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My Boy Jack (2007) (TV)

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26 comments in total

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38 out of 41 people found the following comment useful :-
Superb television, 12 November 2007

Author: mhandsley2001 from Switzerland

Excellent cast, beautifully shot and well scripted TV movie about the Kipling family at the start of the First World War. Premiered in the UK on Remembrance Day (11/11) this poignant tale has Daniel Radcliffe in the title role, showing once again (after his on stage appearance in Equus) that there's more to this young actor than the caricature that Harry Potter has become. His clipped and stilted performance completely captured what it must have been like to be the put upon son of a successful, middle-class author in late Edwardian England.

David Haig plays Rudyard Kipling (there's a remarkable resemblance) who many will remember from previous UK TV series 'Thin Blue Line' and 'Soldier Soldier' as well as the massively successful 'Four Weddings and a Funeral'. Haig captures the British Imperialist that Kipling had become perfectly, as well as the emotional turmoil that Kipling went through as he realised just what he had helped to achieve by sending his young son to war. Haig also wrote the original play and screenplay so the resulting TV movie must be pretty much what he wanted.

The supporting players, Kim Catterill as Rudyard's American wife, and Martin McCann as the Irish Guardsman who goes to war with young John to name two, give excellent, measured performances which compliment the two lead roles, giving the whole production a rounded, glossy finish.

This is superb TV catch it if you can (but don't forget the hankies!)

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33 out of 37 people found the following comment useful :-
Masterpieces are rare, but every so often a film such as this comes along and delivers., 11 November 2007

Author: i_aint_your_pimp from United Kingdom

Masterpieces are rare, but every so often a film such as this comes along and delivers.

The story is of the son of the famous writer Rudyard Kipling during the first world war. Jingosim is the main subject of this story and Rudyard Kipling transformational arc on his views of sending his son to war.

Despite this being made for TV its at a standard that puts many blockbusters to shame, The screenplay is impeccable and the performances astounding. David Haig as Rudyard Kipling is perfect. Daniel Radcliffe despite being the famous face of Harry Potter makes the role his own as Jack. And Kim Cattrall proves shes more than being the slutty one from Sex And The City.

Thought provoking and emotional without being Cliché i feel i cannot give this film anything but a perfect score, a truly beautiful film.

I hope this film receives the attention it deserves.

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21 out of 24 people found the following comment useful :-
Superb drama, great acting, 12 November 2007

Author: ktvalve from United Kingdom

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I'm not a fan of the Harry Potter films and in all honesty don't know to much about Daniel but after watching this moving film I have to say I was very impressed with young Daniel's acting.As someone else said ,the last 30 minutes of the film were very sad .David Haig also gave a great performance as Jack's father Rudyard Kipling ,as you watched ,it was heart breaking seeing him pushing his boy through the medicals with his poor sight knowing that Jack would be killed. This is the sort of thing the BBC used to make but now its left to ITV to make real drama.The battle scenes are very realistic ,as the men await the order to go over the top ,the fear and terror they feel is highlighted brilliantly without much speech .A fantastic film which shows the horror of war better than most.

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21 out of 24 people found the following comment useful :-
Made for TV movie thats better than most cinema, 12 November 2007

Author: BazBaz001 from United Kingdom

My Boy Jack is a made for TV movie starring Daniel Radcliffe as Rudyard Kipling's son Jack as a teenager preparing for "The Great war" (ww1).Shown on Remembrance Day, here in the uk on terrestial TV (itv1), it is a timely reminder of what people of different classes and backgrounds went through and the very different attitudes compared to today (..and some similar ones).it is well written and acted with a good pace and shows the character's as well rounded. I have never seen any of the Harry Potter movies (not my type of thing)so it was nice to see radcliffe in action and very good he was too. This movie is a lot better than a lot of films at the cinema and for awhile you can still catch it on itv.com for free (Don't know how long it will be there) Definitely worth a watch!

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19 out of 24 people found the following comment useful :-
Thought provoking hopeless tragedy, 11 November 2007

Author: Lucy Lou from United Kingdom

I found his very interesting, not least because it fascinated me, one who generally finds programs about war repetitive, distasteful and untrue of reality. This film seemed so hopeless because you know he has no chance but really it is not about the boy in many ways, it is about the father and his conviction and his choking pride that takes precedence in the film. Daniel Radcliffe, unfortunately, did not play a totally convincing role as Jack, the son, but since he was much younger and far less experienced in the world of serious acting I think he was simply out performed.

The main character of the film was Rudyard Kipling and everything you feel is aimed at his loss and guilt for pushing his son to do something where he was destined to underachieve in, due to his "disability" (poor eyesight). I think this rigid but heartfelt performance was brilliant. The score was orchestral and built up atmosphere and sadness throughout, while the camera-work was inventive, intuitive and well shot throughout, including some rather experimental frames.

I think that the film as a whole really captured the feeling of grief and guilt that many must have felt at that time, the sense of irretrievable loss of something so precious. I think this is a great achievement as a film. I recommend anyone should see it who is interested in any aspects of film, it gives its best in all areas.

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17 out of 21 people found the following comment useful :-
One of the TV highlights of the year, 21 November 2007
Author: mizzaphoenix from United Kingdom

I wasn't expecting to be quite so moved by this drama, not that I have anything against any of the actors or Kipling, just that I'm not a massive fan of war films. However, I watched it on Remembance Day as I thought it would be appropriate, and I was blown away by how heartbreaking and powerful a story it turned out to be. I thought that all the performances were spot on. David Haig played Kipling exactly as I imagined him to be, Kim Cattrall was surprisingly impressive as Mrs Kipling - a complete revelation. And Carey Mulligan is definitely a young actress to watch in the future, she has done some great stuff already (Bleak House, Doctor Who etc). Daniel Radcliffe broke my heart as the young Jack Kipling, he was very understated and tender in the role. I think he played the frightened but brave Jack very well indeed and I was very impressed by his portrayal of the character. I cried my eyes out towards the end, as did my boyfriend, which is something that doesn't often happen.

My Boy Jack definitely stood out as a gem compared to a lot of the dramas that have been produced this year. I have actually bought the DVD as I loved it so much. Well done to the producers, cast and crew for creating this brilliant drama.

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12 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
Lest We Forget, 11 November 2007

Author: lasscalledlaura from Lancaster, England

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I was very impressed, an excellent and highly sensitive production that documents the famous author Rudyard Kipling's efforts to gain his heavily short sighted son John (Jack) Kipling an officer's commission in the armed forces.

I was impressed by the acting on all accounts, particularly David Haig, and his and Kim Catrell's interaction as husband and wife is notably natural and moving. Daniel Radcliff also performed well. Many have doubted his skill as an actor, I like many have never been overwhelmed by his performances in the Harry Potter films, but I have never been his severest critic either, believing much of his defiances to be due to weak screenplays. His performance here - with far better material to work with - stands up well to scrutiny, as he manages to project a sensitive combination of youthful ambition, the upper classes belief that they were the natural leader of the common man, and the basic fear of war and death. To those who have scorned at his casting, I can think of no other actor who would be able to draw the attention of the younger generations to such a subject.

It must be noted that the quality of this production was superb, with trench life realistically recreated to the extent that it was shown. The contrasting camera work between the home and trench environment, may seem obvious but it was skillfully done, creating the right tensions between circumstances, without making you feel nauseous. The locations, costumes, set e.t.c were unnoticeable in the best possible way, in the sense that nothing jarred on your mind or felt modernized or out of place. Again this may seem an obvious comment but often period pieces (unfortunatly often produced by ITV) fall into this trap.

Above all this though, what impressed me most was how skillfully 'My Boy Jack' portrayed attitudes to war.

It manages to portray realistically the proactive and enthusiastically patriotic attitudes to war and empire that were predominant within the middle and upper classes in the Edwardian era. The vigor with which this is done is impressive as it would easy to dilute such attitudes for the modern pallet, especially considering Rudyard Kipling's popularity as a children's author. This attitude is combined superbly with Rudyard's disillusionment after his son's death. His personal grief and guilt jars movingly against his empire ideals, which he clearly clings onto in a belief that his son was doing his duty for a cause he believed in. It is an internal conflict which I'm sure holds just as much resonance for todays soldiers and their families.

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10 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
Very True-to-Life Portrayal, 17 November 2007

Author: de_niro_2001 from scotland

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

The presence of young Mr Radcliffe in the cast would naturally draw high viewing figures. Just like Ms Catrall he's inextricably associated with another role but he shows that he is a very good actor in this production. It shows what a terrible waste war is. After Jack failed his medical for the Navy Rudyard Kipling went to great lengths to get his son into the Army. Like many parents at the beginning of the First World War he was very proud of his son going off to fight for King and Country. But nothing could compensate him for the loss of his son. It is very sad where Rudyard Kipling is telling the wee lad the story about him and Jack as Bengal Lancers and then he can't continue because he's too sad. This was very appropriate viewing for Remembrance Sunday. It prompted me to dig out one of my old Blue Peter annuals which had a feature on a Blue Peter Special Assignment on Bateman's, Rudyard Kipling's house where quite a lot of this was filmed. I thought Kim Cattrall was unusual casting for this production but the Blue Peter annual told me that his wife was American! The family had moved to Bateman's because of the death of their eldest child Josephine and their previous home, The Elms, was too much associated with her. Kipling had more than his fair share of heartbreak. Arguably My Boy Jack makes good family viewing and there's no doubt many children watched it for the reason I gave above. Harry Potter has definitely brought about an upsurge in kids reading and I hope some will be prompted to read Kipling's stories rather than watch DVDs of the Disney version of the Jungle Book which definitely would not have been endorsed by Kipling. I'd also recommend The Man Who Would Be King which is in fact a story by Kipling, not just a great film with Sean Connery. David Haig gives a great performance as Kipling and he's better than Christopher Plummer in The Man Who Would Be King. He is good in the scene where he is telling the local children the story of How The Rhino Got His Skin (a story I can remember my teacher at primary school reading to the class and it was one I liked). Anyway, an excellent play.

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7 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
Extremely moving....and fantastic, 12 November 2007
Author: Sian Gregory from United Kingdom

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Initially i wasn't too pleased with the film at first, i found some aspects were missing, however when the film gets going it really does get going so don't give up hope! I won't go into too much detail of the story. There's sort of two parallel stories going on. John'Jack' Kipling who struggles to get into the Navy because of poor eyesight and then the story of his father, who wrote the jungle book and became heavily involved in the propaganda of Britian during WWI- from what I've gathered from the story! As i said before i initially didn't like the story, and like most people my age was most likely watching it to see Daniel Radcliffe out of context. But i have to say this was an extremely moving story once you get to know the characters - who at times are a bit rigid but the well written story i felt covered this up.

I really am not one to cry and films i think thats just stupid but i was sooo tearing up, not just because of the film but the reality that this actually happened to the men. I would advise getting this its a great bit of film to commend various heroes in the war.

It's a deeply moving story and i think Daniel Radcliffe did a great job- considering it was a completely different role hes done before. Also the girl you was in Doctor Who who played his sister...cant think of her name :/ - she was extremely good as well. The women from sex in the city...not too sure about her.

But anyways! really do watch this film, if your from out of the UK i heard you can watch it online at-

http://www.itv.com/Drama/perioddrama/MyBoyJack/default.html I THINK!

also its coming out of DVD soon :)

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8 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
A Story. Just So., 24 April 2008
Author: starrywisdom from New York NY

As a Kipling fan from the age of 8, 50 years and more ago now, I was knocked out by "My Boy Jack." David Haig, as writer and actor, is beyond brilliance, and though I found Daniel Radcliffe a bit stiff and modern, he too was excellent.

Kim Cattrall: surprisingly good. But I was totally distracted by her American pretending to be English pretending to be American bizarre accent. Let her use her natural speech (and yes, I know she was born and spent time in England) or else hire a good dialogue coach.

Though the whole production was gorgeous (Bateman's!) and moving in its interrelationships, the bookending of the scenes with friends King George V and Rud just tore my heart out. The King having just lost a "boy Jack" of his own (young Prince John, an epileptic, subject of another fantastic Masterpiece series, "The Lost Prince", some years ago), Rudyard recites the poem he wrote for his Jack. I sobbed through the whole recital, and was still weeping when I went to sleep a few hours later. Staggeringly wondrous. And cathartic in the sense in which all tragedies should be. Fine, fine work by all concerned.

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