Dir. Mary McGuckian, UK, 2005, 123 mins
Cast:
Rupert Graves, Malcolm Mcdowell, Jennifer Jason Leigh
I really did want to like Mary McGuckian's latest, Rag Tale. The film is an expose of the tabloid newspaper world, its machinations, ethos and the larger than life characters that supposedly inhabit it. It has a superb cast, a distinctive look, and is unashamed in its chosen styles of editing, acting and cinematography. This is her second directorial effort, after The Bridge of San Luis Rey (2004), which starred Robert De Niro, and despite good reviews failed to make much impact. For her second piece, she has opted for a radical change of style (from costume epic, classically shot, to digital, hand held, multi camera). This style, although in concept a good idea, has in execution probably alienated a lot of viewers, who might potentially have enjoyed other aspects of the film. It is a tricky and exciting time for film-makers, with a burgeoning range of formats to choose from, and the advent of High Definition (coupled with increasing digital projection facilities in cinemas) means that a range of styles, and experimental work is possible. However there is always the danger that doing something 'new' with digital has turned a delicate tool into a blunt instrument: put simply the obsession with super fast zooms, the needless spiralling of the camera, implausible angles and refusal to ever, ever linger on a decent frame, is annoying and even headache-inducing. It gives High Definition a bad name and seems immature. The artistic reasoning for this look is probably that the world it reflects is a topsy-turvy, ever changing, speed driven environment, and this is somewhat demonstrated, but could have been better achieved in a more subtle manner.
However, in coaxing good performances, McGuckian is excellent. A former actor herself, it is no surprise that she has been able to assemble and guide a talented group of actors, working in a largely improvisational manner. Despite the gifts of those involved, it is to her credit that they manage to form such strong characters, which seem both individual and archetype. Sara Stockbridge is nicely bitchy and strong as Sally May, a plain speaking fashion editor who finds a way to be 'one of the boys' in a way that Jennifer Jason Leigh's ambitious, patrician and American 'MJ' never can. Particularly impressive is Rupert Graves, who combines arrogant and self-serving ambition with a touch of class-conscious insecurity: he is, despite his ruthlessness, driven by underdog spirit. This is an interesting note in the film, that within the world of red top media the class battles of who schooled with whom, or who worked their way up the ladder by tenacity and talent alone are still fuelling much of the competition. Sadly, the plot, which seems at first to be a slightly convoluted tale of the perils of mixing work and play (particularly play with one's boss's wife), lurches into an unrealistic and embarrassing denouement. This is a problem often encountered by films which are driven by actor's improvisations, and Mcguckian is not alone in finding this a tricky area to deal with. However, it does let down what was impressive work by the cast involved.
Despite these criticisms, any type of investigation into the workings of tabloid journalism can only be welcomed!
Joanna Coates
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