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.