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Romola Garai, Bill Nighy, Julie Christie, David Tennant, Juno Temple ... see more see more... , Christopher Lee , Jenny Agutter , Corin Redgrave , Jeremy Northam , Hugh Bonneville , Charlie Cox , Eddie Redmayne

A woman makes a surprising discovery with dangerous consequences in this period suspense thriller, set in 1939. Anne Keyes (Romola Garai) is an attractive young woman who is enjoying modest success as... read more read more... a film actress; she's also the adopted daughter of Alexander Keyes (Bill Nighy), a career politician and member of Parliament. Anne still lives in the family home with her father, mother Maud (Jenny Agutter), budding diplomat brother Ralph (Eddie Redmayne) and socialite sister Celia (Juno Temple). One night, Hector (David Tennant), one of Alexander's friends, stops by for dinner and during a heated conversation makes no secret of his disapproval of prime minister Neville Chamberlain and his efforts to appease Adolph Hitler's Nazi regime. Another dinner guest, Balcombe (Jeremy Northam) doesn't care for what Hector has to say, and later that evening, Hector is found dead, an apparent suicide. Anne, however, begins to suspect foul play when she finds a set of phonograph records that document conversations of men discussing state intelligence secrets. When Anne ties to share this discovery with others, they're soon found dead, and she's no longer certain what she should do with these deadly secrets. Glorious 39 was an official selection at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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44% liked it

1,865 ratings

Critics

48% liked it

23 critics

R, 2 hr. 19 min.

Directed by: Stephen Poliakoff

Release Date: November 20, 2009

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DVD Release Date: February 15, 2011

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Flixster Reviews (181)

  • Tomassgringo
    February 27, 2011
    Tomassgringo
    This movie demonstrates the lengths some will go in the name of "what's best" for the country (whatever that country may be). Well acted but the pace is way too slow! The end was such a large dose of cheese, I feel to could constipate many!
  • jjnxn
    February 17, 2011
    jjnxn
    Set in beautiful surroundings this conspiracy thriller has many fine moments but is a little long winded which lessens the considerable tension it manages to build at points. All the performances are good the two standouts being Romola Garai in the lead and Julie Christie who pla... read moreys an atypical role with silky malevolence.
  • gator681
    February 21, 2012
    gator681
    "Glorious 39" starts with Michael(Toby Regbo) interviewing Walter(Christopher Lee) and Oliver(Corin Redgrave), a pair of elderly relatives. Instead of inquiring about his grandmother, Celia(Juno Temple), he wants to know about her sister, Anne(Romola Garai), an actress who disap... read morepeared. Before any questions can be answered, a song on the radio transports them all back to a summer evening in 1939 where Anne's father Alexander(Bill Nighy), a respected politician, holds court while Hector(David Tennant) hectors everybody about the state of Nazi Germany. Before long, politically sensitive material is discovered in the garage and Hector winds up dead, an apparent suicide.

    "Glorious 39" is a handsomely produced movie with a very good cast. That's not to mention the attention to detail, although one has to wonder if they had the technology to surreptitiously record conversations back then. While its lingering pace is not automatically a mark against it, the film is about 30 minutes too long. In fact, if not for the adult material and language, this could pass for a movie of the era which was also a time of great uncertainty, reflected in Anne's suspicions and sense of dislocation. Just remember that nothing is as ever simple as it first seems, nor was 'appeasement,' as Noam Chomsky points out elsewhere that England in 1938 was more worried about the threat posed by the Soviet Union than Nazi Germany.
  • xxdebxx
    November 25, 2011
    xxdebxx
    The film is set in Norfolk in the summer of 1939, on the eve of the outbreak of war. Our protagonist is Anne Keyes, an actress and adopted daughter of Sir Alexander Keyes (Bill Nighy), a wealthy and influential Conservative Member of Parliament. Anne, also known as Glorious accid... read moreentally stumbles upon evidence of a secret conspiracy of the upper-class English society desperate to appease Hitler, if only to preserve its own way of life at all costs.

    As the conspirators are ruthless people who have murdered at least two people who opposed their aims, Anne finds that her life under threat. Moreover, she is horrified to find that some members of her own family may be involved in this sinister plot. The conspiracy where everyone seems against her builds up subtly leading to an ever-present sense of menace and claustrophobic atmosphere.
  • sayers1977
    March 5, 2012
    sayers1977
    I do like Poliokoff's work. He seems to bring an unusual slant to everyday life and his characters are always slightly off-kilter. This is another fine example of film-making and although it's not up to the standards of 'Close My Eyes', 'Friends and Crocodiles' and 'Capturing Mar... read morey' it is still a gripping thriller with a sense of dread pervading the whole thing. Garai is brilliant in the lead but the whole cast also excell and if it wasn't for a weak ending that kind of undermines the whole point of the story this would be up there with his best work.
  • lovablemisanthrope
    April 25, 2010
    lovablemisanthrope
    This is probably one of the better movies I've seen in a while (granted, I haven't seen that many movies recently). The script is less than ideal and I could have done without the animal euthanasia subplot and also the "Lifetime movie" ending, but overall it was pretty enjoyable.
  • PinkMinkPrincess
    September 11, 2011
    PinkMinkPrincess
    This Film is Glorious to me, it gave me Goose Bumps & Impacted me Deeply.A Great Suspense/Conspiracy Film,set on the Eve of WWII,My kind of Film, with History, attention to Detail, & Visually Stunning Scenery & Cinematography.Glorious is what her Brother Ralph(Eddie Redmayne) cal... read morels her, Anne(Romola Keyes)She is the adopted from Gypsies Daughter of Sir Alexander Keyes(Bill Nighy), a member of Parliament, with a Family Pedigree that goes back 1000 years.It's never explained what or where these Ruins are that appear to be on their property if anyone knows, I'd Love to have that info to satisfy my Itchy Curiosity.She is shocked to find out that her family is Nazi Sympathizers, when people she cares about are murdered for their beliefs, she too is in grave danger from her own family.There are many chilling moments in this, & things you never think about that is one of the tragedies of Wartime, not spoken much about because it's seems lesser than the People lost.When she goes into a room where hanging bags & bags of put down pets are , my heart just sank.I don't want to give the whole Film away, so I suggest you see this, if you are the type interested in the Politics of War as I am.
  • Hamee
    June 27, 2011
    Hamee
    This movie is not exactly the fast-paced thriller that I was led to believe it would be. The movie is very good and attention holding until the very end and then there are many confusing elements thrown into the story. The beginning was dragged out longer than necessary to just t... read morehrow together such a short ending. The cast was great, but the plot was flawed.
  • NoxInvictus
    October 24, 2010
    NoxInvictus
    Extraordinary cast! It was shot very beautifully--the colors and the costumes were superb. But to me, it was one of those films that starts out really well and then transforms into quite a messy ordeal by the end. I'd still recommend it to those who enjoy the genre, though.

View All Glorious 39 Reviews

Critic Reviews

Brian Orndorf
February 14, 2011
Brian Orndorf, BrianOrndorf.com

Despite a few convincing turns, the feature is disappointingly winded, eventually going off on a few needless tangents that derail the whole production. Full Review

Philip French
November 27, 2009
Philip French, Observer [UK]

An enjoyable conspiracy thriller in the manner of John Frankenheimer's Seven Days in May. Full Review

David Edwards
November 27, 2009
David Edwards, Daily Mirror [UK]

Not glorious. Not good. Just plain old-fashioned duff. Full Review

Nicholas Barber
November 27, 2009
Nicholas Barber, Independent on Sunday

Prestigious and serious-minded, but it's still nonsense. Full Review

Philip De Semlyen
November 20, 2009
Philip De Semlyen, Empire Magazine

Stupendous turn from Romola Garai in the lead role but, while this sets up intrigue and atmosphere well, the plot devices creak audibly towards the end. Full Review

Dave Calhoun
November 20, 2009
Dave Calhoun, Time Out

A political yarn - sometimes creepy, sometimes daft - in the Hitchcockian vein. Full Review

Matt McNally
November 20, 2009
Matt McNally, Film4

Poliakoff's flaccid script and indulgent cut undermines a beautifully shot thriller with an excellent cast and original central idea. Full Review

Wendy Ide
November 20, 2009
Wendy Ide, Times [UK]

For all its sumptuous production design, Steven Poliakoff's tale of glamorous toffs and treason is so laboured and slow that it's practically pensionable. Full Review

Xan Brooks
November 20, 2009
Xan Brooks, Guardian [UK]

A ripping, old-school conspiracy thriller. Full Review

Tim Robey
November 20, 2009
Tim Robey, Daily Telegraph

A bizarrely tasteless pet-euthanasia subplot -- clumsy parallels with the Holocaust abound -- is merely the wackiest turn the wildly unconvincing script takes: it's well below Poliakoff's more intelli... Full Review

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