Thoughts on Peterloo

Any film by Mike Leigh is of course part of the core curriculum. Peterloo qualifies easily, but is a mixed bag. Strong on historical accuracy, it is words rather than images which remain with you. Near the beginning there is a wide shot of people trekking across the skyline of a Lancashire moor which recalls the image of Turner trekking across the Low Countries when prevented from reaching the Mediterranean by wars. Here we go, I thought. But Peterloo is not as visually stunning as Mr Turner (what could be?). Ultimately this is a film about words. You leave the cinema with the dialect ringing in your head, rather than the sound of steel and the taste of dust and blood, and that was not what was expecting. But then, this is a Mile Leigh film, so why be surprised? 


iPhone 6s Plus f2.2 4.2mm 1/50 ISO 32 
4 images, 120 degrees.