Predictable, but still jolly good fun
What do you think of when you hear the term “British”? Frank Mannion sets out to answer this question in his second film as director, Quintessentially British.
A lavish, jam-packed, feature, it is easy to see where the budget went. Mannion takes us to the Chelsea Flower Show, the races , several castles, the House of Lords, and expensive London shops. Along the way we meet Lady Carnarvon, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Sir Ian McKellen, Judi Dench, and a couple of London cabbies. Mannion spends quite a lot of time in Savile Row getting a bespoke suit, jacket, and pair of shoes made. The histories of some of these businesses, such as Henry Poole & Co, or Lock & Co (the oldest hat shop in the world) make for interesting stories. However it feels as though what Mannion really wanted to do was make a documentary just about Savile Row. No other subject gets treated with as much respect, or in as much detail.
Throughout this feature Mannion ostensibly tries to answer the question “what does it mean to be British?”. And yet almost everything he shows is English. Near the end of the film he asks some of his interviewees whether they consider themselves British or English. The Welsh and the Scots don’t really get a look in. In fact it should have been called “Quintessentially English”.
Fundamentally, this is a travelogue. Here are all the expected tropes one would find in a glossy brochure for an escorted tour of England. Mannion’s Britain is really middle/upper class England, with a couple of “cheeky” cabbies thrown in for local colour. Any attempt to answer some deeper question about national identity is fairly superficial.
Quintessentially British is glossy, indulgent, predictable, but still very enjoyable. It doesn’t hold together as a true documentary feature, coming across as something made for a streaming service, but grab a popcorn and a cup of tea, and settle in for an hour and a half of jolly good fun.
Quintessentially British screens as part of the Cunard British Film Festival at Palace Nova Eastend and Prospect, from October 18th to November 16th.
Click here for further information, and to book tickets.
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