An Ungentlemanly Act

Starring:Ungentlemanly Act
Studio: Bfs Entertainment
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Description
In the tiny Falkland Islands, April 1, 1982 started normally enough, but before midnight, an old conflict had exploded and enemy soldiers were creeping ashore.

This award winning drama takes a wry look at the first hours of the Falklands War. Ian Richardson (From Hell, House of Cards) is Sir Rex Hunt, unflappable governor of the islands, determined to defend his office - and send his flustered wife (Rosemary Leach - A Room with a View) off to safety (with a bottle). Bob Peck (Jurassic Park, Edge of Darkness) is Major Mike Norman, who faces the Argentinean invaders with a handful of gutsy Royal Marines.

Description

In the tiny Falkland Islands, April 1, 1982 started normally enough, but before midnight, an old conflict had exploded and enemy soldiers were creeping ashore.

Filmed in the Falklands, this extraordinary drama captures the courage (and absurd black humour) that occurs when a small corner of the world suddenly becomes a battlefield.

Customer Reviews:

Little known film on the Falklands War.......2006-11-11

Decent little flick about the residents of the Falkland Islands just prior to the invasion by Argintine forces. Good British dialog (some very hard to understand) but filmed on location and interesting stuff. Good attention to detail and illustrates the stubborn pride of the Brits and the Royal Marines. Not an epic but interesting to watch.

Great Film!!!!.......2006-03-08

"An Ungentlemanly Act" is a gem of a film. The movie recounts the events leading to the Argentine capture of the Falklands in early April 1982. Without background music or typically staged settings, the story allows the viewer to almost act as a witness to the actions of Governor Rex Hunt and the Royal Marine Garrison as they prepare for an invasion they cannot hope to halt by themselves.

If the portrayals are true, as the opening pre-credit text indicates, one cannot come away with anything but admiration for Governor Hunt and Major Mike Norman, the newly minted commander of the garrison, as they prepare the colony and its modest military contingent for the inevitable. Both the Governor and Major Norman act pragmatically, yet temper themselves and their compatriots with a great sense of national pride and patriotism as they steadfastly work to repel the invaders and up hold sovereignty until the absolute end. The films credits both men with the calm leadership that gives an example of people performing at their best when their circumstances are very dire.

About 24 hours depicted in the history of the 1992 Falkland Islands war.......2005-09-27

This is a very good, made-for-TV 1992 movie that apparently fairly accurately depicts the opening salvos of the Falkland-Islands war between Argentina and Great Britain. The events shown take place over an approximately 24-hour period on 1-2 April 1982. Surprisingly, only one person died on that first day, although subsequent hostilities claimed 255 British and some 645 Argentine lives. The always watchable Ian Richardson gives an excellent performance as the beleaguered governor. There is a fair amount of humor--some of it black humor, which testifies to the absurdity of war in general and this little war in particular.

Bonus materials include cast biographies, a detailed (26 frames!) timeline describing events from 2 Feb. to 12 Oct. 1982, and a brief fact file for the Falkland Islands. The DVD is only in standard (4:3) aspect ratio and, especially in the first third or half, focus is very soft and colors are off (on the reddish side). Nevertheless, the movie is quite viewable and has some good scenery shots and superb performances.

I'd give it 6 stars if I could........2005-03-13

I will begin by saying that I have not actually bought this DVD, I first saw this film when it was shown on the BBC for the tenth aniversary of the outbreak of the war. It has the taste of an Ealing comedy, laced with delicious black humour.

The previous reviewer seems to have completely missed the point with the regard to chauvanism or nationalism. This film is devoid of either. The news footage at the end of the fim serves to illustrate the cost in lives of this pointless war, a contest between two vastly unpopular governments, redeemed only by the courage of the men who fought in it.

I will admit, if you are american the first few minutes of this film wont make much sense. Mention of Scrap Metal merchants on South Georgia will have no meaning. Those of us who were living in the UK at the time will have no problem recalling the newspaper headlines and the TV coverage.

The film itself offers an accurate depiction of the comic-opera start to Britain's last great Imperial adventure. The Falkland Islanders were none to pleased by the way they were depicted in the movie and some of the British military personnel's low opinion of them was shown as well.

The acting was uniformly excellent, Ian Richardson and Bob Peck never do a bad turn. The script was terrific too, there are some great one-liners. For anyone thinking of buying this I would say go ahead and give yourself a treat.

It helps to be British.......2005-02-16

This is an account of the Falkland Island invasion of April 1, 1982 by Argentine troops. It's mildly interesting, in large part because of the ever-arresting presence of Richardson and the convincing acting by old pro Rosemary Leach. But the film has major flaws. The opening ten minutes are puzzling, as the plot is not at all clear and some of the characters cannot be understood. The invasion scenes show several thousand rounds of bullets being fired with only one person killed. Several of the minor characters in the story, such as the two people manning a radio station, never quite come to life.

The larger point of the film is British chauvinism. After the fall of the town, the whole point of the film, news clips appear for a minute or two at the end showing live footage of the British reconquest of the tiny islands. There's Margaret Thatcher and the flag and the music... It helps to be British to enjoy this minor television film.

Average customer rating:

An Ungentlemanly Act [Region 2]

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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