Streaming & TV

[Real Geordie]

Saturday night. Escape to the pub not possible due to lockdown, so resort to channel surfing and encountering the usual dross. Next button pushed on the zapper delivers BBC2 and a film by the name of The White Crow. I’d never heard of the title before, and it was already half-way through, but I decided to give it five minutes before moving on. It interested me enough in that time to rewind to the start and view the full two hours. The film is about Rudolf Nureyev from his time as a child (limited flashbacks) until his defection in Paris at the age of 23. A decision was taken that it was easier to teach ballet dancers to act, than teach actors to perform ballet. This therefore is the acting debut of Oleg Ivenko who takes on the role of Nureyev. He is a leading artist in the ballet troupe of the Tatar State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre. The film is mostly low key, setting the scene, but gradually builds to the final section in the airport. Despite obviously knowing the outcome of this confrontation, I still found it intense. I thought that Oleg Ivenko handled these airport scenes believably, and you could sense the mental anguish he faced - abandoning his mother and siblings in the USSR, or freedom to pursue his career in the way that he wished - and all the time the clock is ticking. Worth watching - certainly better than yet another “talent” show with a juggling dog.

Rolling Stone Review & Trailer Video
https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/mov ... or-827128/

The film is available on BBC iPlayer and can also be rented or purchased to download from YouTube

[Real Geordie]

This is a new retrospective of the miners strike, broadcast yesterday on Channel 5 (UK). At 95 minutes length it goes into the detail of what was clearly a ten year rolling campaign rather than a one year battle. As befitting a national strike there are more accents than you can shake a stick at. Not much which was not already known, but more background which allows a better understanding. The programme is available on catch-up and should be accessible outside of UK on the net - use the search facility, searching for Thatcher. Available until April 2025

https://www.my5.tv
https://www.channel5.com/show/mrs-thatc ... he-miners/