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| Edited By: Johnson Thomas |Source: DNA |Updated: Nov 19, 2013, 11:17 PM IST
Mrs Ratcliffe’s Revolution
Cast: Ian Glen, Catherine Tate, Jessica Barden, Brittany Ashworth, Nigel Betts
Director: Billie Eltringham
Rating: **, 1/2 *
A typical British comedy-understated and chuckle worthy, ‘
Mrs Ratcliffe’s Revolution’ is based on the true story of Frank Ratcliffe, a Marxist from the north of England who follows his ideal, dragging his family with him, to live in East Berlin in the mid 1960’s.
The film has quite a neat concept as it’s central theme but the realisation is not all that happening. Yorkshireman Frank(Iain Glen), a communist and a teacher by profession manages to convince wife Dorothy(Catherine Tate), and their two daughters Alex (Brittany Ashworth) and Mary(Jessica Barden) that they should move to GDR in order to save themselves from the sweeping capitalism that plagues the west.
The move is orchestrated with a bit of fuss and the family come to live in crumbling apartment building with some really intriguing neighbours. Dorothy soon tires of the sacrifices while Frank seems to be lapping up all the attention he is getting from his sexy communist colleague. Recklessly merging a personal journey within a historical context, screenwriters Bridget O Connor and Peter Straughan move plotlines from mildly funny to exasperating and ridiculous within the span of a few pages.
