Andy;
Thanks for the recommendation. Rather dissapointingly we watched The History Boys when we should have turned-in for the night and only got half way in. I will give it a full viewing because the writing was, of course, exceptional.
Having said that it did reek of theatre. Which I don't necessarily think is a good thing. It gets the peice to a wider audience. But, as Kermode rightly points out, why not just put it on telly?
And it's interesting that you talked about ensemble acting. The acting was clearly a step up from most features; but I tend to think of this concept in terms of somebody like Mike Leigh, where the actors/director/writer use rehearsals to figure out the story and each character's role within it.
Anyway, that's not to say that I'm not looking forward to watching again, because I am.
But if you want an exemplary example of what I think ensemble acting really is then you'll find it at the cinema this weekend with 'This Is England'.
No doubt it will be a limited release and you may have to travel. But it's a terrific film. And an important one.
http://film.guardian.co.uk/features/feat...81,00.html
http://film.guardian.co.uk/interview/int...80,00.html
