For anyone who has fallen in love with the British television film SHOOTING THE PAST, this is the "must-have" companion to the video. It is a very charming little book, as well as the script to Stephen Poliakoff's acclaimed television movie--including the two shorts "Veronica's Story" and "Spig's Story". Also inside are still photos from the stories of Lily and Hettie, and one image each of Oswald, Marilyn and Mr. Anderson (Timothy Spall, Lindsay Duncan and Liam Cunningham).

The book contains the dialogue of the BBC production. That superior version was shown on three nights in the UK, and is well worth purchasing [at Amazon.co.uk] if you have access to PAL format video equipment. The Masterpiece Theatre program, while still very good, was edited throughout and the picture was cropped quite a bit smaller, leaving a lot of the excellent story unseen by viewers in the US.

All of the dialogue is very British--even the words spoken by the American, Mr. Anderson (nicely-played in the movie by Irish actor Cunningham). So this book is quite a help when it is difficult to understand what is being said on screen. However, it is also an easy-to-read version of a very entertaining story about eccentric librarians, a side-tracked businessman, and a secret history hidden deep within a huge photo collection. A pleasant way to get to know the work of Writer/Director Stephen Poliakoff.

A beautifully constructed story of lifes longings and failures, the tragedies of misplaced childhoods and death whether accidental or incidental. More so the sadness and hardships of growing up with parents who allow no room for personal growth, instead always trying to mould the youngsters into images of themselves.

Save your money! This is not a book but is a copy of what might pass for a shooting scrip. A shame because the TV program was so heavily commercialized it was difficult to keep up with the plot.