The Fun : Mr Bean, Rowan Atkinson

Mr Bean,1990

Created by Rowan Atkinson
Natiolity: British

TV Series

Rowan Atkinson, aka Mr Bean, describes his character as “a child in an adults body”. 

Always dressed the same : a brown tweed jacket, brown trousers, a white shirt and red tie, his humour reminds us of slapstick / burlesque humour. Almost no dialogue, each episode is based on different situations of everyday life. But Mr Bean has to face many problems, for which he always has the strangest ideas to get himself out of, and therefore everything gets out of proportion ! He always makes the simplest things very complicated : making a sandwich, painting his apartment, packing a suitcase…

Like a child stuck in an adult body, we can see that for example (amongst many other examples) in the episode in which Mr Bean passes an exam. During the whole of it, he tries to copy his neighbour’s paper, by going under the table, stealing his pens, etc.

There it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98V9cEYe6-A

Mr Bean is also a very lonely character. We love him, but he is also, let’s say it, a selfish idiot. His best friend Teddy, a teddy bear. He takes his shower with him, eats and sleeps with him, etc. Some episodes are actually very sad and almost dramatic. Mr Bean may be one of the funnies series made in the UK, I almost cried when I was little watching his birthday episode or a Christmas episode… The turkey moment is a classic, but so is the episode when he goes to the restaurant for his birthday, opening a birthday card he gave himself, inviting himself to the restaurant…:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nldsZmeajAc

The Bad : The Queen

The Queen, 2006

Directed by Stephen Frears

Nationality : British
Prices : (amongst many many others) Academy Awards : Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role — Helen Mirren, BAFTAS : Best Film, Actress in a Leading Role — Helen Mirren

The Queen takes place in 1997. This year may be irrelevant to the French people, but British people would remember it as the year Diana died. I even myself remember it, I didn’t really know who she was (I was 7), but I saw so many reportages and shows about her death on TV, that I even hung a poster of her in my room !

She died in Paris, in a car accident. The whole world was shocked and England was mourning. Everyone was talking about it, crying about it, except for The Queen. She was at the Balmoral castle in Scotland at the time, and Elizabeth II seemed to be the only person in England who remained silent, distant, who seemed indifferent about the Princess’ death. She didn’t seem to understand her country’s reaction, but Tony Blair on the other hand knew it was very important for the Government to do something, react about it. People was mourning her death, the nation was bruised, therefore, he had to make the Queen say something about this Death, to contain the country’s pain.

But she was stubborn and her insubordination, her incomprehension and pride brought people’s hate towards her.

The story of the film gravitates around Diana’s death, but it is above all about the Queen’s life during this difficult moment. I myself didn’t understand why she didn’t do anything about it, but I think the movie is actually very poetic and beautiful as it shows the Queen’s side of the story, even if it’s fictional. There’s been hundreds of documentaries, reportages about Diana’s death, and for the first time maybe, someone showed another side of the story.

The Queen has obligations, standards to respect, and Diana was not responding to one of them. In the end, even if she should have done and said something, she just happened to stay on her positions, she was just honest in a kind of way. This episode, which became more political than expected almost brought the Queen to abdicate.

The bad : Vera Drake

Vera Drake, 2005

Directed by Mike Leigh

Nationality : British

Prices : 2004 Venice Film Festival - won Golden Lion for Best Film & Volpi Cup for Best Actress

Vera Drake is a British drama. It was written and directed by the British director Mike Leigh. It tells the story of a working class woman in the 1950’s, in London. Vera is just a working-class woman, loving mother and wife, but she also performs illegal abortions, when it was illegal at the time.

She’s not doing it for money, she just wants to help people in need. She can seem a bit insensitive when we see her practice her first abortion as she remains stony-faced while the girl she’s taking care of weeps and cries. But then, we just realize she protects herself. She knows what she’s doing and is very meticulous and discreet. But eventually, one of her patient almost dies while she practices the abortion, and she will then be arrested by the Police and judged. Her son and husband didn’t know about her secret activity and won’t be able to forget her.

The fact the story takes place in the 1950’s enabled the director to establish the moral base of the problem in an implicit way, without making a propaganda movie. Mike Leigh actually affirms that his goal is not to make conclusions, just ask questions. That is what the director intended to do. But of course, the film provoked many reactions. A woman who was a nurse in the 50’s affirmed that the technique used by Vera Drake in the movie (inserting a mix of soap and water in the woman’s vagina) is just impossible as it should be fatal. Another woman said she used that technique on herself and that obviously, it was efficient without killing her.

This film is very dramatic as while you get used to her practices and feel more and more close to that woman, she gets caught and everyone turns against her. Her arrest is pending on her, even the mise-en-scene, the way it is filmed – the image is very dark, the rainy and grey England itself gives you that feeling of insecurity – are elements that prepare you to the dramatic ending. Mike Leigh says he just wants to ask questions, without giving a point of view, but still, we are shown a old sympathetic woman, loved by all, who will in the end have everyone turning their backs on her…