Main content

Morrissey; The Selfish Giant; From Here to Eternity

Tom Sutcliffe and guests review the week's cultural highlights, including the Morrissey autobiography, new film The Selfish Giant, and Tim Rice's musical of From Here to Eternity.

A new film, The Selfish Giant, loosely based on an original Oscar Wilde fairy story, brings the story up to date and follows the lives of a couple of teenage boys who bunk off school to go trading scrap metal. It's director Clio Barnard's second film set in the north of England; what sort of performances has she got from the two main leads who have never acted before?

From Here to Eternity, a new musical based as much on the 1951 novel by James Jones as it is on the 1953 film (which starred Burt Lancaster canoodling in the Hawaiian sands with Deborah Kerr), opens in London. It's the story of G Company of the US Army, based in Waikiki just before the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. With an original score, singing prostitutes and GIs, and lyrics by Tim Rice, is it set to run and run?

Autobiography by Morrissey is exactly what it says; the self-penned life story of the singer best known for his work as leader of Manchester band The Smiths. It deals with his childhood growing up in a poor area of Manchester in the 60s and 70s and settles scores with people he holds responsible for making his life a misery at various stages. Does it make for a great read?

Masterpieces of Chinese Paintings 700-1900. This exhibition at the V&A in London charts the evolving styles and subjects of painting over 12 centuries, from early religious figure paintings on silk, through landscape painting to the introduction of Western influences.

In The Escape Artist David Tennant plays a highflying barrister who finds himself on the other side of the fence after defending a murder suspect in the new Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ TV legal thriller, written by the creator of Spooks.

Tom Sutcliffe is joined by Michael Arditti, Giles Fraser and Gillian Slovo

Producer: Oliver Jones.

Available now

45 minutes

The Selfish Giant

is in cinemas nationwide from this weekend, certificate 15.


Autobiography by Morrissey

by Morrissey is published by Penguin Classics.


Masterpieces of Chinese Painting 700 - 1900

is on at the V&A in London until 19th January 2014.


From Here to Eternity

is on the Shaftesbury Theatre in London and is currently booking until 26th April 2014.


Μύ

The Escape Artist

begins on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One on Tuesday 29th October at 9pm.Μύ


.

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Tom Sutcliffe
Panellist Michael Arditti
Panellist Giles Fraser
Panellist Gillian Slovo
Producer Oliver Jones

Broadcast

  • Sat 26 Oct 2013 19:15

Subscribe to the Saturday Review podcast

Sign up to the Saturday Review podcast for the latest and past episodes to download.

Podcast