X
- 2020
- Samuel Goldwyn Films
- 2 h 21 m
- 2020
- Samuel Goldwyn Films
- 2 h 21 m
Summary Agnieszka Holland’s thriller, set on the eve of WWII, sees Hitler’s rise to power and Stalin’s Soviet propaganda machine pushing their “utopia” to the Western world. Meanwhile an ambitious young journalist, Gareth Jones (James Norton) travels to Moscow to uncover the truth behind the propaganda, but then gets a tip that could expose an i...
Directed By: Agnieszka Holland
Written By: Andrea Chalupa
- 2020
- Samuel Goldwyn Films
- 2 h 21 m
- 2020
- Samuel Goldwyn Films
- 2 h 21 m
Mr. Jones
68
7.4
Where to Watch
Summary Agnieszka Holland’s thriller, set on the eve of WWII, sees Hitler’s rise to power and Stalin’s Soviet propaganda machine pushing their “utopia” to the Western world. Meanwhile an ambitious young journalist, Gareth Jones (James Norton) travels to Moscow to uncover the truth behind the propaganda, but then gets a tip that could expose an i...
Directed By: Agnieszka Holland
Written By: Andrea Chalupa
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 19 Critic Reviews
68
68% Positive
13 Reviews
13 Reviews
32% Mixed
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 19 Critic Reviews
68
68% Positive
13 Reviews
13 Reviews
32% Mixed
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
The film is an unnervingly beautiful tribute to the lives lost during the Holodomor, and to the people who have seen the world for what it is, instead of the dream of it they’re instructed to believe.
A subplot about George Orwell is perhaps surplus to requirements, but otherwise the film is a striking, efficient political thriller.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 28 User Ratings
7.4
79% Positive
22 Ratings
22 Ratings
21% Mixed
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 28 User Ratings
7.4
79% Positive
22 Ratings
22 Ratings
21% Mixed
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
This was a very interesting movie and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It made me read up on the real life characters and it is a very important movie with the state of the world today.
Report
Holland’s film manages to get under one’s skin on the whole, remaining a compelling watch throughout in spite of its rambling feel.
At times, Mr. Jones has the gravity and grace to remind us of what an accomplished chronicler of 20th-century horror Agnieszka Holland can be. And at times, it goes off track in ways that sadly undercut both the gravity and the grace.
If you can unshackle the film from its creaky thriller frame, Mr. Jones is a well-intended history lesson and one-dimensional inspirational reminder of one reporter’s moral clarity in the fight against totalitarian deception.
If a subplot showing Orwell writing ‘Animal Farm’ as he becomes persuaded by Jones’s evidence doesn’t entirely work, there’s plenty in this thoughtful journalism drama that does. And not a single scene in a car park.
Mr. Jones is stymied by the clarity of its hero’s crusade. Exasperatingly scattershot for most of its long running time, this restless and misshapen film suggests its director’s nagging discomfort with a straightforward history lesson.
Mr Jones – An Idealist Tells Us Much about Holodomor
This intriguing and well-cast film tells a timely story of the long-term historical conflict within the Ukraine/Russian tragedy. Highly suspect involvement by members of the international press (working within the USSR, England, USA, and Wales) is stripped bare - offering closer examination of the role played by members of international war correspondence staff. It carefully details their shady involvements in perpetuating communist propaganda – performed either in exchange for protecting their sleazy sexual activities or for financial reward – if not actually for both. A professionally made film dealing with several contentious political situations, which all deserve re-examination and more thorough investigation. Polish-born director Agnieszka Holland (Europa Europa ’90) brings Andrea Chalupa’s searching script to life with all its important facts and possible new insights. Together they highlight the decadence of the era - exposing varied degrees of immorality perpetuating among 1930s Political and so-called ‘high society’ circles. Being closely examined, is the Stalin regime’s 5-year development plan that shockingly starved millions of inhabitants in local villages --effecting mass genocide-- and how this was assisted to be hidden by certain self-serving (dishonest) international factions. This work deserves to be seen as one of only a few, that cast an important spotlight on shameful acts against humanity, in the name of Communism. It also gives new understanding of why today’s Ukraine won’t submit to any form of Russian rule.
Report
This is an atmospheric and sobering watch - a glimpse into what life was like for people in the USSR at the time. Its a thoughtful watch - a chilling depiction of the harm in turning a blind eye or ignoring what those in power do. It features someone reading a particularly poignant quote from George Orwell's 'Animal Farm'. The fact some British people seemingly glossed over the realities they didn't entirely like, made me cringe a bit, its fair to say. I also thought James Norton gave a good performance.
A thoughtful watch indeed, this is a film I'd recommend, yes.
Report
Agnieszka Holland is a gifted director. Expect another very atmospheric film, with beautiful camera work. Even more important: a convincing film that shows the importance of good journalism and how we should always be aware of political propaganda.
Report
(Mauro Lanari)
Almost 90 years later, Agnieszka Holland recalls one of Stalin's many massacres: the Holodomor, the extermination by starvation (famine) of about 4 million Ukrainians perpetrated between 1932 and 1933. The episode does not add much to the atrocities of the last century and the bungled directorial style, flat and refined at the wrong moments, does not help. Almost 90 years later, Agnieszka Holland recalls one of Stalin's many massacres: the Holodomor, the extermination by starvation (famine) of about 4 million Ukrainians perpetrated between 1932 and 1933. The episode does not add much to the atrocities of the last century and the bungled directorial style, flat and refined at the wrong moments, does not help. The ideological and propagandistic corruption of the press (today: of the media)? On that plane the protagonist had not only met **** but also Goebbels.
Report
Production Company
Film Produkcja,
Crab Apple Films,
Film.ua,
Kinorob,
ORKA,
Polski Instytut Sztuki Filmowej,
Krakowskie Biuro Festiwalowe,
MEDIA Programme of the European Union,
Parkhurst,
Ukrainian State Film Agency
Release Date Jun 19, 2020
Duration 2 h 21 m
Tagline 1933, The Holodomor. The Most Important True Story You Will Ever Watch.
Awards
Polish Film Awards
• 8 Nominations
Polish Film Festival
• 3 Wins & 3 Nominations
Palm Springs International Film Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
