Green Book (5 Stars)

This is the film that was voted the Best Film at this year's Academy Awards, and in my opinion it's the best film to have won at the Oscars for years. Unfortunately, many people don't share my opinion. A German magazine criticised the Film Academy for picking "an obscure film that nobody has seen". All I can say is that if people haven't seen this wonderful film it's their own fault.

Admittedly, the film's description doesn't make it sound exciting. "In 1962 an unemployed club bouncer takes a job as the chauffeur for a pianist's concert tour".

That's it. Is that the reason that nobody has seen this film? Do they expect it to be boring? They're wrong. The film has so much more to it that can't be described, it has to be seen. There's an amazing clash of cultures between the two men. Tony Lip is a rough Italian who punches first and thinks later. He's a racist, even though he tries not to show it. In one of the first scenes he throws glasses away because black men have drunk from them.

The pianist, Dr. Don Shirley, is a fascinating person. He has three doctorates, and he's one of the best pianists in America. He's a very upper class person, speaking finely and acting finely, but he has one weakness: he gets drunk every day. On the road Tony has the responsibility not just to drive him, but also to look after him.

Whenever he sits at the piano people are in awe, whether he's playing in concert halls or in private homes. This doesn't change the attitude of the people in the southern states at other times. He might be admired as a pianist, but he still isn't allowed to sleep in the same hotels or use the same bathrooms.

The film's title is the name of a guide book for black travellers in the southern states. The Green Book is a list of hotels where black guests are allowed. Those were dark days.

When they meet the two men hold each other at arm's length. Don Shirley finds Tony primitive and uneducated, while Tony dislikes Don just because he's black; that's all the reason he needs. As the trip progresses they grow to like and respect one another.

The film is still in the cinemas. Go and see it while you can.