Guest review: "Let Him Have It" by fannishliss
So, I've been reading back through fannishliss's journal, using the "eccleston rules" tag. Her review of "Let Him Have It" was great and to the point, so I asked her if I could post it here, and she said yes. Thank you, liss!
Chris made his big-screen debut as an unknown in Let Him Have It (1991, dir. Peter Medak). (Chris had had four small bit parts in TV in 1990-91) The film is based on the real-life story of the last person to be executed by hanging in the UK. The subject, Derek Bentley, was a young man, only 19, who suffered from epilepsy and learning disabilities. His death caused a public outcry, and the death penalty was abolished in the UK.
Chris brings amazing power and conviction to the role. He did a great deal of research about epilepsy and its effects on mood and learning disability. He fought with the director about Medak's apparent desire to sugarcoat the character of Derek; Chris felt it was important to show his moody and difficult side. Even in his very first role, and as a young man whose career was based on this break -- Chris refused to bend in his interpretation of the character. He got to know Derek's sister, and wears Derek's actual watch in the movie. With Let Him Have It, Chris set the pattern for portraying working class characters with authenticity and as much complexity as he could bring to them. The courtroom scene, where Derek visibly loses the ability to process the questions that are being asked of him, is especially powerful. Chris has an amazing ability to physicalize the emotions of his characters, and this is no exception. It's a slow movie, and sad, but well-done, and a must-see for any fan of Chris. For those who like the Revenger's Tragedy, one of the corrupt sons ("Junior") is the same actor who plays Chris Craig, Derek's ne'er-do-well buddy in LHHI. Derek's mother is played by Eileen Atkins, who I loved in Cold Comfort Farm as Judith Starkadder. You also get to glimpse two of Chris's cousins in the opening scene, Rebecca and Peter Eccleston, playing younger versions of Derek and his sister.
Linnea again: my propensity for nitpicking compels me to point out that Rebecca and Peter are Chris's nephew and niece, not cousins. Trivia: Peter is married (domestic-partnered, technically) to actor Antony Cotton, who has been in "Queer as Folk" and "Coronation Street".
Chris made his big-screen debut as an unknown in Let Him Have It (1991, dir. Peter Medak). (Chris had had four small bit parts in TV in 1990-91) The film is based on the real-life story of the last person to be executed by hanging in the UK. The subject, Derek Bentley, was a young man, only 19, who suffered from epilepsy and learning disabilities. His death caused a public outcry, and the death penalty was abolished in the UK.
Chris brings amazing power and conviction to the role. He did a great deal of research about epilepsy and its effects on mood and learning disability. He fought with the director about Medak's apparent desire to sugarcoat the character of Derek; Chris felt it was important to show his moody and difficult side. Even in his very first role, and as a young man whose career was based on this break -- Chris refused to bend in his interpretation of the character. He got to know Derek's sister, and wears Derek's actual watch in the movie. With Let Him Have It, Chris set the pattern for portraying working class characters with authenticity and as much complexity as he could bring to them. The courtroom scene, where Derek visibly loses the ability to process the questions that are being asked of him, is especially powerful. Chris has an amazing ability to physicalize the emotions of his characters, and this is no exception. It's a slow movie, and sad, but well-done, and a must-see for any fan of Chris. For those who like the Revenger's Tragedy, one of the corrupt sons ("Junior") is the same actor who plays Chris Craig, Derek's ne'er-do-well buddy in LHHI. Derek's mother is played by Eileen Atkins, who I loved in Cold Comfort Farm as Judith Starkadder. You also get to glimpse two of Chris's cousins in the opening scene, Rebecca and Peter Eccleston, playing younger versions of Derek and his sister.
Linnea again: my propensity for nitpicking compels me to point out that Rebecca and Peter are Chris's nephew and niece, not cousins. Trivia: Peter is married (domestic-partnered, technically) to actor Antony Cotton, who has been in "Queer as Folk" and "Coronation Street".