An Inspector Calls (2015) - Review
Starring: David Thewlis, Sophie Rundle, Ken Stott & Miranda Richardson
Written By: Helen Edmundson
Directed By: Aisling Walsh
Certificate: 12
If
you live in the UK, there's a good chance that you are either
sitting, or have sat a GCSE English Literature exam. If you're
preparing for or have done that exam, I can say with a good degree of
certainty that An Inspector Calls was somewhere on that
paper. Originally written as a stageplay at the end of WWII, J.B.
Priestley's An Inspector Calls is now a staple text of
nearly every GCSE English Lit exam in the UK, and as part of the
BBC's mission to give classic literature a new lease of life, it has
now been adapted into a TV film. The cruellest part about it is that
this adaptation comes three months after I sat my own English Lit
exam. Sod's law isn't it?
Set
in 1912, An Inspector Calls introduces us to the
wealthy Birling family. As they are sat at dinner, celebrating the
engagement of their daughter, they are interrupted by the arrival of
an Inspector Goole. The Inspector is leading an investigation into
the suicide of a young woman, Eva Smith. While it seems the Birlings
had little to nothing to do with her death, as he interrogates each
member of the family, it becomes clear that they have all in their
own way contributed to her death, through jealously, selfishness and
exploitation.
It's
the themes and sentiments in An Inspector Calls that
have allowed it to stand the test of time, and this adaptation stays
very faithful to them. They're as relevant today as ever, and should
still resonate highly with nearly any audience. J.B. Priestley may
have written the original An Inspector Calls with a
clear socialist agenda, and while I can't say I share his political
agenda (I'm more of a centre-left liberal myself), it's hard to
rationally disagree with many of the points he makes. The iconic
speech the Inspector gives towards the end, has never felt more
important and needed, especially at a time where so many countries
around the world seem determined to grow further apart from each
other, and fail to realize that whether we like it or not, “we
are all responsible for each other”.
Fans
and lovers of the original stageplay can be rest assured that this
adaptation remains faithful to the original source material, albeit
with a couple of exceptions. That famous speech is still there, and
still just as powerful, while the plot is practically identical and
each of the characters can be easily recognized on screen. Obviously
given the fact that the original story takes place solely in the
Birlings' dining room, there are additions to this version that make
it more suitable for a TV drama. The last ten-fifteen minutes in
particular heighten the Inspector's supernatural aspect, so that he
becomes more of a ghost than he was explicitly made out to be in the
original. Also, like the 1954 film adaptation, this version provides
us with flashbacks that look at how Eva Smith was affected by each of
the Birlings, rather than us just hearing about it. While these
changes are fully understandable, Helen Edmundson adds them to the
original formula seamlessly, and in every other regard, this is a
very close-knit recreation.
Unfortunately,
staying so close to the original material is also this version's
biggest problem, and it really becomes something of a double-edged
sword. The biggest downfall of J.B. Priestley's original work makes
it through to this version as well, and while I can't blame Helen
Edmundson too much, the problem is that it has all the subtlety and
grace of a brick coming through the window. Sometimes in a film or a
TV series, this approach works really well, but more subtlety was
needed here to prevent it from becoming heavy-handed. Most of time,
I'm willing and actively want to praise any film or TV series that
has the guts to tackle and criticize big and important societal
issues... but it has to do more than just that. An Inspector
Calls has very little to say for itself outside of it's
political themes. The story is decent, but there's no attempt to
disguise or polish the fact that it's a political allegory. Meanwhile
the characters exist very well as archetypes, but never feel like
actual people. What can you honestly tell me about Eva Smith, other
than the fact she got collectively screwed over by the Birlings? My
point is that An Inspector Calls gets strong marks for
its themes and relevance, but isn't anywhere near as successful when
it comes to telling as good a story or fleshing out its characters.
Thankfully,
this version makes up for this lost ground thanks to convincing and
dedicated performances from its cast. David Thewlis is the definite
standout as Inspector Goole, and gives a very different performance
to that of Alastair Sim in the 1954 film. David Thewlis is sublime
and enigmatic, and as the plot demands, we really get the sense that
he's always one step ahead and always in control of the situation,
particularly when it came to putting Mr Birling in his place. The
remaining cast are well suited to their individual roles. Ken Stott
is pretty much perfect as Mr Birling, and if anything his performance
was the one that brought back the most memories of me reading the
stageplay at GCSE English. Miranda Richardson also leaves a strong
impression as possibly the coldest and most dislikeable character,
Mrs Birling, while Chloe Pirrie does an excellent job showing
Sheila's progression from naïve to a much stronger woman by the time
the credits roll.
There's
also little doubt in my mind that An Inspector Calls is
a great-looking and well-made production. Within a minute of
starting, it became apparent that this was going to be another
stunning TV trip into history. I don't know what it is with the film
and TV industry in the UK, but one of its greatest strengths always
seems to be amazing and faithfully-recreated historical pieces – An
Inspector Calls is no exception. From the set and costume
design, to another fantastic music score from Dominik Scherrer, the
Edwardian feel can't be faulted, and is only about one step away from
a BBC version of Downton Abbey. Aisling Walsh also did
an admirable job with the direction, with graceful camerawork and
full use being made of each and every set. There's also some nice,
detectable use of different camera angles and focuses to show the
many power struggles that run throughout the scenes in the Birlings'
dining room.
Overall,
this is probably one of the best recreations of An Inspector
Calls that we could have asked for. It's not perfect, but
that's more to do with the limitations of the original source
material, rather than anything this version gets explicitly wrong. If
any English teachers happen to be reading this, then it's worth
showing this adaptation to your class, as this version would almost
certainly have helped me with my revision. Alternatively, if you're a
student, it may be well worth checking this version out in your own
time.
An Inspector Calls
7/10