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How entertaining? ★★★★★
Thought provoking? ★★★☆☆ 6 December 2011
This a review of THE MOLLY DINEEN COLLECTION. |
“It’s pure economics that has driven them to this now.” (THE LIE OF THE LAND)
The third collection from ace documentarian Molly Dineen is getting released on DVD. And your libraries will be richer for having it in them. There are three films of around 90 minutes each:
- GERI (1997);
- THE LORD’S TALE (2002); and
- THE LIE OF THE LAND (2007).
In addition is the ‘Party Election Broadcast for the Labour Party’ (1997), with makings of for all the aforementioned. The strength of her technique in creating fascinating portraits from intriguing subjects makes you want to sit through all the extras on the DVDs; where with hindsight the pieces Dineen made are commented upon, coupled with unseen footage. One particular highlight is while following around Tony Blair, she asks him, “Why aren’t you a Tory?” Brilliant!
The third collection from ace documentarian Molly Dineen is getting released on DVD. And your libraries will be richer for having it in them. There are three films of around 90 minutes each:
- GERI (1997);
- THE LORD’S TALE (2002); and
- THE LIE OF THE LAND (2007).
In addition is the ‘Party Election Broadcast for the Labour Party’ (1997), with makings of for all the aforementioned. The strength of her technique in creating fascinating portraits from intriguing subjects makes you want to sit through all the extras on the DVDs; where with hindsight the pieces Dineen made are commented upon, coupled with unseen footage. One particular highlight is while following around Tony Blair, she asks him, “Why aren’t you a Tory?” Brilliant!
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What all the work in this collection has in common are the fact that she is covering watershed moments on a political and pop cultural level. GERI is an intimate look at the aftermath of Geri Halliwell leaving the Spice Girls and her attempts to forge a new image and direction. THE LORD’S TALE is the story of the end of the hereditary peers in the House of Lords, told from the perspective of those being abolished (as New Labour would provide no cooperation). The end of an era. The ending of a way of life is the focus of THE LIE OF THE LAND – the changing of the countryside and the unexpected implications for us all. You probably have your own takes on these subjects; but Dineen gives masterclasses in doc making, achieving what the best do: illuminating, surprising and engaging. This director needs more commissions.
It’s amazing the access and candour she gets. Geri Halliwell seems laid bare, the lords interviewed are hugely articulate on communicating the complexity of their situations, the eternal conundrum of the reform of the second chamber; and what is shown in THE LIE OF THE LAND is both distressing and heart-breaking. As with every documentary there is a hand guiding the tiller of what we are watching, though Dineen’s touch is far gentler than many – it’s not clear in the first two films what her agenda is, if any, apart from painting a picture. The third however would take a heart of stone not to be moved by what is going on in the countryside, and therefore understandable why she delves into the repercussions of governmental policy.
I am now a massive fan of Molly Dineen.
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