Robert Tanitch reviews the latest DVDs
THE INVISIBLE WOMAN (Lionsgate). Nelly Ternan, the young actress, was the inspiration for Estella in Great Expectations and secret mistress of Charles Dickens. He never acknowledged her in his lifetime; such was the lot of women in the respectable Victorian era. The scene which shocks most is the one when Mrs Dickens (Joanna Scanlon) is forced to personally deliver a bracelet to Nelly (Felicity Jones) which she had initially presumed was a gift for her. Ralph Fiennes plays Dickens and directs.
NEBRASKA (Paramount). A middle-aged son accompanies his aged father on a drive to Nebraska. Alexander Payne’s road movie, witty, dry and heartfelt, is subtly comic and tragic at the same time and it will have a special resonance for older filmgoers; for most of the characters are old-timers. The black and white photography gives the film an austere and haunting beauty. The old man, suffering from dementia, believes he has won a million dollars. He hasn’t. Bruce Dern and June Squibb (as his elderly abrasive wife) are perfect casting. Will Forte’s performance as their son is nicely understated.
To learn more about Robert Tanitch and his reviews, click here to go to his website
