HISTORICAL. “The Choral.” / “In the Hand of Dante.” / “Munich – The Edge of War.” / “The Physician.”

“The Choral” (2025, Netflix) British historical drama. Set in 1916, during World War I, in the fictional town of Ramsden, Yorkshire, the film follows the members of the local choral society which recruits a disparate group of townspeople for a performance of Edward Elgar's “The Dream of Gerontius,” a work chosen because it was not written by a German. 

       Nicholas Hytner, who was an accomplished theater director, before he gained A-1 stature as a filmmaker, is enough reason to watch this movie. And who'd turn down a Ralph Fiennes-led movie? I won't.

       “The Choral” glows with smart lines and sterling ensemble performance. The problem is the too-many characters with their respective side-stories. What ensued is a drama that splintered all over the place. Still, the show managed to entertain. 🎥💻📽

“In the Hand of Dante” (2025, Netflix) drama, directed by Julian Schnabel. The story follows a handwritten manuscript of Dante Alighieri's “Divine Comedy” found in a hidden Vatican cellar, which makes its way to a mob boss in New York City, ending up in the hands of the journalist Nick Tosches. 

       Mr Schnabel isn't a bad director at all. He ushered Javier Bardem to stardom in 2000's “Before Night Falls,” and his “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” was one of 2007's best. Julian, who is also an accomplished painter, is a cerebral filmmaker whose work isn't inaccessible but profoundly amiable in a way.

       I can't say “In the Hand…” is an awful movie because it isn't. Oscar Isaac's performance (as Tosches and Dante) is, as expected, magnetically alluring. And Gerard Butler's bad dude is effectively, captivatingly bad. Then there's the less lengthy involvement by Gal Gadot, John Malkovich, Al Pacino, Jason Momoa, and an acting Martin Scorsese.

       But this movie suffers from its own exaggerated depth or literary theatrics. What happens is a long (2 hours and 33 minutes!) discourse about stuff and that stuff is supposedly Signor Alighieri's masterpiece. 🎥💻📽

“Munich – The Edge of War” (2021, Netflix) historical period spy thriller. Explores the frantic, last-ditch diplomatic efforts to avert World War II. Set against the backdrop of the 1938 Munich Conference, the film follows a British civil servant and a German diplomat who become reluctant spies in a race to expose a deadly Nazi secret.

       Deft editing, and overall a riveting, restrained thrill. A brilliant handling by Christian Schwochow of Richard Harris’ 2017 novel. But equal high-fives to the performance of George Mackay and Jannis Niewohner as spies-by-circumstance Hugh Legat and Paul von Hartmann. 🎥💻📽

“The Physician” (2013, Amazon Prime) historical drama, based on the novel of the same name by Noah Gordon. An 11th-century English orphan travels to Persia to study medicine, disguising himself as a Jewish student to learn at a school that bans Christians. 

       Notwithstanding historical inaccuracies and stereotypical romanticism, the stunning visuals and enthralling photography make this epic a fine watch. And as expected of them, Stellan Skarsgard and Ben Kingsley, as the Barber and (the true life) Ibn Sina, delivered involved performances in contrasting intensity. 🎥💻📽