Originally published by L.S. Media. January 27th 2012.

L.S. Media Rating ****

Cast: Aneurin Barnard, Karen Gillan, Helen McCrory, Joseph May, Frances Barber, Robert Glenister.

It can only be described as astonishing to think that nobody has filmed the love affair between two of the most iconic British people from the 1960’s before now. Before the Beatles and the Liverpool invasion of Ed Sullivan’s show, which made a generation of American teenagers sit and take notice for the first time what was happening across the pond in dear, tired old Britain, there was a seismic cultural revolution that took hold with just one camera shot.

We’ll Take Manhattan tells the story of anti-establishment photographic hero David Bailey, the model who broke the mould, Jean Shrimpton and the woman who refused to budge when all the evidence and reason told her to step aside, Lady Clare Rendlesham.                                             .

In 1960’s Britain not everything was possible, the Second World War had robbed a continent of its people and the 1950’s, for all the protestations of a brave new world, in some quarters failed to materialise or deliver the promises that were made. Ordinary, talented people were still looked down upon and their supposed social betters were there to make sure that no matter how good, how incredible they were; they wouldn’t get very far up the corporate or social ladder. Then from out of all this deep seated and frightful rigidity came a young man whose belligerence and incredible arrogance suddenly seemed to make anything possible.

The photographer, the model and the dying old guard may seem like a far-fetched C.S. Lewis tale but photographer David Bailey was no sage old timer giving advice, he was supremely arrogant in his dedication to changing the way that people looked at the medium and most of all the way the world looked at itself. Playing the young photographer was the immense talent of Aneurin Barnard. Lesser actors may have struggled with the idea of playing such an imposing figure let alone against three of the finest female actors of their respective generation. The scenes with Karen Gillan, taking time out from playing Matt Smith’s companion Amy Pond in Doctor Who, were intense. They spoke volumes about the era and the expected strait-laced confines of post-war Britain. The photographic stills that were continually shot said every word, the times were indeed changing.

Added to this the incredible talent of Helen McCrory and Frances Barber and this show was taken from a side thought to heavyweight programme that really should have been on the main B.B.C. channel and not relegated as if by after-thought to B.B.C. 4. Helen McCrory has made a career recently playing very strong women and in this she was the epitome of all that was wrong with the post-war years. Time had moved on, established ideals were finally starting to crumble but some couldn’t face that the young who saw the war through child-like horror wanted a new fresher world, a world that was alive.

We’ll take Manhattan was artful, inspiring and riveting from start to finish. Aneurin Barnard will no doubt go on to have a tremendous career and Karen Gillan proved that there is life after Doctor Who for her when the time unfortunately comes. The writing and film caught the vibrancy and intensity of the city of New York and also the animosity of the battle for change between the old, tired and dogmatic and the new, arrogant and self-assured cockiness that was to change everything. Just one question though, why was it hidden away on B.B.C. 4?

Ian D. Hall