Stephen Poliakoff’s dark, labyrinthine account of England’s tumble into the Second World War was premiered at the London Film Festival this year and we were impressed by it.

As today sees the film’s release I wanted to take another look at this drama, to see if it lives up to its name.

Glorious 39 is not as glamorous as the marketing would have us believe. The posters suggest a costume drama about the brilliant and carefree life of British Aristocracy in the world of “Jeeves and Wooster”, with the faint whiff of a world war in the air. Instead, the new film by Stephen Poliakoff turns into an interesting and almost Hitchcockian conspiracy thriller.

“Almost” ““ because it seems that the director can not decide what type of film he is directing and keeps swinging between historic political drama and conspiracy thriller. As a result the film’s pace is very slow and does not deliver the crucial emotional epiphany to the audience when it is most desired.

As the name of the film suggests the story is set in the summer of 1939, in London and the peaceful countryside. The film is centered around the aristocratic Keyes family, who continue their luxurious lifestyle or parties and parliament despite Europe being at the edge of war with Hitler. The head of the family, Alexander (brilliantly played by Bill Nighy) is an influential MP and a great father to his three children: Ralph (Eddie Redmayne) who works at the Foreign Office and Celia (Juno Temple). The eldest adopted daughter, a young actress, Anne (Romola Garai) is in love with Foreign Office official Lawrence (Charlie Cox).

Anne’s lifestyle is all London-parties and countryside picnics and it is changed dramatically after one of her friends, a young MP (David Tennant) speaks out against British government and Hilter and shortly after that is found dead. Her suspicion and sense of dread is compounded by Anne’s discovery of hidden recordings with some secret Government information.

Anne’s journey of unveiling the truth lies not only in the political world of Britain ruled by Chamberlain’s government, but it also reveals great family drama, a tragedy of her personal fears. Romola Garai is brilliant in delivering her character’s fears, sense of betrayal, confusion and, finally, terror. She is supported by great performances of her screen siblings, Eddie Redmayne and Juno Temple, and the remarkable Julie Christie as Aunt Elizabeth.

Glorious 39 is the first film for Stephen Poliakoff after a 10-year break, during which he focused on TV dramas for BBC. That is probably the reason why film feels like it belongs to TV screen rather then cinema. The cinematography by Zac Nicholson is picturesque eye-candy, but it does not help in conveying the sense the horror of upcoming war and our heroine’s panic.

Stephen Poliakoff deliberately stayed away from the war footage and instead showed Britain as it was the edge of WWII. One of the surreal pictures shows scenes when people have to abandon their pets and take them to be “put down” to vets. The pictures of pets are almost horrific, as well as the condition of Anne, who discovers secrets that can totally ruin her whole concept of life.

However, despite brilliant performances and some surreal pictures, the film does not deliver the sense of horror. Poor editing and slow pace makes this film very hard to enjoy and follow the director’s vision. It seems the director wants to show too many interesting things that are hard to put into one film. In this case a longer frame of TV dramas feels like a better choice.

Glorious 39 is out today.

Glorious 39 marks acclaimed filmmaker Stephen Poliakoff’s return to the big screen after  twelve long years and it is an epic triumph of ambition and craft, delivering a superb and engaging thriller of duplicity and deceit on the eve of World War II.

Threatened by the impending ‘little war’ the aristocracy, fearing their way of life will be destroyed by Hitler’s army, adopt an aggressive strategy of appeasement and it is this anxiety which propels the plot of Poliakoff’s script forward. The uncertainty and tension of the late summer of 1939 is our scene and an intriguing and poignant journey into the darkness of war produces an unforgettable drama from a writer and director whose ability to illuminate the harrowing detail of betrayal and heartache has never been more potent.

The formidable cast, eager to work with Poliakoff in the first feature production for over a decade, is headed by Romola Garai, recently seen in the title role of the BBC’s latest production of Emma, as Anne Keyes, the adopted eldest child of an aristocratic family with a rich history of high ranking public servants. Anne’s father is Sir Alexander, Bill Nighy in what can be considered one of his most impressive performances yet as the grave, morally ambiguous member of parliament with an agenda hidden deep within the labyrinths of power.

Their relationship is our safe haven in the film. When news of war breaks and hearts flutter with arrivals and disappearances Anna and her father console one another and Nighy is perfect as the solemn, solicitous patriarch whose family are integral to the nation’s fate.  Eddie Redmayne and Juno Temple are Sir Alexander’s children by birth and their complicity and active part in the family’s fortune comes to overshadow the carefree and affectionate relationship they share with Anna when the film begins. Every relationship has a truth and a solidity to it that is Poliakoff’s forte, and it compels each and every twist with great power.

Charlie Cox plays Lawrence, Anna’s lover and a middling civil servant whose fate is buffeted by the class-invoked tempest that results from the declaration of war. He is a sympathetic in a well cast role, and thanks to the overbearing air of suspicion his agenda and manner is constantly under scrutiny. His friendship with Hector Haldane, played with a frenzy and passion by David Tennant, and a fateful birthday celebration for Sir Alexander brings together the family with several shady government officers whose silence and reverence for the host of the party fuels a distrust in Anna that has devastating consequences for all involved.

Poliakoff’s contribution to film and television is unparalleled and it with great pleasure that we welcome him back onto the big screen. His recent television works, including The Lost Prince and Shooting the Past, are works of such complexity and grace that even a minor work is considered a glowing achievement in the field. Glorious 39 has moments of true genius, from the stunningly original method of establishing the transition from present to the past to the message from the grave Anna receives is a chilling and bold spin on a cliched turn.

The camerawork is almost Kubrick-esque as the handheld tracking shots following characters as they move through the shadowy interiors of houses or into running into rapidly collapsing external spaces is breathtaking. The rose pink skies over the quiet Norfolk hills contrasts perfectly with the cluttered, smoke scarred London with its cacophonous clash of bells; every location is perfect and serves the story well. The ruins of an old cathedral in the family grounds is an evocative environment and the various ways it is used to further the plot is thrilling in its invention.

The language is beautiful and precise, the prosaic nature of government and family politics is rendered with such imagination and poise that the plot, as it unravels, is gripping at every turn and the scenes we encounter as Anna’s world closes in on her are filled with emotional authenticity. The use of a Keats poem to foreshadow a key plot point is a moment of joy.

The opulence of scenery, of performance and complexity to this tale is so overwhelming  that to attempt to cast a critical eye upon its entirety is futile. This is a powerful masterwork whose elements combine to produce a moving, thrilling film.

Glorious 39 is out in cinemas on the 20th of November.