Customer Reviews

High Hopes

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I've been waiting for "High Hopes" to appear as a Region 1 DVD for a long time. It's the film that introduced me to Mike Leigh's films some 20 odd years ago, and what a glorious adventure it's been! The fantastic ensemble cast includes long-time Leigh actor Philip Davis as an aging leftist motorcycle messenger trying to grapple with a mother who is heading towards probable dementia, a girlfriend who wants to have children while he himself isn't sure children should be brought into the world, and a nouveau riche sister who is all about style over substance. While it's been argued that the affluent characters in the film are presented with less dimension than the others, Leigh doesn't hesistate to portray the leftist characters as baffled about how to turn words into actions. This film is also another example of Leigh's amazing talent for chronicling family dysfunction which he continued to utilize in later films like "Secrets and Lies". This piece is well worth your time!

A lovely film with poor sound quality and no subtitles in english to make up for it. Bad buy.