Man to Man *** (1992, Tilda Swinton) – Classic Movie Review 7283

Filmed by director John Maybury in 1992 using what was then state-of-the-art digital video trickery, Man to Man stars the ever astonishing Tilda Swinton, who re-creates her acclaimed solo stage role as Ella Gericke, a German woman who survived Hitler’s Nazi Germany disguised as her late husband Max, working in his place in a factory, and sustained the deception for another 40 years.

Made on a tiny budget of £120,000, it is imaginative and remarkable, though the surreal, sometimes distressing images that swamp the film often distract rather than complement the story and unfortunately tend to make Swinton’s theatrical tour-de-force on stage look like an artificial, over-the-top performance on screen.

Nevertheless, it is a valuable lasting impression of Swinton’s stage performance.

Man to Man is directed John Maybury, runs 75 minutes, is made and distributed by Basilisk Communications and BBC Films, is written by Manfred Karge, is shot by Dominque Le Riguler, is produced by James Mackay and scored by Nigel Holland.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7283

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com