Disraeli [Nominee ~ 1930]

"Perhaps you think that because no war clouds darken the present horizon that there is no danger."

So here is where my history teachers have failed me.  Prior to watching Disraeli, I had only a passing idea of who Benjamin Disraeli was and why he was famous.  His name pops up in the Jeopardy! category "British Prime Ministers" from time-to-time, and his quotes are favorites in those Penny Press puzzle books (which, yes, I very much enjoy despite being 30 years younger than their average customer).  Beyond that I was ignorant of the man.

Though perhaps there was no reason for me know anything about him?  History in the US is taught from an American perspective, which many feel is egocentric, but I feel is probably pretty common.  (A friend who grew up in England was taught that the American Revolution was a "small skirmish" and that Great Britain "gave us our freedom."  Talk about spin.)  So while I'm sure Disraeli is an important figure in British history, from what I can tell he wouldn't really merit mention in the US.

The focus of this biopic, the first of this blog, was Disraeli's purchase of the Suez Canal.  If this sounds less than exciting, you're kind of right.  This is a perfect "talkie," in that there's a lot of talking and little action.  Not that that's always a bad thing, but in this case I just wasn't into it.  I will, however, praise George Arliss.  He won the Best Actor Oscar for this role, one which still stands up today.  Often I find myself cringing or laughing at the acting style of old movies, but this one felt much more natural.  This was Arliss' "talkie" debut, and his transition from silent film seems effortless.

Other than being a bit of a snoozer, this movie was OK.  I'd praise it more, but I can't seem to separate the on screen Disraeli from the real life Prime Minister.  This was a man who bought a canal simply to secure a nation for monetary reasons.  Forget the people already there and their feelings on the matter, the Queen needed the title "Empress of India."  So while the character Disraeli was witty and likable, I couldn't fully root for him knowing what was to come.  Hell, I'll probably outright hate him by the end of Gandhi (assuming this blog lasts that long).