THE MILLIONAIRESS (YouTube). Bernard Shaw’s didactic farce, written in 1936 when he was 80 and seen on BBC television in 1972, is one of his poorest plays. Maggie Smith, highly mannered, very theatrical, plays the richest heiress in England, who loves money and being in control of people’s lives and always getting what she wants. The character, modelled on Nancy Astor, is totally unsympathetic. The comedy relies entirely on the confidence, audacity, drive, energy and sexiness of the leading lady, qualities which Maggie Smith had in spades. The scenes she shares with Tom Baker as the Egyptian doctor are the best.
THE ZELENSKY STORY (BBC iPlayer). The documentary is in three one-hour episodes and traces the amazing journey of a popular clown who became president of Ukraine and then a charismatic and inspiring war leader, winning admiration all over the world for his resistance, bravery and resilience under enormous pressure. I was often moved to tears.
DUEL (YouTube). A salesman (Dennis Weaver) in a shiny red car is stalked by a monster dark old petrol tanker, which is driven by an insane maniac (who is never seen). 25-year-old Stephen Spielberg made a big impact in 1971 and established his reputation with this scary suspenseful thriller which was shot entirely on location and remains one of the best road movies ever made.
SUITE FRANCAISE (BBC iPlayer) is set in a village in Vichy France during the Nazi occupation in World War II. A young French woman (Michelle Williams) and a decent young German officer (Mathias Schoenaerts), who is billeted in her home, develop a friendship. Saul Dibb directs this solid, understated drama.
THE ITALIAN STRAW HAT (YouTube). René Clair’s 1927 film version of Eugene Labiche’s boulevard farce is updated to 1895 and la belle epoch. It is one of the finest comedies of the silent era, a perfect period piece, which stylishly and subtly satirises the petit bourgeoisie’s social behaviour and their impropriety. A bridegroom’s wedding is delayed whilst he frantically searches for a hat in a variety of venues. The inventive visual running gags are wittily choreographed. There are very few inter-titles. René Clair relies entirely on the camera and the actors’ impeccable timing and mime.
THE BIG SLEEP (BBC iPlayer). Howard Hawks 1946 American film noir is famed for its incoherence but still much admired. Humphrey Bogart (hard-boiled private detective) and Lauren Bacall star and spar, a good match on and off-screen, too! Their chemistry is obvious, their dialogue is sexy-sharp; but Raymond Chandler’s complicated plot leaves cinemagoers stranded, wondering what is going on and who is killing who and why.
ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL (Stratfest@Home). Shakespeare’s comedy is rarely performed and so this production filmed at the Stratford Festival in Ontario, Canada, (one of the best places to see Shakespeare’s plays well performed) may be of interest to Bard completists. Helen heals a sick king who rewards her by saying she can marry anybody she likes at his court. She chooses a man who refuses to consummate their marriage and goes off to the wars. She has to degrade herself to keep him.
LOVER OF MEN: THE UNTOLD HISTORY OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN (Prime Video). Scholars and historians argue that the American President was gay and had sexual relationships with men because he shared a bed with Joshua Speed over a period of four years and with other men, too. But men bed-sharing was common and normal in the 19th century. There is no explicit evidence only conjecture, fuelled by some of Lincoln’s letters. Shaun Paterson’s documentary is considerably weakened by using professional actors to mime the relationships.
To learn more about Robert Tanitch and his reviews, click here to go to his website. 
