Category: Reviews
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The Portrayal of Female Desire and Lesbianism in Deepa Mehta’s Fire
Written by Kat Jivkova. Deepa Mehta’s deeply impactive 1996 film, ‘Fire’, is a portrayal of female desire as resistance to Hindu patriarchy. Kat Jivkova asks why, as something deeply embedded in Indian life and a not a mere Western import, this stirred much imagination, and ire, on its release.
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Review: Freedom Seekers: Escaping from Slavery in Restoration London, Simon Newman (2022)
Written by Boryana Ivanova. Simon Newman’s 2022 text examines racial slavery in Early Modern London by reconstructing the lives of individuals who fled from their enslavement and sheds light on the freedom-seeking Black community of England.
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Review: You’re Dead to Me
Written by Amy Hendrie. Combining comedy and horrible history, Greg Jenner’s award winning podcast grasps wide and deep topics, bringing history to those who forgot to learn any at school
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Review: The Book Thief
Written by Sophia Aiello. Markus Zusak’s 2005 bestseller, ‘The Book Thief’ has been internationally acclaimed for its approach to incredibly dark historical moments. Sophia Aiello reviews the novel over fifteen years on.
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Being the Ricardos Review: Sorkin fails to dazzle in detached biopic of I Love Lucy Stardom
Written by Kat Jivkova. ‘I Love Lucy’ was the first big American sitcom, premiering in 1951. Though, the complex relationships behind the scenes, interlocking with the contradictions of the 1950s United States, is something Aaron Sorkin’s mishandled 2021 biopic is judged as being incapable of grasping.
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Wes Anderson’s ‘The French Dispatch’: Confronting Satire and the Immutability of Youth Political Experience
Written by Georgia Smith. Wes Anderson’s 2021 film, ‘The French Dispatch’ satirises youth political culture in the 1960s through depicting the events surrounding the final edition of ‘The French Dispatch’ in a fictional newspaper. Georgia Smith reviews the film, asking how satire can tell an impactful and important story.
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‘Educated’ by Tara Westover: Uncovering Radical Mormonism in Rural America
Written by Sally Dolphin. Tara Westover’s 2018 memoir tells the story of her life growing up as a Mormon in rural America. An isolated childhood, Westwood’s experiences leaving such a sheltered environment can shed light on our own cultural awareness.
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The Favourite: Gender and Historical Revisionism
Written by Boryana Ivanova. The 2019 film, ‘The Favourite’ took a bold new approach to historical representation in film. Prioritising the psychological realities of the characters over historical accuracy, is this the future of period drama?
Retrospect Journal 