Shooting The Past Reviews

[Highly rated reviewer]

I love this film

A gripping story, perfectly acted. Was riveted by it on TV, went out and bought my own copy (its now out of print) The entire cast were just so well chosen, Timothy Spall stands out, but couldn't have done so without the support of the others. Lindsay Duncan and Liam Cunningham are marvellous, Billie Whitelaw sublime. And the story is impressive, the photographs so touching and the sense of wonder at all those moments of time captured. This is just a masterpiece, it was the best TV event since Edge of Darkness and helps you to keep the faith, through all those reality shows, that TV is still able to produce something really worthwhile.

Make yourself see this film

I loved this film. It took me a long time to get started on it because it looked dull but once I began, I was hooked...beautifully acted and the story is so unique and compelling.

Shooting the past

The best drama to come from the bbc in the last decade, this Stephen poliakoff play tells the story of a photographic library faced with closure and the loss of it's 10 million pictures. An extremely powerful performance from Timothy Spall

Superb

First saw this on the BBC and was absolutely riveted by it. Just the same second time around, great performance by Timothy Spall.

Absolutely Brilliant!!!!!

An outstanding drama from the BBC, Stephen Poliakoff is a genius!! This & 'Perfect Strangers' are two of the best dramas I have ever seen.

Excellent example of good drama

Shooting the past is one of the best examples of telling a story from elements which appear simple and ordinary. Acting which is honest and supportive gives the story and the main theme of images centre stage. Should be used as a text for schools.

Great cinematography

I'm not going to talk about the plot as it has a nice story. However, I wanted to point out the cinematography and camera work on this film. Brilliant!

[Highly rated reviewer]

Shooting the Past

Far too slow and drawn out for my taste; didn't finish it.

interesting concept

Intersting concept well acted. 2 discs bit of a pain coming days apart.

Perfection

I've seen this, out of order, a couple of times on TV, so this is my big chance to take it at my pace, with the episodes the right way round.

So far it is spectacular. Why? Why do realistic characters seem to rare in TV, is the better question. Look, this is a melodrama, a powerful emotional trip though unlikely stories and abilities. There is reality and unreality mixed together and it just works.

Timothy Spall plays the immensely smart but socially difficult photo-nerd who can remember the content of much of a multi-million print photo library, and uses that ability to try to save the collection from destruction. Hmmm, how likely is that?! But the astonishing characters, wonderfully acted; the visual interludes; the music; the power of the stories revealed by pulling out the RIGHT snapshots from our first century of photography... they make this a unique, uniquely real yet melodramatic yet philosophical work.

If you asked fans of this what it is about, I bet you'd get a load of different answers. Is it the glory of the 20th century vs. the banality of the 21st? Is it about public and private life, mortality and the permanent record, the value of the intellectual and the happenstance, the power of life and love over consumerism and the evil tendencies of history? I have no idea - it seems to be about everything.

Don't let me put you off! It is a drama of everyday archivists whose whacky antics and personalities take on the commerical might of a big corporation... with GREAT acting, writing, and production.

Yeah.

It's a work of art, So, obviously it can be enjoyed at whatever level you approach it at. Oh, and if you watch it more than once, it will definitely make you cry.