Don’t know why it took me 2 years to watch this. Was a bit out to lunch on Leigh, I guess. It’s strong and memorable in every single way. Leigh continually betters himself, even at the age..75? he must have been when making this in 2018. I guess this story probably germinated for some time, as its history is that of his home town, or nearly, very close to Manchester. Recognized some of the actors from Topsy-Turvy, stunned to see how much older they are. Every little detail of this film is breathtakingly real. The cinematography by Dick Pope outdoes just about anything period that I’ve seen, Vermeerish in parts, and Rembrandtish in others. The staging was masterful, but not obvious. The bookending metaphor of the damaged boy-man bugling away derangedly at Waterloo, only to be nonchalantly sabered in St. Peter’s Field by the British yeomanry, his death in medium shot from behind… The typical liberal conundrum of the vainglorious lettered “leader”, Henry Hunt, who misjudges the savagery of the conservative leadership, and their penchant to “always” push the envelope of moral depravity–this is a theme for our day, all right, as nearly half the country lies to itself to prop up our disgusting criminal of an outgoing president. Like the hopeful at Peterloo with sprigs of green in their hats and blouses, the decent half of America may not fully grasp what we just narrowly escaped, and yet the “nightmare of unreason” we have yet to escape.
Historical fiction hasn’t really been Leigh’s bag, but I guess Vera Drake headed in that direction, Topsy-Turvy delighted in an original way and Mr. Turner meditated there. I dimly remember, was it “5 Days in July”, about the Troubles? Anyway, here Leigh has fully invaded Ken Loach territory, and completed triumphed over Loach in every department, which is saying a lot. Loach doesn’t recognize the possibility for humor or irony, ever–as if it’s an affront the message. Leigh can’t conceive of any message without it. So it’s still got Leigh’s characteristic arch (even caricaturist’s) reality in many places (what some I guess rightly call Dickensian, although it’s much darker than any Dickenson I’ve read), and yet it feels like historic detail and specificity wasn’t really spared. It did have an obligation to cover a lot of ground and enter all camps of the battle (much like “Year of the French” which I never finished reading, but I think was made into a film). Worth watching again. Inspiring. to something, I hope.