Intro to Mike Leigh
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grchereck — 18 years ago(September 12, 2007 08:08 PM)
My favorites are Life Is Sweet (1990) and High Hopes (1988); I rented them on video several years ago, fell in love with them, but it wasn't until recently that I was able to orb68der used VHS copies of them through Amazon.com Marketplace. I wish you luck in tracking them down.
But if you can't get your hands on them, I would also recommend Secrets & Lies, Vera Drake, Topsy-Turvy, and Career Girls, in that order.
"I know I'm not normal but I'm trying to change!" ~ Muriel's Wedding -
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kinoeye_csb — 18 years ago(November 25, 2007 07:29 AM)
I must agree Velvet Dead. All Mike Leigh Films are Brilliant.
My favorite from the bunch is Life is Sweet. Simple film with a lot of heart and warmth.. I think that there is no other filmmaker like Mike Leigh.
You should also read his interviews and filmmaking process. It is as magnificent as his films.. Good luck! -
The_Silence_The_Silence — 17 years ago(August 07, 2008 07:34 PM)
Meantime? Really? That's interesting. What is it about Meantime that makes you say it is his best film?
" technologyan extension of the human bodyIt's inevitable that it should come home to roost." -
marwans07 — 16 years ago(July 21, 2009 04:56 AM)
It's taken a year to respond to this so nobody will probably ever read it but I think Meantime is great because the acting is less over the top than it is in most of his films. For me, his more recent films have been disappointing. Especially Happy Go Lucky, which I thought was terrible. I think the story in Meantime is simple and believable, the characters are interesting. I suppose it is quite depressing in parts but there's nothing wrong with that.
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voided-1 — 16 years ago(August 21, 2009 11:00 AM)
I agree that 'Meantime' is one of his best. It is poi2000gnant, tragic, comic and optimistic all at once. The characters are well observed, ordinary, yet fantastic at the same time.
I would also recommend 'High hopes', 'All or nothing' and 'Bleak moments'.
"I like pancakes." -
snewhous — 16 years ago(January 06, 2010 09:51 PM)
My introduction was Topsy-Turvy, a very memorable and enjoyable film.
10 years later (few weeks ago) I saw Naked, and am suddenly hooked.
And I just watched Happy-go-lucky, and loved it.
Naked was truly remarkable and mind-blowing, i'd recommend that for a leigh intro. But happy go lucky is a different side of the coin.