Creation

[andrews]

Well if any last minute previews come up, please think of me, this film is on my to see list!

I'm not holding out much hope for free previews with this one, Beate.

[Beate]

Anyone been to see Creation yet? The two cinema chains I have vouchers for aren't showing it around me, a third is showing it at a stupid time, that leaves the Picturehouse so if I was to watch it I would have to - shock horror - have to p*y for it. So it better be good!

[andrews]

I went along to the MetroCentre today to see this one with one of my free Odeon tickets. It was a thought-provoking intense period drama, produced by several companies including the BBC - enough said there then - you know you are going to get quality, and I did.
The acting was excellent. It was a powerful drama of English naturalist Charles Darwin, who found himself battling with the very revolutionary idea of Creationism - God versus Science. His wife was deeply religious and their whole marriage seemed to be falling apart, because of his strong convictions that creation could be explained without God. Paul Bettany was outstanding in the role - I don't want to give too much away. If you see it, I hope you would agree with me.
I was delighted by the Victorian details of the furnishings and scientific equipment. Every attention was taken to the smaller details. The supporting cast were, as you can imagine, excellent, including Jennifer Connelly, who is Bettany's wife, and Martha West, who plays his eldest daughter. We will see more of this youngster, I've no doubt.
I couldn't help but think as I watched the film, that Darwin was fortunate to have been lived in Victorian England. Had he been living in the 1500s or 1600s, he would have been burned at the stake for being a heretic!


Possibly 9/10 from me - and possibly a few Oscars and Baftas for the film.

[elski]

Anyone been to see Creation yet? The two cinema chains I have vouchers for aren't showing it around me, a third is showing it at a stupid time, that leaves the Picturehouse so if I was to watch it I would have to - shock horror - have to p*y for it. So it better be good!

I went to see it last night. It was ok but I'm afraid I can't give a proper review as I've had a very long week of early mornings for work and so I ended up falling asleep for part of it .
It's beatifully shot but a bit slow going (hence me falling asleep). The story is about him deciding to publish or not as he's already come up with his theory. So there's no Eureka moment or anything, it's more angsty stuff with his wife over his dead daughter.

[Ms Thrifty]

I am still looking forward to seeing this - it certainly sounds as though the treatment is quite controversial and it's always more interesting when viewers disagree.

Incidentally, as this year marks the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth, there are lots of special events, which I won't post here, obviously, and which may already be on regional boards. I will, however, briefly recommend a visit to Darwin's house (curiously it's called Down House, i.e. no final "e", though it's in Downe village), near Biggin Hill in Kent. Great tea room and patio, too!

[bevvy]

You've convinced me with the mention of a great tea room!

I'm ashamed to say that I have never visited there despite the fact that I was brought up not far from there and indeed used to work at a boarding kennels in Downe when on holiday from uni.

How disabled friendly is the place? OH uses a wheelchair for distances, or if there is a lot of hanging around involved but can get out and use one of those walkers with a seat if there is not too much walking involved. I find that the information on the website and the reality that we face when we get to these places is sometimes quite different.

[Ms Thrifty]

I can't honestly recall how well-adapted the property was for disabled visitors, Bevvy, though I'd be happy to go back to research this when I could get round to it. Being an old house it is quite cramped in places and there were stairs, but I wasn't looking for a lift and may have missed it. The garden is lovely and level, I think. I didn't realise that English Heritage was not reliable in terms of info provided on its website and in the guidebook. As for not having visited it, I think it's as I said recently in another thread: if places are local to you, you tend not to visit them. As I didn't grow up in this area but moved here for work, it was all new to me, hence I visited everything in reach.

[Beate]

I have a great knack of choosing screenings with next to no visitors, this one at 12.40 at Picturhouse Greenwich had only 6 people in it, probably owing to the lovely sunny day. The screen was so well air-conditioned though that I started getting cold towards the end, as it's a 2 hour film. We had two trailers beforehand, for An Education (have preview tickets) and Bright Star, which I am going to see at the London Film Festival, and they both look good, so I was chuffed with that.

I thought the film was brilliant, showing a tormented man (Paul Bettany is outstanding as Charles Darwin) grappling with religion versus science issues and heartbroken over the death of his eldest daugther (Martha West). He was shown as a a loving father and husband whose marriage seemed to disintegrate after the tragedy, as his wife (Jennifer Connelly) was stricly religious whereas he seemed to lose all faith. The film jumped back and forth in time, showing both happier times with his daughter, and her appearing to him as a ghost after she had died. He seemed to have led an interesting life judging from the "true stories" he told his children!

8.5/10

[cookiemonster]

Anyone been to see Creation yet? The two cinema chains I have vouchers for aren't showing it around me, a third is showing it at a stupid time, that leaves the Picturehouse so if I was to watch it I would have to - shock horror - have to p*y for it. So it better be good!

Anyone know why this seems to have a very limited release? I was planning to go and see it when my sister comes to stay this weekend, but by that time one of the Vue cinemas will only have it on Gold Class, and the other has 3 screenings, none of which are in the evening. It seems that Cineworld aren't showing it at the weekend and it will be down to one morning screening a day next week. The film only came out last weekend didn't it?!

[Ms Thrifty]

Sorry, no. No comfort to you, but in London and the south-east it seems to be fairly well-distributed. I have the opposite problem: I want to see it and it's on at my local cinema but I am not prepared to p*y £7.50 for a weekday matinee and they never do any deals/concessions/offers. So I'll wait until I'm next in London or it comes to the council-run cinema where it's £2 cheaper.