FILMS OF THE WEEK

THE BIG MOVIE

Testament Of Youth (2014) 12 Saturday, 9pm, BBC2 Vera Brittain’s wartime memoirs – the first instalment was published in 1933 – were bestsellers and a lasting legacy, not only for Brittain, but for all those touched by the horrors of the First World War or, indeed, all wars. This tender adaptation stars Alicia Vikander as Vera (above, with Kit Harington). A bright and defiant young woman, Vera was determined to follow her beloved brother, Edward, to university, even though women still did not have routine access to higher education. Then, the war breaks out, and her dreams and hopes for the future – along with those of her entire generation – are irrevocably altered. Working as a nurse, Vera braves the unrelenting torrent of the wounded and dying, including those she knows and loves. A painfully true story of love and sacrifice.

CLASSIC FILM CHOICE

Tootsie (1982) 15 Saturday, 6.40pm, Film4 Sydney Pollack’s shrewd, surprising comedy tells the story of Dustin Hoffman’s ‘unemployable’ New York actor, Michael Dorsey, as he adopts a female persona – Dorothy Michaels (above) – to land a TV soap opera role. The film, of course, belongs to Hoffman, whose intelligent handling of both genders makes for a film that is both funny and touching. The kneejerk laughs from watching a not obviously feminine man in a dress are short-lived – all of the film’s characters are convinced by Dorothy, finding her eccentric but endearing. Following a series of complications arising out of mistaken sexual identity – Michael/Dorothy falls for his co-star, Julie (Jessica Lange), while Julie’s father (Charles Durning) falls for Dorothy – the film delivers a progressive message in a powerfully entertaining and affecting package.