Loving Walter (British Telefilm)
Picture:
C- Sound: C Extras: B- Telefilm: B-
Sir Ian
McKellan has found his widest audience ever with the huge success of two motion
picture franchises: X-Men and Lord of the Rings. Not enough is said of the key work that made
him such a respectable actor, and though part of this has to do with a long
stage career, there is more than enough film and TV work to back up his
notoriety. One example is Stephen
Frears’ Loving Walter, a 1982
British TV movie in which McKellan gives a remarkable performance as the title
character, who happens to be mentally challenged. It has become a regular standby these days
for actors to attempt this role, but McKellan’s work here holds up very well in
comparison to those who have failed at it of late.
It is
based on the true story of the young man who managed to stop society and very
cynical systems from putting him in his place.
This is one mentally challenged person whop would not be thrown away so
easily by society. He has a shipping
job, and can even read and write. He
lives with his parents, but things get worse as he outlives them. On the downside, there is life in an
institution, but then there is June (Sarah Miles) who actually falls in love
with him.
The
program is brutally real and graphic at times, with a boldness than even
current Cable TV does not seem to always have.
Frears has never been afraid of showing the dark, raw, unpolished side
of things, and he is at his best when he goes in this direction. Other notables in the cast include Jim
Broadbent and Barbara Jeffords among the fine British cast.
The full
screen image is very problematic, looking like badly stored old analog PAL videotape. The tape is not showing damage, but is
looking very hazy, and difficult to sit through for any long period of time
without bothering the eyes. The color,
what there is of it, may have been somewhat played down, but this is farther
than the filmmakers intended. If this
were on VHS or any worse, it would be a disaster. Though shown on TV in Britain, this was shot on film and
theatrically issued in the United States.
The big question: Where are the
original film elements of this film?
The Dolby
Digital 2.0 Mono is very average and shows its age. George Fenton’s score deserves better. The combination of picture and sound are
barely passable and this is going to need some serious restoration down the
line, if it is not too late.
Extras
are the saving grace of the DVD, with brief filmographies and biographies of
the principles, an interesting if too-short text section called Futile Treatments of the Mentally Ill,
and long interviews with McKellen, Frears, and writer David Cook. Cook adapted the teleplay from his own novel.
The only
problem with the film otherwise is that it drags on somewhat, something even
the fine performances cannot help.
Running about 128 minutes, there is much story to tell, but we have seen
much of this since and it does become somewhat predictable. More recent incarnations of such stories have
tried to “clean up” the reality, something this film will always have to its
advantage.
- Nicholas Sheffo
