Z/Web

This was a presentation from the University of California that aired on PBS recently. It was a one-man play about the life of writer C.S. Lewis. Basically Lewis came out and talked to the audience as though we were guests at his house, and he told us about his life, his conversion to Christianity, and his relationship with his wife Joy. It was execellent; witty and fascinating, and emotionally moving. There were a number of great lines. One of my favorites was when Lewis talked about being an atheist early his in life and what a contradiction that was. “I was extremely angry at God for not existing.” His tales of his wife Joy proved she had a ready wit as well. Excellent, and helps one get to know Lewis the man versus Lewis the writer.

My first thought about this film: the producers should have made an executive decision to go with or without English in Russian accents because as it is, every other actor seems to have a different idea, and some actors change their mind during the picture. It hurts what’s otherwise a well-acted story. The story is based on a real-life incident in the 1960’s when a new Russian sub, K19, is dispatched on its first voyage. It was rushed to see for political reasons, and it’s not ready. During the voyage, to test some nuclear missiles, one of the nuclear engine develops and problem. If it’s not fixed, it could explode and set off the warheads. Since there’s a U.S. destroyer nearby and tensions are high, it could also set off World War III. The captain must make decisions which effect the lives of his crew and his country, and oh yeah, the radio’s out and he can’t talk to Moscow for orders. The film is on the long side, and the story’s certainly complex, with lots of Soviet political stuff going on, and there are scenes where the excitement of the story feels staged, like they throw in an emergency or two to keep you awake. But ultimately, the men are heroes, when that emerges the story’s engaging on its own. I also liked that the story didn’t just end with them being rescued, but followed up on what happened to them after they returned home to the Soviet Union. Much better that I’d heard.