L'ombre de Staline

To Gareth Jones

While cinemas will finally reopen June 22 in France, several distributors will release some films already released in theatres or even on VOD. Yet others will focus on the present and allow us to discover new films even if their late releases in France like the equally excellent We the Dogs of Oh Sung-Yoon and Lee Chun-baek. Mr. Jones is certainly one of the best films to discover in cinemas from this June 22nd, the historic date of the reopening of cinemas (a very special thought to that of Gaumont Disney Village). Mr. Jones is a Polish-British-Ukrainian biographical film directed by Agnieszka Holland. This film is freely inspired by the discovery by the British journalist Gareth Jones of the Ukrainian Holodomor famine (1933-34). Based on a script brilliantly written by Andrea Chalupa, Mr. Jones is not only an excellent spy film but also a true hymn to all journalists who struggle daily to expose the truth even under pressure and in danger of their lives.

If Mr. Jones is obvious from the moment of its discovery as a great film, it is because it regains the epic breath of the great films of the 80s, in which a film was based on an excellent script and not a flood of violence or spectacular special effects. Everything rings true, including the numerous allusions to George Orwell's book Animal Farm (1945), which we cross-referenced in a few scenes with this writer in the guise of actor Joseph Mawle. The film also breaks down into three acts, each of which testifies to director Agnieszka Holland's gift as a narrator (The Conspiracy (1988), Olivier, Olivier (1992), Copying Beethoven (2006) and soon Charlatan (2020).

The first part introduces the debutant journalist Gareth Jones who, after being able to get an interview with Adolf Hitler, decides to go to Moscow to try to interview Joseph Stalin. This part is not only Kafkaesque but also pays tribute in its own way to the great spy films. The second part takes place in Ukraine and is clearly a horror film, especially for this scene where children eat parts of their dead older brother while the whole country is starving.

The last part is akin to showing what a real journalist should be. After being imprisoned by the law enforcement agencies in Moscow and threatened by them to keep silent so that he could be released. On his return to the UK, Gareth Jones decides to expose the Holodomor (empty villages, starving people, cannibalism and forced grain collection). Drawing on historical facts, the script takes certain liberties to tell the story of a prominent character from the last century. This is proof that journalism is important and reveals important things. In this case, we realize that appearances are often deceptive and that some people have a double game like the character of Walter Duranty played by Peter Sarsgaard.

We can only advise you this excellent film which won and we understand it the 81% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. On the other hand, we can only regret such a late release in France whereas this one was released last February in Angletere.

Mr Jones
A film by Agnieszka Holland
Produced by Stanis?aw Dziedzic, Andrea Chalupa, Klaudia ?mieja-Rostworowska
Based on a screenplay by Andrea Chalupa
With James Norton, Vanessa Kirby, Peter Sarsgaard
Music by Antoni Komasa-?azarkiewicz
Director of photography: Tomasz Naumiuk
Editing: Michal Czarnecki
Production: Boy Jones Films, Film Produkcja, Kinorob
Distribution: Kino ?wiat (Poland), MMD UA (Ukraine), Signature Entertainment (England), Condor Distribution (France)
Release date: 10 February 2019 (Berlin), 25 October 2019 (Poland), 28 November 2019 (Ukraine), 7 February 2020 (United Kingdom), 22 June 2020 (France)
Running time : 119 minutes

Viewed on 13 June 2020

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