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Category:    Home > Reviews > Drama > Politics > British Telefilm > The Deal (2003/The Miriam Collection DVD)

The Deal (2003/The Miriam Collection DVD)

 

Picture: C+     Sound: C+     Extras: C+     Film: C+

 

 

When Stephen Frears gets his hands on a subject, he sometimes likes to stay with it, as when he did several Roddy Doyle books as feature films, including The Van and The Snapper.  Following the success of The Queen, he has made a prequel about the uneven relationship between Gordon brown and Tony Blair in The Deal (2003) and though the film is not as good, it is a good companion.

 

For more on The Queen, try this link:

 

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/5401/The+Queen+(Blu-ray+++DVD-Video)

 

 

This turns out to be a British telefilm, but some of them are still so good, they get upscale treatment and this is one such production.  Michael Sheen first played Blair here and is very effective, while David Morrissey takes on Brown and is somewhat convincing as they negotiate and tolerate each other throughout.  In Unitary/Parliamentary Democracies where you have many parties, it is harder to get coalitions together and hold onto power, then those in power can hold elections anytime to test public confidence.

 

That all plays well into this tale of behind-the-scenes that can be creepy and disturbing, but also honest and revealing as the script by Peter Morgan (who wrote The Queen) leaves no stone unturned and can be very far reaching.  However, there is less to tell here and I was never totally convinced by Morrissey, who I have never found totally convincing on screen.  Still, this is smart production and worth seeing, especially if you liked The Queen.

 

The anamorphically enhanced 1.85 X 1 image is has the same documentary approach as The Queen and that holds back it picture quality as so much analog video footage is used, though the approach works.  The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo sound is dialogue-based and just fine for a TV movie, but don’t expect much in the way of sonics or a soundfield.  Extras include text bios, Frears interview and Morgan/Producer Christine Langan feature length audio commentary track.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo


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