User reviews

This is one of the best films about the immigrant experience in the UK that I've seen in a while.

It starts off appearing to be about a very English-looking German Jewish boy who's family are ultra-assimilationist and who wants nothing more than to succeed at the most English of sports, Cricket.

As it unfolds it takes in the experiences of some of the first West Indians to come to England, and are much more talented at cricket but doomed to suffer the depradations of little Englanders by virtue of their high melanin levels.

The complex racial issues that ensue are handled in a way that's sensitive and believable, as long as you can believe that the young jewish boy really is jewish, and not the scion of some old anglo-Norman family. The period detail is pretty spot on as well, though the use of colourised pathe footage slightly jars with the overall aesthetic of the film.

Mercifully, you don't have to be able to understand cricket to get this film, just appreciate how difficult it can be to live in a strange country

Wondrous Oblivion is neat and effective for what it is. In Cricketing terms, it's a sort of cinematic equivalent of a steady-going half century complete with the odd blemish that doesn't quite develop into a big hundred. You get the feeling it was made by someone fairly passionate about films and the art of film-making, someone that enjoys taking on subject matter which is fairly familiar but who isn't additionally afraid of tackling issues of discrimination and racism. On a technical level, Wondrous Oblivion works, well, near wonders. On a level of story telling and using an age old arc for its characters to undergo, let's just say the film works to a degree which will not, and consequently has not, seen it shatter any new ground and as a result, has perhaps faded into near oblivion.

The location is London, the year 1960; and the film tells the coming of age plus rise in cricketing ability of one young boy named David (Smith) on one strand with the arrival plus socially outcast-driven demise of a West Indian family who have moved in next door, a family headed up by Dennis (Lindo), on the other. The film's underlying idea is that sport can bring people together, and in a time that sees a white Britain have immigrants from the Caribbean arrive and all the questions that come with being in the presence of them, it is fitting that a cricket match at a local ground will see blacks and whites; West Indians and the English-alike, all gather around in one place together at one time in order to share a fondness for a sport being played out in front of them. The sport is Cricket. Cricket is the would-be first love of our lead, a fresh faced and distinctly innocent looking boy who doesn't exactly excel at the sport; relegated to mostly scoring Surrey's county matches and England's home Tests by way in some form or another. All this plus the persistent engaging in his own fantasy cricket matches in which player profile cards pit their wits against one another during which either end of a pencil is used to determine who does what. It would be fair to say David is wrapped up in his own little world.

Born to Jewish German immigrants himself, and therefore hardly into a Cricketing family of any kind, David's curiosity in the two things that will form the basis for his transition in the film arrive at once in the form of new immigrant neighbours and the item they set up in their back garden. What could it be? Fabric that aids in growing some kind of sprawling plant? Their own way to tell those next door that this is where their territory categorically begins? No, it's the cricketing net they construct in order so that they may have a bowl and a bat in their spare time. But David eventually bonds with the family's daughter, a certain Judy (Elliot), and before long connects with her in the same way he does with the sport of Cricket, only in a different sense.

Director Paul Morrison constructs an odd, consistently wavy sensibility about things within a period setting. I don't doubt the authenticity of the sets recreated for the era, but Morrison somehow manages to blend that raw, unhinged and really rather hostile 'look' of a kitchen sink drama of its time with several other sequences of a more lightweight, upbeat and romanticised nature that come with a similar atmosphere. For most of the time that the West Indians have only recently moved in next door, a lot of what we see of them in constructed from a gaze that sees the onlooking character peer down at them from the somewhat hallowed turf of their own home. Standing at a window looking at them in their kitchen doing whatever or in the garden building the Cricket net, the technique calls to mind a certain sense of trepidation of how young David views them – his point of view constructed as if it were a sense of curiosity blended with that want to keep one's distance and just survey. The technique is banished when he interacts with them more and more often, the stuffy and somewhat dismissive tone of the elderly English adults nearer the start of the film springing to mind as the only other time we've seen him previously interact with an adult that isn't a member of his family; Dennis' soothing, calm and relaxed voice plus mannerisms taking centre stage for a quick session of bowling. Unlike the stuffy, nonchalant English who dismiss his skills and relegate him to scoring his school's cricket matches, Dennis is patient with David and comes to coach him.

Morrison balances everything much like he balances the gritty, racially driven hatred of some scenes with the more uplifting mostly sweet sequences of David and Judy interacting in a young and naive manner at times of great tension: lopsided, but mostly feeling more important than it actually is because of the subject matter. A certain rawness desperately wants to kick at certain times, particularly towards the end, while a sub-plot involving David's mother and potential infidelity sort of exists to bulk out the runtime. But the film works on the whole, with the quirky and upbeat aesthetic creeping into realms of near fantasy when it transpires David, very briefly, captains a West Indian international: they're here because the West Indies, conveniently, are due to play England in a test series, although I looked it up and it appears South Africa were the touring side for the summer of 1960. Regardless, Wondrous Oblivion is worth seeing for the steady piece it is. Whereas a lesser film taking on the sort of varied material might've been clean bowled early on, Wondrous Oblivion provides a scratchy innings which survives a few scares, before going on to make a score of some extent.

"Wondrous Oblivion" is a film that has as its motive one of the most boring sports out there (at least for those who don't play it) – cricket. Thankfully, Paul Morrison's second feature, after the award winning "Solomon and Gaenor" (1999), is not about cricket at all.

We are given a coming of age story of a Jewish boy, David (Sam Smith), born in the family of two Holocaust survivors in the 1950s England: Victor (Stanley Townsend), a Polish émigré, and a very young Ruth (Emily Woof), coming from Germany. The boy has an empowering passion for cricket, obvious from his massive card collection of cricket celebrities. However, he is totally rubbish at it. His destiny is to change when a Jamaican émigré family comes next door, and sets up an improvised cricket court. Dennis Samuels (Delroy Lindo) teaches the boy the craftsmanship of the sport, and becomes a close friend of David.

All seems a very familiar bad-sportsman-turns-great story, but Morrison's script is ingenious enough not to fall in the stereotypical Hollywood film-making. The boy doesn't end up the great sportsman that we all wish him to be, but learns something greater, something more important in the process. And this is the 'wondrous oblivion' the author intended to deliver… The 1960s as a whole becomes a decade of surprising changes and animosity, and yet all characters seem to remain static in their conception of their beliefs.

This is a good film, and it is worth seeing for the original cinematography and a moving performance from Emily Woof ("Passion", "The Full Monty"), which steals the whole film. Watch out for the dance scene with Lindo, which is dominated both by passion, and religious taboos, and it is surprisingly sexy. The only three problems in the movie are the simplicity with each the Holocaust theme is being treated, the poor knowledge of Jewish faith, as well as the stereotypical two-dimensionality of the entire supporting cast. But this applies only for a picky audience.

"Wondrous Oblivion" is one of those films that one cannot dislike, or at least loathe. Pacing, beautiful, and quite funny really.

Eleven-year-old David is so passionate about cricket, he barely notices he doesn't know how to play. But when his cricket-mad new neighbors teach him the game, David begins to emerge from his 'wondrous oblivion'. Trouble is, David's Jewish, his neighbors are Jamaican and this is 1960 in pre-multicultural London.

Wondrous Oblivion is a delightful film with an important message. Sam Smith engages as David, and there is a wonderful rapport between him and his neighbors: daughter Judy (newcomer Leonie Elliot) and father Dennis, played by Delroy Lindo from Malcolm X, and Gone in Sixty Seconds. Coincidentally, Jamaican-born Lindo actually grew up in Lewisham, where the film is set, at around the same time.

And it's not just David that matures as a result of meeting these happy-go-lucky Caribbeans : his mother Ruth (Emily Woof – The Full Monty, Velvet Goldmine) and father Victor (Stanley Townsend) gradually become less afraid of life. Wondrous Oblivion was written and directed by Paul Morrison, who garnered an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Film for his first feature Solomon and Gaenor. Recommended, even if you don't play cricket. ***½/***** stars.

A sensitive and well-made study of the impact of two waves of immigrants on London communities: the first in the form of a young family of German-born Jews driven out by Hitler, the second in the form of their new neighbours from Jamaica. Cricket is the medium which draws together young cricket-mad David and his new neighbours - especially the cricket-made father and daughter of the family. But the friendship also leads David's young mother, neglected by her workaholic, decent and God-fearing husband, to develop a crush on her more warm-hearted, more vibrant but also decent and God-fearing West Indian neighbour whose habit of spending all day in a string vest and more free-and-easy manner is something of a contrast with her husband's straightlaced attitude and permanent uniform of woolly cardigan. Both David and Ruth fall to the temptation to exploit their new friends: David uses Judy to help him improve his cricket, Ruth attempts to use Dennis for the sexual satisfaction she is missing out on as her husband works all hours to improve the family's fortunes (and send his children to expensive schools). But when Judy turns up at David's birthday party he turns her away; and when Ruth makes a pass at Dennis, she is politely but firmly repulsed. This is a lovely film that deserves to be remembered; it is very accurate of the period full of good little touches but also has a strong, positive ending in which both couples, and both families, become stronger and closer despite their diverging paths, as the enmity of the local racists draws them together in near-tragedy.

This is a delightful and very entertaining movie. You do not have to be mad on cricket to love it (my partner Janie proves that point) but I suspect it helps.

My own background is quite similar to that of the young lad (not quite so long ago, not quite so poor, not quite so bad at cricket without coaching, not quite so good with coaching......) so my own views on the films charms and resonances are probably unrepresentative. Suffice it to say that the film touched almost all of the right buttons.

There are some lovely, amusing bits. For example, one sequence shows several short shots of the characters playing "yard cricket", including one shot of them trying to practice catching in their sowesters in the pouring rain. Hilarious and delightful.

The racism theme is handled with great sensitivity, but without the complexity that might otherwise make the film profound rather than obvious. The film is sentimental, at the end especially so, to the point of being cheesy. But then quattro formaggio with extra cheese and parmesan on top tastes pretty good.

There are one or two historical anomalies. Most reports of the film I have seen refer to the date as 1960. West Indies toured England with Worrell and Sobers in 1957 & 1963. Worrell was finished by 1966. I think it must therefore be 1963. But there's a lovely scene where the Jewish mother and West Indian father dance to "I'm in a Dancing Mood" by Delroy Wilson - published 1966. In fact most of the Ska (or should I describe some of it as Rock Steady) would have been post 1963 I think. But I suppose I should get a life rather than fret about these things - the music was wonderful. And juxtaposing Ska with "Micky Katz and his Kosher Jammers" and yard cricket worked surprisingly well.

It is a lovely film and well worth the investment of 106 minutes to smile, laugh and be moved.

This film is simply quite magical.

Its subject matter is really racial hatred in Britain in the early 1960s, but it is done against the background of a Jewish boy being taught to play cricket by an Afro-Caribbean who has moved in next doors.

The charming script is matched by outstanding performances throughout, with Delroy Lindo being topped only be the young, and excellent Sam Smith.

Perhaps most rewarding of all is that there are no cop-outs in this film- the boy doesn't get the girl and win the game. He has to make a choice, which is beautifully handled.

This is a gem of a film which was the opener for the Maine Jewish Film Festival. But it is not about just one of these topics. It is a wondrous story which could take place anywhere in the world. The film succeeds because it uses tired themes ("there goes the neighborhood") and puts a fresh slant on them with terrific acting and cinematography. You do not have to know anything about any of the subjects, Jamaica, Judiasm or cricket, but you will learn something about humanity when seeing this film. Sure, it is not perfect but it is rare to see a bigger budget film handle these themes so well. This film is definitely worth seeking out.

I missed this film on its release.Not surprising given the nature of the theme and its awful title.This film disappeared from view almost immediately but resurfaced on Channel 4 over Christmas. The film has its heart in the right place and it is a charming story but it has nothing to do with the reality of the period,assuming this to be around the late 50s or early 60s.What i find to be so disappointing about this film is how little the Producers seem to have researched orthodox Judaism.The family are shown praying in an orthodox synagogue,yet the wife is wearing fairly bright colours and is not wearing a wig.The likelihood of a woman from an Orthodox family committing adultery was unthinkable.Also it would be unthinkable to allow a child to go out to any sport or entertainment on a Saturday.In short it is just totally implausible.

David Wiseman loves cricket and follows it religiously despite not actually being any good at it. His efforts to get onto the school cricket team start and end with doing the scoreboard while at home his collection of player cards takes up his time. When his Jewish neighbours move out, the Wiseman's find themselves dropping down the neighbourhood suspicion list as the new neighbours are Jamaican. The eldest of the family, Dennis, immediately uproots the roses in the garden and begins doing who knows what, to the amusement of the neighbours. However when it transpires that they have been making a set of cricket nets David ignores the community disapproval and starts to play with the Samuels family.

Featuring a handful of people from Eastenders, UK actors and one Hollywood star this film was a strange find at the cinema but it understandably didn't do a great deal while it was there. From the trailer it seemed that it was clearly going to be about overcoming prejudice and using cricket as a plot device for this. However watching the film it doesn't seem to completely ever decide if it wants to explore this, the relationship between Ruth and Dennis or a coming of age story surrounding David. Although it is perfectly reasonable that the film would try to combine all three of these, it doesn't really pull it off as well as it could have done. Instead of pushing one thread it runs a middle ground for each one of them and in fairness it does it well enough to make for an interesting film albeit one that is neither that charming or convincing.

The cast help hold the threads together by being consistent in their performances. Smith does well in his role although he is perhaps too easily pulled around by the mix of directions associated with his character even if he does do well scene to scene. Lindo was a surprise find in this film mainly because of how famous he is; his character is hardly complex but he is charismatic and talented enough to do well with it regardless. Woof has a strange character and suffers from the film not really sticking with her threads in all regards. Townsend is solid in support while the rest of the cast fill in round the edges well. Nobody is brilliant but the material doesn't really allow for that on many occasions.

Overall then a pretty enjoyable film. It tends to take the middle-road in several threads rather than pushing it out on any one, which does rather reduce the impact while rounding the film out to be more about the people than any one theme. Not fantastic then but a nice film that made for an engaging watch nonetheless.

WONDROUS OBLIVION may seem a puzzling title for this film about racism, coming of age, and understanding and acceptance, but if it is meant to tag the feelings with which the viewer is left after the film, the phrase describes it well. Some critics have labeled this a cross between BILLY ELLIOTT and FAR FROM HEAVEN and while that comparison may be a bit too heavy, the films share many things in common. Writer/director Paul Morrison has stirred the pot of nostalgia with all the right ingredients the result is a film that should bring a very large audience to its feet.

The time is the 1960s in London in a neighborhood shared by Jews and other faiths. One family in particular, the Wisemans, live comfortably as German immigrants whose elder family members died in Nazi Germany. David Wiseman (Sam Smith) is eleven years old, and preoccupied with cricket, a sport for which he collects souvenir cards and idolizes players yet who has no skills at playing the game, but stays with his passion with the school team as a score keeper. His father Victor (Stanley Townsend) is all business, and his mother Ruth (Emily Woof) is a kind woman who seems to need more attention than her husband offers. Into the house next door moves a family from Jamaica - Dennis (Delroy Lindo), his wife and two daughters are happy people and play Jamaican music while they construct an odd entity in the tiny back yard, a construction that ends up being a cricket court as Dennis and his daughter are devoted cricket players.

In no time the shy David introduces himself and shortly becomes invited to join in learning how to play cricket with the warmly loving Dennis and family. David learns the game well enough to become part of the school playing team and with his increased popularity he is honored with a birthday party, a party to which his new friend form cricket lessons next door is not invited. Hurt, she refuses to play with David any more and that fact unveils a series of events that have been in existence progressively since the black family moved into the white neighborhood. David's mother is warmly noticed by Dennis and the two come very close to a love relationship. Finally a tragedy occurs that brings out all of the needs and the prejudices, the feelings and the commitments that serve to change the way each of the families in the now mixed neighborhood view each other. The tragedy becomes a blessing in disguise.

The flavor of the 1960s, the importance of familial Judaism, the joy of the Jamaican view of life and the bigotry that can decimate good people are all captured with great finesse by Morrison. The large cast is excellent with Sam Smith and Delroy Lindo giving particularly fine performances. This is a film that will warm the heart, teach us more about things we little understand, and leave us with the hope that Morrison will make more films of this high caliber. Highly recommended. Grady Harp

One of the best films I have ever seen.

It is beautiful in it's simplicity and although it deals with some serious issues, namely the racism that exists in Britain, it also has a good mix of pathos and humour. And of course you have to love the music, I dare anyone to try not to tap their feet at least. Delroy Lindo does a great job as a strong immigrant father experiencing the shock of discovering what England was really like, not the one his parents probably told him that it would be. Sam Smith plays his role with realism and balances the mixture of emotions well. I don't know if he really loves Cricket but he looked like he really did. Leonie Elliott is a delight and I can't understand why she has not done more, I saw her recently in the Lenny Henry semi-biopic, 'Danny and the human zoo' but as a young immigrant girl in this she is perfectly cast. I won't say to much but the Birthday party scene is very emotional.

It is hard for me to find anything negative to say about this film and I recommend it to anyone, especially if you have had experience of moving to a different country, feeling the effects of racism or living among immigrants and experiencing the joy that they bring despite difficult circumstances. By the way you don't need to like Cricket to enjoy this film, this is not a sports film but more about community and family. One for the DVD collection for sure.

While this could never be considered a true masterpiece, as such, there's plenty going for it. Richly textured, this film goes beyond the realms of superficiality, reaching for a wider base in its coverage of the issues at hand. The relations between the people in the neighbourhood are at once entertaining, riveting and tense - causing the odd chuckle and plenty of lurching in the stomach. The racial tensions and the unnerving line that is drawn between the events and other racial notables in history such as apartheid and the Nazi regime makes this a superb watch - there is one particularly chilling scene (that I will not divulge) that sends a massive shiver down the spine of the viewer. The characterisation is what really makes this film in terms of the actual watching of it, and no character is left without something to analyse on - making it an excellent English film text. Overall, a superb example of cinematic beauty.

Wondrous Oblivion, United Kingdom-Germany, 2003, d. Paul Morrison, 106 m. "Heartwarming" is perhaps overused in describing films, but it's certainly apt in this case. In 1960's England an unathletic young boy and his family bond with a Jamaican family which has moved into the neighborhood and built a cricket court in their backyard. Many of the neighbors are horrified at this infiltration of their turf by a Black family, but young David seizes the opportunity to learn cricket skills from the skilled Dennis. As the bond between the two families grows, so do the problems. The ending may surprise you. Think of "Wondrous Oblivion" as this year's "Bend It Like Beckham." Though the film is sometimes strident in expressing its anti-racism theme, still the best word to describe it is, yep, heartwarming.—Nick Salerno.

I've not a lot to add to what's already been said (it's nice how movies like this attract intelligent and insightful comments). I didn't think it owed a lot to `Billy Elliot' but there certainly parallels with `Bend it Like Beckham' - sport as a way to acceptance in a new society. The wrinkle here is that young David Wiseman has desire, but no apparent talent. The suspension of our disbelief is severely strained when his new West Indian neighbour Dennis coaches him to competence in his tiny back yard. As coach Ian Holm put it to aspiring Olympian Ben Cross in `Chariots of Fire' `an athlete does not find a coach, the coach finds the athlete'. Well, I suppose Dennis must have seen something in David. And David certainly has dreams of success via his talking cricket card collection.

Otherwise this is a perfectly delightful movie about growing up and fitting in. Even David's mother's flirtation with Dennis does not end in disaster. The reactionaries fail to drive away the newcomers and it doesn't even rain at the final cricket match (this can't be England!). Gary Sobers and Frank Worrall (played by actors) turn up. Pretty fanciful but utterly charming.

We showed this yesterday to the afternoon audience of our local community cinema, here in Shropshire (UK). None of us had seen it, but the IMDb reviews seemed to suggest that we should be brave and try it -how right they were.

Most of our audience, but not all, are over 70 years old, so they lived through the period that the film focuses upon, and some were even bringing up their own kids at about that time. One such said to me afterwards, "it's quite astonishing, I really had no idea that this kind of thing was going on in our England. Where we were living, it seemed a different world. It (the film) was just so powerful - an amazing experience."

This has to rank as another of those truly top class British films that addresses in such professional, sensitive, fearless, and powerful fashion the rather discomforting world of racism and bigotry (like "Secrets & Lies"). For this audience of people even more wrinkly than me to give it an average of 8.5 says so much for it. They despise the gratuitous violence that fills so much of today's screen-time, they disdain sex scenes that are sordidly porn-think, and they can't bear noise for noise's sake, so this (as a film that was definitely NOT just entertainment) was very special indeed in achieving an 8.5 rating.

If you want to serve jerk pork with schmaltz, rent this movie for dinner viewing. Between Emily Woof's commendable, but unbelievable, attempt at a Yiddish accent and Eve Stewart's nostalgic production design, I started groaning early. This potentially interesting story about prejudice becomes a parody of real life early on. The same old messages about how dysfunctional behavior on the part of new arrivals in an established culture is really charming and enriching. Political correctness gone idiotic. The boys are all cutesy. The girls are all darling. The immigrants are all determined to be jolly and, of course, are always wiser than the people around them. This movie feels like a propaganda film or a commercial from start to finish. The plot is boring. The condescension infuriating. The thematic simplicity annoying.

My wife and I both enjoyed Wondrous Oblivion very much. I am a cricket lover but she loathes the game. I was apprehensive that she would be bored by too much concentration on cricket but that was not so. The 1960 sets were brilliantly portrayed and the script very good and thought provoking. I went to a private school in 1956 and the cricket scenes were very true to life.At my school,very often if a boy did not show an aptitude for the game, the sports master just gave him the job of scoring without trying to coach him to be better,as happened in the film.It was lovely to see Dennis spend time with David so that him skill at cricket so improved.We give the film 10 out of 10- excellent.

I hadn't been back to this site since I posted my original comment, which was a while ago. Now I return and find my post has been removed and IMDb didn't even bother to notify me.

No doubt my comment was "flagged" as "inappropriate" or somesuch. If so, then what nonsense. It's clear that the pompous people using terms such as "narrow-minded" and "bigoted" are afflicted with these traits themselves. It seems that an already near-complete monopoly of the old media by the political "left" is not enough, they have to censor the internet as well.

No matter. I'm experience with left-wing hypocrisy and the fact that they are guilty of what they accuse; also that they don't have the self-awareness to realise this about themselves - or perhaps they're just arrogant.

If my initial comment on this film was removed due to anyone labelling it "racist" than that's not only pathetic but the opposite of the truth - my comments were ANTI-racist as I was criticising the constant depiction of white people and only white people as "evil racists". It's racial stigmatisation. Are the worlds' white peoples supposed to meekly accept being constantly singled out for demonisation by Big Media? Apparently so.

On a final note, the left's media monopoly and active censorship is not only hypocrisy but an admission of failure. Failure to hold audience interest by merit and an admission that the (potential and suppressed) competition is better.

0/1? I bet the user who did that is the one who reported my initial comment and it didn't take me long to work out the why and who. All I'll say at this juncture is that is typical of your kind. How the world was conned by the left's "free speech/expression" stance in the 1960's. Now they are in charge and applying the very thing they feigned to protest against.

Some good people in it.

There is hope out there, somewhere.....

I remember Dennis from Cider House Rules, but I don't think I've seen him elsewhere? Cricket doesn't have the movies made about it, like Baseball, or American Football (or even soccer). There were some feature length films made back in the 1950's, I think, but nothing since..... I wonder why that is? Maybe something to do with the English themselves and how they see Sport? Maybe.......... but Australians, don't see Sport in a similar way at all........... they're fiercely competitive, about ANY sport, and they don't make Sporting films either..... Any ideas out there?

Evidently, this movie has not yet found a US distributor. I was lucky enough to see it as part of the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival. I have to say that I enjoyed it more than any other movie I have seen in recent memory. It totally captivated me. The story, characters, setting, values, personal relationships, acting, sports aspect - all were interesting, well done, unique and such a good cohesive film. This was a fresh approach that didn't draw me into the clichés, dead time and old themes of so many movies. If I could, I would go see this again soon. I only hope it reaches US markets so I can send my friends. Marsha