Mr Smith Goes to Washington. And I’m not just talking about the filibuster scenes where he’s all sweaty and hoarse, for which he supposedly swabbed his throat with mercury. I’m talking about the quiet naïvety and straight played simplicity that makes his earlier scenes a delight as well. Well done, Jimmy. Not that you need praise from the likes of me to go with your Oscars and 80 odd years of critical acclaim. I hope that we’re still singing your praises long after I’m gone, too. A stunning performance, simply stunning. Can’t think of when I last went to the cinema and saw a performance like that.

The Time Traveling Womble for Best TV Show Pushing Daisies
Eligible TV Shows: Pushing Daisies
OK, so it was the only one in its category, but it still would have won. I did have plans to review other TV Shows, but time got away from me. My description from the review is still true: ‘The most beautiful, funny, poignant, stylish, and original television show ever to get axed.’ I still ache inside over the fact that there were only two seasons, and both were only half as long as a proper season, due to the writers’ strike and the cancellation. If I had one credit to spend on giving one cancelled TV Show the time it deserved… well, I don’t know, it would be a very tough competition between this and Firefly. It’s that level of originality and quality. If you haven’t seen it, do so, now!

(Incidentally, Brian Fuller is still my top choice to make a Chrestomanci TV series. Lee Pace would make an ace Chrestomanci/Christopher Chant. Just think about it – a quirky show with magic and style, Lee Pace in exquisitely cut formal wear. Brian Fuller, hear my prayer…)

The Time Traveling Womble for Best Novel The Wolf Within
Eligible novels: Helm, by Steven Gould; Wild Side by Steven Gould; The Silver City, by Pamela Belle; The Wolf Within, by Pamela Belle.
One of my favourite novels. This book is just awesome for the secret identity angst, pushing all my buttons. It just goes to show that it isn’t always a mistake to jump into the middle of a trilogy. This is the second book of the Silver City trilogy, but, although I enjoyed the first book, the second is a tighter, more swiftly paced, more deeply characterised novel. The first couple of chapters are a little awkward, but once it gets going this is a book that grabs you and won’t let go. Credit should also be given for the range of different cultures, mix of races, and positive depictions of women and gay characters. In all cases the characters are fully rounded and not simply there to make for diversity. If only there were more books like this.

And last, but by no means least:

The People’s Choice Award Torchwood: Miracle Day
Perhaps the most arbitrary of all the awards, this is the one you voted for with your feet. The selection for this award is based solely on the review post with the single largest number of hits. Until a few days ago it was Doctor Who, ‘A Good Man Goes to War’. I assumed it still would be until I checked just now. That post is still the one with the largest number of hits in a single day (210), but Torchwood: Miracle Day, has hedged into the lead with (at time of posting) 446 hits to 434.

What does this signify? Who knows. Attention could mean love or hate, although I imagine I would have received more trolling if it were hate. Would the number of hits for all my ADwD posts add up to more if I put them together? Maybe, but let’s not forget that this was just the first post out of several for Torchwood as well, and I’m not sure it would be right to pit multiple posts against single reviews. You might suppose that this is also unfair on my more recent posts, having had more time to garner hits, but given that this beats my most popular Misfits post from last autumn by 162, I think it legitimately says something regarding what you guys enjoyed reading about.

Thanks again for staying with me through the year and helping me build this blog into something worth both my while and yours. It’s been fun!

*I use ‘womble’ here in the sense that derives from gaming speak, i.e. a combat womble is a character maxed for combat skills – they might have strength, dexterity, and constitution at 18, but wisdom and intelligence scores of 6. I therefore figure that someone who had maxed for happiness would be a serenity womble. No copyright infringement is intended for The Wombles, which are cute, rubbish collecting rodents.

Reviewing through the Time Machine: Bell, Book and Candle

Title: Bell, Book and Candle
Cinematic release: 1968
Starring: James Stewart and Kim Novak
Written by: Daniel Taradash
Directed by: Richard Quine
Genre: Fantasy/Romantic Comedy
Awards: Nominated for two Academy Awards and one Golden Globe
Price: £3.49 on Amazon at time of posting

Just showing that no matter how good your make-up and lighting are, you will always be upstaged by a cat

Plot Gillian ‘Gill’ Holroyd (Kim Novak) is a witch, but she longs for a more normal life, and, in particular, she longs for the more normal man who lives upstairs. Shep Henderson (James Stewart) has just moved in, and he quite likes his downstairs neighbour (even if her aunt, who lives above him, is a bit strange). He is also, however, getting married.

Having initially felt quite glum about this, Gill learns that Shep’s intended is a woman she knew at university, Merle. Gill suspects that Merle reported her for walking about barefoot, and knows that Merle was renowned for stealing other people’s boyfriends. As she already hates Merle, and Merle herself is known for boyfriend-snatching, Gill has less compunction about stealing Shep from her by magic.

Late on Christmas Eve, Gill, her aunt (Elsa Lanchester), and her brother Nicky (Jack Lemmon) are setting about making a summoning spell for an author of hack books on magic, and Shep sees the fire through the window. Worried, he rushes in. The witches claim it was just a game, and Gill’s brother and aunt make themselves scarce. Gill invites Shep to stay for a drink, and sets about bewitching him, using her familiar, Pyewacket (see picture above). Shep falls for her and dumps his fiancée.

As a witch, Gill is incapable of love (supposedly, if you fall in love you lose your powers) and is surprised by the depth of Shep’s attachment. She cares for him a great deal, and feels bad for deceiving him. She resolves to tell him the truth, and give up magic, but how will Shep react…?

Is it any good?

Well, obviously I think it’s some good, or I wouldn’t be dusting off the old time machine to review it. Having been unable to resist Mr Smith Goes to Washington, I felt I owed you a Jimmy Stewart film with a bit of fantasy in it. It’s a Wonderful Life is an obvious choice, but you’ve probably already heard that that’s quite a good film, so I went with this.

I'm just saying, I want that dress

This is a fun movie, and Kim Novak is stunning, both physically, and as a performer. They make her up with exaggerated eyebrows that somehow make her more catlike, connecting her visually to her familiar, Pyewacket. For most of the movie she oozes sexuality, confidence, and power. There is something interesting in the role-reversal the ‘rules’ for witches (that they cannot love, that they do not cry) allow the filmmakers to explore, a point which is highlighted when Shep accuses Gill of taking the male’s part in saying she wasn’t made for marriage.

However, the idea is only played with, and, overall, the film reinforces the gender roles with a sledgehammer. The very rules that allow this exploration make it inevitable that, should Gill fall for Shep (and the rules of romantic comedy make us want her to), she will lose all her considerable power (and her respect amongst the witch community) and become an ordinary woman. Her aunt, who has clearly retained her power, all but directly states that she is a virgin. Yet, despite the apparent gender equality and bohemian attitudes of the magical community, Gill comments that her brother uses magic for his love life. The unwritten implication: falling in love makes you lose your magic, but sex doesn’t, and women can’t really separate love and sex, leading to the ancient attitude that a woman’s strength lies in maintaining her virginity.

Check out this demure little thing with her pastel colours and shells (left) in comparison to her earlier slinky, confident self with her academically interesting shop of anthropologically significant artifacts (right).

Can you guess which one Shep falls in love with for real?

But enough of that, it is a thing of its time, and although there are many things that grate with me as a modern woman, there’s also a lot that’s interesting and entertaining. I love that she genuinely bewitches him into loving her, and I love his reaction when he finds out, and how the spell continues to act on him even when he knows about it. So many films fall back on the uninteresting idea that the one thing you can’t induce by magic is love, or even the facsimile of love. I love that this film doesn’t chicken out and make it that her spell didn’t work in the first place (as I expected it would do, for a large portion of the film). I also love the sub-plot with Nicky and the hack writer where Nicky introduces him to real magic and jumps joyfully into collaboration on a book about the truth of magic. Jack Lemmon at his best.

As magically induced romance films go, this one is pretty good. It’s a classic, and a piece of our cultural heritage as writers and consumers of genre.

‘Liberty is too precious a thing to be buried in books, Miss Saunders’

Reviewing through the Time Machine: Mr Smith Goes to Washington

So, a while back I figured it might be worth my while distinguishing the New Fodder I wanted to review from the Old Awesomeness I want to squee about. One of the nice things about this blog that’s different from submitting reviews to a magazine is that it doesn’t have to be up-to-the-minute. I can talk about anything I think is awesome or otherwise worth reviewing. It even gives me the freedom to review things that are out of print or hard to find. When I want to review such things, I have decided, I will merely make use of my Time Machine, and invite you to come along.

Mr Smith goes to Washington was not what I had originally intended to dig out for my Time Machine’s maiden voyage, but I was so blown away on rewatching it that I simply couldn’t resist. This film is an absolute classic, so you won’t strictly need a Time Machine to view it, but given that it originally hit the silver screen in 1939, you’d be forgiven for thinking that reversing the polarity of the neutron flow might help. Let me introduce you to the vital statistics:

Title:Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Date: 1939
Starring: James Stewart and Jean Arthur
Directed by: Frank Capra
Written by: Sidney Buchman (based on a story by Lewis R. Foster)
Genre: Light-hearted comedy? Serious drama? Early ‘dramedy’?
Awards: 11 Academy Award nominations, winning for Best Original Story

Plot: A US Senator dies, forcing the governor of his state to pick a replacement to serve out his term. He receives conflicting pressures from his party and the local Big Business Guy who practically owns all the politicians in that state. The governor’s children helpfully suggest badger him to pick the head of the Boy Rangers, Jefferson Smith (James Stewart), instead. Smith is a local hero and has recently been in the news, but is otherwise a laughable choice. Despairing, the governor flips a coin between the two real candidates, but it lands on its edge… right next to an article about how awesome Smith is. In a fit of rebellion, the governor picks Smith, which turns out to suit both camps remarkably well. Smith is young and idealistic, but also clueless and entirely malleable (or so it is assumed).

Upon arriving in Washington, Smith is just as naive and fresh-faced as everyone expected him to be, much to the despair of Clarissa Saunders (Jean Arthur), his chief of staff – a woman seasoned in politics and sick of being stuck working under men who make no impact. After making a mild fool of himself in front of the press, Smith is persuaded to busy himself composing an almost certainly doomed bill for a national boys’ camp where disadvantaged children can come together in a beautiful place to breathe clean air and learn to love freedom and being nice to each other.

Unbeknownst to Smith, however, his planned site for the camp is the exact same spot where corrupt politicians have been lobbying on behalf of Big Business Guy to put a dam. Once this is revealed, they plot to have Smith expelled from his position by framing him for defrauding small children. Smith is so shocked he doesn’t even try to defend himself, and runs away.

Despite her initial despair, Saunders has developed an affection for Smith, and comes to his rescue, coaching him on what he needs to do to salvage his name and his beloved boys’ camp. Under her instructions, Smith returns to the Senate where-upon he embarks on an epic filibuster. Under US law, he can hold the floor for as long as he can stand and speak, and whilst he does so his friends work to get the word out.

Why is it awesome?

Smith’s filibuster is one of the defining moments in cinema history, and is a piece of US history in its own right. The final scene, where Smith has been talking for 23 hours straight, made James Stewart’s career, earning him the first of five oscar nominations. Stewart reportedly swabbed his throat with mercury to help simulate the required hoarseness, although, really, there was no need. His acting is so stunning, so captivating. This is still, to my mind, the greatest political drama on film.

Long before there was The West Wing, there was Mr Smith Goes to Washington. Of course, it’s not a fair comparison for either of them, really. You’ll see, above, that I struggled to categorise it. The early portions of the film consist of light comedy with little pretension towards serious content, and they do what they want to do well enough. The latter half of the film, on the other hand, is a tense and serious drama that had me bawling my eyes out and flailing around the Internet intoning ‘I love democracy!’ through my tears – despite the fact that I knew exactly what was going to happen from the beginning.

So why’s it so cool? Well, Aaron Sorkin has been known to say that one of the problems with writing The West Wing was that, amongst some of the finest political minds in the country, someone always had to be holding the idiot ball in order to allow the drama to unfold, and the audience to understand. Mr Smith goes to Washington doesn’t have that problem. Smith is naturally naive and willing to learn, and the sarcastic and put-upon Saunders is reluctantly a very good teacher. There’s clearly a genuine effort to get people to know a little something about how their country is run, but the brilliant writing and faultless performances from Stewart and Arthur prevent it from being either dry or patronising to the viewer. Here’s the wonderful Clarissa Saunders (Jean Arthur) trying to explain to Mr Smith how ludicrous his wish to propose a bill for his boys’ camp really is:

(For some reason this video is showing as really jerky when embedded, for me. If you find this, too, please go watch the proper version, here.)

And that right there shows another of the things that’s simply stunningly awesome about this film. There is absolutely no doubt, throughout the film, that Clarissa Saunders is one of the most intelligent and well-informed people in Washington. She’s CJ Cregg, but in 1939. Whilst the film is undoubtedly about men in politics and the education of boys rather than girls it’s 1939; Saunders is not only actually savvy and intelligent, she’s clearly much more capable and strong as a person than the lead she supports.

It also has some interesting things going for it on the side of race. Although there are no speaking roles for non-white people, there are some positive depictions. There are also some less awesome ones – the three black porters who are used to carry the bags of the white politicians when Smith firsts arrives in Washington are used in a slightly hammy way for comedic effect. It’s possible that it’s supposed to send up the white men who simply expect black men to trail around after them with their bags, but if so, it’s not obvious. However, it is made clear several times that Smith feels that equality of opportunity independent of race or background is very important. We see that he intends his camp to be for all boys, and that he already includes black boys as a part of his Boy Rangers’ press. When Smith goes to visit the Lincoln Memorial for the first time, there’s a cut away to an old black man who is clearly just as moved by his visit as Smith, and for me the filmmakers were very clearly aiming to remind their viewers that Lincoln is venerated in that temple for abolishing slavery and championing equality.

And it’s part of a broader theme. Smith is used to recite from a number of foundational American texts, not just in his filibuster scenes, but throughout the movie. As quoted in the title of this post, at one point he says to Saunders: ‘Liberty is too precious a thing to be buried in books’, and I think that’s what’s beating at the heart of this movie. Especially in our developed democracies, it’s easy to forget the beautiful, startling, vibrantly important principles that underlie them: that all men are created equal, how important it is to be free, and free to speak. In the midst of corruption scandals and fears that big business control the news makers as well as the news reporters, we shouldn’t cave under the belief that we won’t be heard if we try and stand up for our beliefs. These points have been ringing particularly true for me in the news this week, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they would on any other week you cared to watch this film.

Smith wants, through his camp, and Capra wants, through this movie, to not just remind us of the principles that the US democracy is founded on (or any democracy, for that matter), they want to make those principles alive for us again. And they do. Smith’s passion and determination burn from the screen. What he wants to achieve is really small cheese, but his fight is incandescent and profoundly symbolic. Stewart is beautifully and understatedly comedic when he needs to be at the start of the film, but his dramatic performance at the end is electric. So much so that I struggled to find a YouTube clip to embed in this post that didn’t give away the entire ending. Not that it matters: this is a film I could watch again and again and get something out of. The plot itself is simplistic and almost fairytale: it just sits in the background allowing this magnificent piece of cinema to unfold all around it.

Think politics isn’t your cup of tea? Think black and white films are dull? Think golden era movies are hammy? I still think you’ll enjoy this film. There are worse things you could throw £4 at this winter.