Their Finest

Their Finest. Their Finest is a 2016 British war comedy-drama film, starring Gemma Arterton, Sam Claflin, and Bill Nighy. The film is based on the novel Their Finest Hour and a Half by Lissa Evans, which was published in 2009 by Doubleday and received positive reviews from The Guardian, The Times, and The Independent. The movie premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2016, alongside other notable films like La La Land and Manchester by the Sea, and was later screened at the London Film Festival.

Plot

The film is set during World War II, specifically in 1940, and follows the story of Catrin Cole, a young Welsh woman who lands a job as a scriptwriter for the British Ministry of Information's film division, which was led by Alfred Hitchcock and produced films like In Which We Serve. Catrin, played by Gemma Arterton, is tasked with writing a script for a propaganda film, which will be produced by Buckinghamshire-based Pinewood Studios and feature Jeremy Irons and Helena Bonham Carter. She teams up with Tom Buckley, a cynical screenwriter, played by Sam Claflin, who has worked with Richard Curtis and Working Title Films, and Ambrose Hilliard, a fading movie star, played by Bill Nighy, who has appeared in films like Love Actually and Pride. As they work together, they face various challenges, including the Blitz, which was documented by BBC News and The Daily Telegraph, and the Battle of Britain, which was fought by the Royal Air Force and supported by Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Production

The film was directed by Lone Scherfig, a Danish film director, known for her work on An Education and The Riot Club, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and Cannes Film Festival. The screenplay was written by Gaby Chiappe, who has worked with BBC One and ITV, and is based on the novel Their Finest Hour and a Half by Lissa Evans, which was published by HarperCollins and received praise from The New York Times and The Washington Post. The film was produced by Amanda Posey, Stephen Woolley, and Finola Dwyer, who have worked on films like Atonement and Brooklyn, which were nominated for Academy Awards and Golden Globe Awards. The film features a strong supporting cast, including Paul Ritter, Rachael Stirling, and Richard E. Grant, who have appeared in films like The Iron Lady and Downton Abbey.

Cast

The film features a talented ensemble cast, including Gemma Arterton as Catrin Cole, Sam Claflin as Tom Buckley, and Bill Nighy as Ambrose Hilliard. The cast also includes Paul Ritter as Raymond Parfitt, Rachael Stirling as Phyl Moore, and Richard E. Grant as Roger Swain. The film's cast has worked with notable directors like Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and Quentin Tarantino, and has appeared in films like The Grand Budapest Hotel and The Imitation Game. The cast's performances were praised by critics, including Peter Travers of Rolling Stone and A.O. Scott of The New York Times, who compared the film to Casablanca and The Third Man.

Release

The film was released in the United Kingdom on April 21, 2017, by Lionsgate UK, and in the United States on April 7, 2017, by STX Entertainment. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2016, alongside other notable films like Moonlight and Manchester by the Sea, and was later screened at the London Film Festival and Sundance Film Festival. The film received positive reviews from critics, including The Guardian, The Times, and Variety, which praised the film's performances, direction, and screenplay. The film was also screened at the Berlin International Film Festival and Cannes Film Festival, where it received praise from jury members like Pedro Almodóvar and Maren Ade.

Reception

The film received widespread critical acclaim, with many praising the performances of the cast, particularly Gemma Arterton and Bill Nighy. The film holds a Rotten Tomatoes approval rating of 92%, based on 144 reviews, with an average rating of 7.4/10, and a Metacritic score of 81 out of 100, based on 32 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". The film was also praised by critics like Roger Ebert and Owen Gleiberman, who compared the film to The Best Years of Our Lives and The Bridge on the River Kwai. The film was nominated for several awards, including the British Independent Film Awards and the London Film Critics' Circle, and won the Empire Award for Best British Film. The film's success was also recognized by the British Film Institute and the UK Film Council, which supported the film's production and distribution. Category:2016 films