Masterpiece: My Boy Jack DVD

Comments about PBS Masterpiece: My Boy Jack DVD:

An intimate story never heard before about Rudyard Kiplingand his family. I was mesmerized by the story as I watched it on Masterpiece. The cast was superb. Daniel Radcliffe did himself a real credit as he played a role entirely different from Harry Potter.

Comments about PBS Masterpiece: My Boy Jack DVD:

A very good movie for so many reasons. Shot in places where the family actually lived. Cast was very believable. Daniel Radcliff continues to prove he is a wonderful actor.
I saw the movie on PBS and went on line, as soon as it was over, and ordered the DVD. It truly is THAT good.

Comments about PBS Masterpiece: My Boy Jack DVD:

OK, this is a film-made-for-TV with a distinctly British flavour and a decidedly tight budget. So don't expect lavish sets or CG on the same scale as Troy. What you can expect is a well thought out story and some excellent acting by the cast. For the small number of pennies spent on production, My Boy Jack works surprisingly well.
It's not so much a war film, rather the consequences of one man's folly. Set at the outbreak of World War 1, the film follows Rudyard Kipling's blind faith in the might of the British Empire, even though he is privy to the actual military reports coming from the front that illustrate the incompetence of the military leaders. His enthusiasm for war and his belief that every able-bodied man must enlist drives him to find a fighting role for his son, Jack, in the British Army. And now the rub: Jack is so myopic that he can barely see his hand in front of his face and for that reason both the army and the navy have refused him a commission. "It's too dangerous" they say, and that should have been the end of the matter, but that's not good enough for Rudyard or for Jack. So by pulling strings, Rudyard gets Jack a commission in the Irish Guards Regiment. That single act of folly ensures that his son will die a painful death on his very first day of action in the Loos offensive at the dizzy age of 18.
For much of the film, the pace is slow as the audience is lulled into false sense of comfort far removed from war. Then with little warning, we are at the front, witnessing the appalling conditions in the trenches, the foolhardy, but brave, leap over the parapet and the deadly consequences of assaulting fortified machinegun posts with little more than bayonets and whistles. I found the death of Jack deeply moving. In just a few minutes of screenplay, all the futility of war was thrust into my face, so much so that I pray to God I never have to put my own son in harm's way like this. And the consequences for Rudyard? Neither he or his wife, ably played by Kim Cattrall, ever really recovered from the experience.
Hats off to David Haig, both for the story and the character of Rudyard Kipling. Hats off, too, to Daniel Radcliffe for showing us that there's more to him than a magic wand and an invisibility cloak (clearly not worn on this occasion). If you appreciate good quality drama rather than flash-bang war films, then My Boy Jack will not disappoint.

Comments about PBS Masterpiece: My Boy Jack DVD:

Seems I always stop the T.V. on shows that deal with war by accident, or pick up a book by an author I've previously read and it ends up a war story. This one was amazing flipping channels came upon Masterpiece Theatre-always like those productions-and recognized a face I had seen before Daniel Radcliff lead character of Harry Potter thought I was seeing things resigned myself that he couldn't pull this character change but further through the story realized he is a phenomenal actor well written and produced film enjoyed it immensely would recommend it to all. Gives a real understanding to war and sacrifices made by all. The other book I recently read was Light a Penny Candle by Maeve Binchey another war story I inadvertently picked up amazing dialogue and comprehension of war. I recommend both.

Comments about PBS Masterpiece: My Boy Jack DVD:

What is a father's worst nightmare? Answer: that by some act of reckless stupidity you bring about the death of your own son. A heart-rendering tragedy beyond description.

In "My Boy Jack", the story of Rudyard Kipling's greatest folly unfolds with dogged determination. Caught up in the fervor of Empire, Rudyard is all too keen for battle and glory, while his son, Jack, is all too keen to escape the shadow of his father. War seems to be the answer for both. Despite being chronically short-sighted, Jack secures a commission in the army, thanks to his father's influence, and ends up in the trenches on his eighteenth birthday. He dies like so many others on his first day of battle. It's a sad story indeed but one that needs to be told.

The drama is accentuated by a cast of actors that could not have been better chosen. David Haig makes the jingoistic, and ultimately tragic, character of Rudyard all too real and Kim Cattrall is utterly plausible as the beleaguered (and quietly despairing) wife. Despite his over-exposure to all things magical, Daniel Radcliffe turns in a first class performance as the forthright but delicate Jack Kipling.

This is a film drama of distinction and well worth the time.