This is based on the true story of Christine Collins, a Los Angeles based single mother who in 1928 returns home from work one day to find her son, Walter, is missing. Months after his disappearance she is told by the police that he has now been found. In fact he is still missing and the police replace him with another boy, in an attempt to create some positive press news instead of tales of police corruption and incompetence over his disappearance. The police persuade her that the boy is her son even though he is obviously not. Christine refuses to accept the attempts at authority to impose this cuckoo in her nest and fights back against them, a course of action that gets her committed by the police to an insane asylum. She still continues to fight back.
As well as this being a story about one mothers search for the truth this is also a tale of deep corruption in the LA police force and for me there lies the problem. Clint Eastwood is usually an accomplished film maker who treats his subjects fairly. I feel, for me, that in the case of this film that he spreads his net too wide. Yes Christine's story is a compelling one and yes the police are corrupt but I feel the focus should have been on one area and not both. I feel that although she was thrown into an asylum for no reason (along with others) even this plight is glossed over. Previous police corruption, is glossed over, and for me even the court case is glossed over. I also didn’t feel much compassion for Christine, she accepts the cuckoo child and is photographed with him, she complains, shouts (and whines) but for me it seems she is mainly lead in her quest by the Rev Gustav A. Briegleb (Malkovich) who seems like the overriding driving force in clearing her name, yet I know nothing of his motives for undertaking helping Christine and he is afforded no other screen time than saying ‘I am going to do … for you Christine’, or ‘I have brought someone to see you Christine’ etc.
Overall for me a good film but disappointing for an Eastwood directed movie not a great one.
Director and Cast Information:
Directed by Clint Eastwood
Staring Angelina Jolie as Christine Collins
As well as this being a story about one mothers search for the truth this is also a tale of deep corruption in the LA police force and for me there lies the problem. Clint Eastwood is usually an accomplished film maker who treats his subjects fairly. I feel, for me, that in the case of this film that he spreads his net too wide. Yes Christine's story is a compelling one and yes the police are corrupt but I feel the focus should have been on one area and not both. I feel that although she was thrown into an asylum for no reason (along with others) even this plight is glossed over. Previous police corruption, is glossed over, and for me even the court case is glossed over. I also didn’t feel much compassion for Christine, she accepts the cuckoo child and is photographed with him, she complains, shouts (and whines) but for me it seems she is mainly lead in her quest by the Rev Gustav A. Briegleb (Malkovich) who seems like the overriding driving force in clearing her name, yet I know nothing of his motives for undertaking helping Christine and he is afforded no other screen time than saying ‘I am going to do … for you Christine’, or ‘I have brought someone to see you Christine’ etc.
Overall for me a good film but disappointing for an Eastwood directed movie not a great one.
Director and Cast Information:
Directed by Clint Eastwood
Staring Angelina Jolie as Christine Collins
& John Malkovich as the Rev Gustav A. Briegleb
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment