Cracks - 2009 film review

Cracks is a film set in a girls' boarding school in the 1930s. It's a psychological thriller which I'd never heard of before, but the fact that it starred Eva Green, Imogen Poots, Juno Temple, and Sinead Cusack - four high-calibre performers - suggested to me that it was well worth a watch. And so it was, despite various flaws. The director is Jordan Scott, director of Ridley Scott, and she does a good job. In visual terms, it's a very appealing film.

Green plays Miss G, a charismatic young teacher who is adored by a group of her pupils. She's unconventional, with an apparently exotic past, and she is particularly close to Di, played by Temple, whose performance I feel is the best in the film. The status quo is disturbed when an attractive but enigmatic young Spanish aristocrat (played by Maria Valverde) arrives at at the school. 

The other girls take a dislike to the newcomer, but Miss G is charmed by her. Inevitably, Di becomes jealous. Our impression that Miss G is not really the exciting charmer she seems to be is confirmed and before long, relationships within the group become febrile. 

The main problem is that the pace is too slow, and that the script isn't as tight as it might have been. One has only to think of that brilliantly sinister school film Unman, Wittering and Zigo to realise that the potential of the situation isn't as fully realised as it might have been. The ironic finale isn't bad, but I felt slightly frustrated that a movie that might have been really gripping didn't work as well as I'd hoped. One of Miss G's girls is called Fuzzy and the storyline of Cracks itself is also rather fuzzy.

Premier Bonds

Further to my post about Quantum of Solace, I’ve been reflecting on the Bond movies I’ve seen – at least a dozen, over the years, perhaps more. One reason for this is that, one of these days, I would like to write a thriller of some kind, and though I’ll never be an Ian Fleming (or be able to work with the kind of budget enjoyed by the Bond franchise), it’s interesting to reflect on what makes action thrillers memorable. I’ve read few of the original books, but the movies I’ve seen have mostly been great fun.

There are several key ingredients to a successful Bond movie. The hero has to be compelling (thumbs up to Sean Connery and Daniel Craig, a definite no, thanks to George Lazenby.) The villain has to be a worthy opponent (Blofeld, Scaramanga and Dominic Greene top my list – it’s a real pity that Greene won’t be returning.) The settings have to be dramatic (the Tosca scene and the Bolivian desert in Quantum of Solace worked very well) and the love interest has to be exciting (Diana Rigg and Eva Green are among my favourites.)

The story-line ought to matter more than it does. Mostly, the Bond plots are rather iffy, and Quantum’s is no exception. But the touches of wit that you find in the Bond films are important to the overall effect, and so is the balance of the screenplay – I felt that Quantum was better than Casino Royale in terms of structure, even if the latter had a little more depth.

And finally, there are the peripherals – such as the gadgets in some of the movies, and the music. I’m a great admirer of John Barry’s work, and – if we leave aside the original spoof version of Casino Royale, which featured the incomparable Dusty Springfield singing ‘The Look of Love’ - my favourite Bond theme is ‘We Have All the Time in the World’, performed by the legendary Louis Armstrong. It came from one of the less renowned films in the series, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, but that highlights the fact that even the weaker entries over the years have had their magic moments. The two songs, by the way, had different composers, but the same gifted lyricist.