It's 1914. Rudyard Kipling (David Haig), the British Empire's greatest supporter, is at the peak of his literary fame. Kipling's son, Jack (Daniel Radcliffe), is determined to play his part in the imminent war with Germany, but finds himself rejected due to his extremely poor eyesight. When his father uses his influence to land Jack a commission in the Irish Guards, Kipling's wife, Caroline (Kim Cattrall), is bitterly upset, failing to see the glory in losing her only son to the war. As Jack leaves for war, Kipling consoles himself with the thought that if his son should die, it will have been his finest hour. But how would the great writer justify the consequences of his actions to himself and his wife? And how would he live with the conflict between his two greatest passions: a love for his family and a devotion to King and Country?
Directed by
Brian Kirk
Written by
David Haig
Starring
David Haig (Rudyard Kipling); Daniel Radcliffe (John Kipling); Kim Cattrall (Caroline Kipling); Carey Mulligan (Elsie Kipling); Julian Wadham (King George V); Martin McCann (Bowe); Richard Dormer (Corporal O'Leary); Rúaidhrí Conroy (McHugh (as Ruaidhri Conroy)); Laurence Kinlan (Doyle); Ciaran Nolan (Daly); Nick Dunning (Colonel Ferguson); Michael McElhatton (Leo Amery MP); Peter Gowen (H.A Gwynne); Brian de Salvo (Field Marshal 'Bobs' Roberts); Simon Coury (Naval Doctor). Please contact SFC to add other cast members and characters.
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Lacked the charisma Jack was said to have
Mark Banks (United Kingdom)
Opinion: Limited Recommendation
In an interview to promote My Boy Jack Daniel Radcliffe says of Jack "he's very likeable" and "he's very very charismatic", well whether he was or wasn't I cannot say, but if I were only going on the flat performance by Radcliffe in this production unfortunately I wouldn't have a lot of evidence to back up those assertions; especially the latter with respect to being charismatic. In the same interview David Haig states that "every boy of Jack's age wanted to fight at the beginning of that war - it wasn't just Jack", which is a statement I find very hard to believe, and even if it is true it isn't necessarily a commendable thing. Radcliffe also says "Jack is not just going because his father wants him to go, he's absolutely going for himself" which again if true, going on the evidence of the screenplay and performances, that was not the impression that I was left with. It's also in opposition to Kim Cattrall's statement regarding Rudyard Kipling: "This is the big failing of such a man like Kipling - he could not see, he could not see the dangers and the reality", inferring that Rudyard was pushing his son to go and fight. So for me this was an okay production, but one of flat performances and one in which I'm not sure the production team knew exactly which story it was that they were trying to tell. I do however think that the producers at least embodied some degree of humility and genuine regret on Rudyard's behalf - even if they weren't trying to implicate him.
