Like all Poliakoff's work, this is simply outstanding. He takes his time and he transports you into the magical world of his imagination. Firstly, the plot is gripping and that alone would be worth your time. Then, he adds layers of magic. Firstly, the way he unfolds things, his extraordinarily use of the beautiful images in the collection. Then the characterisation - Tim Spall is in his element, and the beautiful Lindsay Duncan is strong yet vulnerable with her beautiful calm voice. Adrian Johnson's music is always superb, but he excelled himself here. So, why not a score of 10? Well, for me, there is just one fault with this and that is the technical quality of the photography. The picture quality is really quite poor - poorer than it should have been considering its age. It looks like it was shot with film stock from the 1950s - muddy grayish blacks, no contrast etc. But, don't concern yourself with that - everything else is just first class.
Review of Shooting the Past
