It’s Day’s night, and no one is going to spoil her story
A Sentimental Journey
Film
This is a shocking, replenishing film, not to be missed
Green Zone
Restaurants
It is great that Bruno Loubet is back — and at prices that are eminently fair
Bistro Bruno Loubet
Who knew Kim Cattrall was such a sensational stage actress? And Matthew Macfadyen doesn't seem to be able to put a foot wrong
The Orange isn't just a 'swishy gastropub' but a clever combination of various pub/dining experiences all under one roof
Dizzee Rascal and Lily Allen, two giants of pop shared the stage for what was sure to be an incredible evening.
London,
Charlotte O'Sullivan's rating
Reader rating
Dir: Kenneth Branagh.
Cast: Joseph Kaiser, Amy Carson, Rene Pape, Lyubov Petrova
Description: Mozart's classic opera with a newly adapted, English language libretto by Stephen Fry, set against the spectacular backdrop of the first global war. Nervous recruits Tamino and Papageno are sent on a deadly mission by a trio of field nurses. The two men must rescue Pamina, daughter of the Queen of the Night, from her captor, the dark Lord Sarastro. As the soldiers edge closer to affecting Pamina's escape, a visually arresting musical adventure unfolds around them.
Country: UK/FR. 2006. 138mins
Transporting the flute to Flanders: Branagh's take on the opera has special effects
It's fitting that a man who looks so like a teacher seems to view cinema-goers as impressionable kids. After all those Shakespeare adaptations, Kenneth Branagh now presents us with a Mozart opera. He's determined to improve us, even if it causes more than a few cheeky monkeys to bunk off.
Actually, during the whole 133 minutes, I only felt like flicking pellets once.
Branagh and his librettist Stephen Fry have set the weird story - involving a boy, a girl, her mad mum and much-maligned dad - against the backdrop of the First World War. The horrors of Flanders provide a strange but satisfying glue. For the first time ever, the plot made sense to me.
The numerous CGI effects, meanwhile, create a suitably trippy, hyper-surreal aesthetic. The world inhabited by lovers Pamina (Amy Carson) and Tamino (Joseph Kaiser) doesn't look real - it's not meant to - yet it's far from one-dimensional.
Occasionally, things get too busy. The Queen of the Night's Vengeance Aria, performed on top of a castle, is so like an Eighties pop video, I kept wondering if Bonnie Tyler was going to show up. The supermodel-pretty Carson displays an opera diva's acting skills but still, like the rest of her colleagues, she's a wondrous singer.
A week is a long time in cinema. Last Friday saw Branagh being all but written off thanks to the ludicrous Sleuth. This week, he's hitting the high notes.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
Morning:
14°c
