Reviews

I sincerely hope this show gets another season as I really enjoyed it's debut. The Hour was a real "don't miss" for me with it's mixture of suspense, drama, romance and occasionally a laugh. *Caution, spoilers.* The show's setting in such a fascinating political time added to it's appeal, and coupled with a subtle exposure of the abuses of power as demonstrated by Britain's MI6 made for a very intriguing mixture.

I enjoy British TV and film, as it seems to rely less on slapstick, sex, toilet humour and car chases. This is an intelligent series that made me want to refresh my memory on the history of the era, with Suez, the Hungarian Uprising and British spy scandals.

I thought the entire cast did a great job, with special nods for: * Ben Whishaw's nervous intellectual * Romola Garai's professional woman trying to walk the line between career and personal life * Anton Lesser's subtly menacing manager * Dominic West's upper class, prep school type working to be accepted as a part of the mostly working class team

I thought the show demonstrated a skillful blending of personal interest with political events. And the tone and scene was very well set, with the BBC's offices slightly darkened atmosphere and wonderful period feel.

Applause, and please give us more.

...while there are certainly humorous moments in this film, overall I found it mostly poignant. After watching this film I always feel a sense of longing, loss and nostalgia for the past. Is this what George is feeling when finally proposing to Jackie? A feeling that perhaps the past was better than what is currently being experienced and a compulsion to try and re-create some of that magic that existed when he was younger? The closing scene of him watching Jackie being driven away by Lester (wonderfully portrayed by Jack Warden) is one of the most touching scenes of loss in modern film? To finally recognise what is important only when it is too late is one of the most affecting human tragedies.

Dismissing George as a simple playboy I think also sells this movie short. Certainly George is a womanizer in this film, but I feel he could also be seen as much used as the user. Certainly the women in this film (Felicia, Lorna, Jill and to some extent Jackie) could be seen as the aggressors in most of the sex that occurs. The constant demands of all the women in this film, even the women on the street that come up to George and demand "call me," make George in some ways a character that deserves some sympathy.

Overall I find Shampoo to be very under-appreciated, being written off as a mere sex/comedy farce. There is a lot more depth to it than that. To really appreciate it, it should be looked at in the context of the time it was made, the end of one era (swinging 60's) and the beginning of another, characterized more by the loss of innocence (Watergate, end of Vietnam, 70's recession). Surely this translates equally well to the passing of any era and the moving on into new times that may not be that comfortable to those that fully enjoyed what went before.