Sunny Jim

Sunny Jim

Whether you view Sunny Jim as a shocking and emotional biopic, or a nothing better than a foreign attempt at socialist propaganda there is only one thing to be sure of. Quentin Tarantino’s new film is almost as divisive as the former Prime Minister himself.

“I wish I’d been able to see it all happen for real!” quips the notorious edgy director, “the idea that you could get such a guy, a real life badass, in this seemingly quiet and boring island. What must it have been like to address him as your commander-in chief?” Tarantino’s description of James Callaghan perhaps betrays a common criticism of the film, that it is not British enough, it seems that Jon Voight has made it a personal vendetta to silence these critics, delivering the performance of a lifetime in the leading role of the surly but sharp Callaghan. The powerful criss-crossing of his deep sobbing in No.10 with a particularly violent portrayal of the final British assault on Port Stanley during the 1977 Falklands Conflict is likely to deliver him his first Oscar in March. Christian Bale’s David Owen has also been praised, despite some comparisons to his role in American Psycho.

Indeed it seems that it is our own who are being laden with the most criticism, both at home and abroad. Helena Bonham Carters portrayal of former Opposition Leader Margaret Thatcher, the first women to hold such a role, had been decried as at best over-the-top and at worst sexist. The Prime Ministers harsh criticism of the role as ‘a powerful, principled woman being eroded into a melodramatic, immature, little lady’ raised eyebrows at the time, both in contrast to Mrs Thatcher’s own, rather favourable, comments and Mrs Harman’s apparent sympathy for what is regarded as one of the most right-wing Conservatives of the late twentieth century. The scene of her throwing one of her high heels at a television during the 1978 Labour landslide has become a you tube sensation. Anthony Head has been decried for ‘not taking himself seriously’ in his almost cartoonishly evil portrayal of the former Prime Minister, Michael Heseltine despite many claiming that his character was overall one of the most entertaining to watch.

That is not to say that the British didn’t have their own fantastic performances. Anthony Hopkins’ portrayal of fellow Welshman Neil Kinnock may yet grab Best Supporting Actor from the frontrunners. Michael Sheen’s particularly shadowy portrayal of John Major (reclaiming the role for the fourth time) has been hailed as the best yet.

Critiques of the plot itself, as political thrillers often do, has as much to do with underlying but strong held opinions rather than an appreciation for cinema. Leader of the Opposition Boris Johnson, after loudly demanding a refund, decried it for it’s inaccuracies claiming that Callaghan’s role in the Falklands Conflict had been merged with Admiral West so as to eliminate any confusion as to who was, in his words, ‘the red pin up boy’. Liberal party leader David Laws has accused Callaghans’s intense telephone arguments with President Carter (William Defoe) over the Panama War as ‘compete fabrication.‘ On the left, defence secretary Charles Kennedy has attacked the film ‘for a belief that socialism and aggression are one and the same’.

Whilst such historical and political criticism was unavoidable, it is mis-placed. Tarantino is not trying to tell history, he has found history and decided to tell his own story with it. And can we blame him? After all British political history seems to be full of such marvellous characters for them only to be stuck in the one tale. When used for fiction, they can be just as exciting.

David Cameron,
Arts and Cinema critic
The Daily Mail.
 
Surely Hopkins should be playing Harold Wilson in a cameo at the start - he's too old to be playing Kinnock during the period. If you're wedded to the equally-Welsh Sheen playing John Major, then maybe Damian Lewis for Kinnock?

Other than that, absolutely excellent.

Edit: Also, Tim Roth should be a crazed David Owen.
 
Surely Hopkins should be playing Harold Wilson in a cameo at the start - he's too old to be playing Kinnock during the period. If you're wedded to the equally-Welsh Sheen playing John Major, then maybe Damian Lewis for Kinnock?

Other than that, absolutely excellent.

Edit: Also, Tim Roth should be a crazed David Owen.

Good choices, swap American Psycho for Made in Britain. :D

Lewis is also a good choice, although might he not be a bit young?
 
Lewis is also a good choice, although might he not be a bit young?

It depends on how Kinnock features in the film and how his career developed ITTL, but he was 35 in 1978 (Lewis is 40). OTL, apart from a brief stint as Michael Foot's PPS in 1975, Kinnock was a somewhat rebellious backbencher in the 1970s, and his frontbench career didn't start until 1979 (I presume he was elected by the Tribune Group to the Shadow Cabinet that year, but I'm not sure).
 
It depends on how Kinnock features in the film and how his career developed ITTL, but he was 35 in 1978 (Lewis is 40). OTL, apart from a brief stint as Michael Foot's PPS in 1975, Kinnock was a somewhat rebellious backbencher in the 1970s, and his frontbench career didn't start until 1979 (I presume he was elected by the Tribune Group to the Shadow Cabinet that year, but I'm not sure).

He became PM in 1984, although plays a prominent role as Home Secretary beforehand, so I guess that puts him closer to Lewis than Hopkins, depending on when the film's made.
 
A couple of more minor casting suggestions (assuming a film made in 2011): I think Ian Holm has the right look and manner for Fred Mulley (although he'd be ten years older than Mulley was in 1978 - but creative license would allow it), Julianne Moore as Shirley Williams (the sexual tension between the characters of Williams and Callaghan would surely be widely dismissed as bogus) and David Walliams as Peter Jay (Callaghan's hapless son-in-law and Ambassador to the US during his premiership, so sure to pop up in a scene or two explaining British policy to President Carter).
 
Thank you all for the kind words. :)

This was originally a one shot for a writing competition which I thought I'd post here, I have something of a TL in the works with two major PoD's, if anyone can guess?
 
Thank you all for the kind words. :)

This was originally a one shot for a writing competition which I thought I'd post here, I have something of a TL in the works with two major PoD's, if anyone can guess?

The fat man not singing is one, dunno about the other. Though maybe a tenuous Tory minority in the midst of WoD... somehow I don't see Thatcher handling minority that well.
 

Thande

Donor
This reminds me, I was going to do a TL with this premise at one point (Falklands War in 1977).
 
Thank you all for the kind words. :)

This was originally a one shot for a writing competition which I thought I'd post here, I have something of a TL in the works with two major PoD's, if anyone can guess?

I'm guessing Operation Journeyman heats up, and Callaghan evicts the Argentine 'scientists' from Thule Island?

Also does Carter dither over criticising Argentina, leading the Panamanians to assume they have equal right to the Canal as Argentina does to the Falklands?
 
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