'Masterpiece: Man In An Orange Shirt' [Blu-ray]
(Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Julian Morris, Vanessa Redgrave, Joanna Vanderham, et al / Blu-ray / NC-17 / 2018 / PBS)
Overview: From novelist Patrick Gale, 'Man In An Orange Shirt' is a tender, powerful film that is sure to spark conversation about outdated attitudes and equal rights.
Blu-ray Verdict: Two love stories set 60 years apart are linked by a secret that echoes through generations, from a forbidden relationship impossible during WWII, contrasted with a present-day romance that is nearly derailed by the 1940s tale with which it is deeply intertwined.
Simply put, 'Man In An Orange Shirt' is the latest program from the BBC to commemorate the 50th anniversary of homosexuality being made legal in the UK I really enjoyed the first part, which I can imagine was a story that must have been mirrored throughout the UK during the post war years.
Thousands of couples stuck In loveless marriages just because it was the right thing to do. Men and women unable to express in public their love for those they really wanted to be with.
This for me was a far more interesting than the disappointing second part for we move rapidly on to the present day where the grandson is also gay and obsessed with gay dating apps on his phone; and unable to admit his homosexuality to his grandmother.
This, as much as anything, seems to be preventing him from finding a solid relationship, despite (so it seems) his gran knowing all along. If the idea of this drama was to show how attitudes have changed towards same sex relationships since 1967 then it succeed; but I would have liked to have seen more of what happened in the intervening years. This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.78:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs that comes with the Special Features of a Bonus Video!
Novelist and Screenwriter Patrick Gale, Executive Producer Diederick Santer, Director Michael Samuels, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, David Gyasi and James McArdle share insight behind the creation of the film.
www.PBS.org