Reviews

History of making things skips over some inconvenient truths

A new six-part series on the BBC looks at the history of manufacturing in Britain. It glosses over the crucial dynamic—class, argues?Blythe Taylor

First Man puts humanity at centre of the space race

The new biopic of Neil Armstrong is about much more than a tense marriage and celestial exploration

Courageous production of Brecht’s anti-war classic Mother Courage and her children

Red Ladder Theatre Company, with the support of Leeds Playhouse, are putting on a new production of Bertolt Brecht’s Mother Courage and Her Children

Death of a Salesman - chasing dreams in a society that produces nightmares

Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller has always been a very popular play.

Peterloo film brings a class revolt to life

Watching Mike Leigh's film makes you feel like you were actually there on the day the massacre took place in Manchester in 1819.

Black 47's Western genre does justice to the horror of Ireland’s famine

Black 47 is a familiar tale of righteous violent revenge. But its subject matter sees it stand alone from other classics of the genre

Reviews round-up: The Burning Tower

Burning Tower makes a case for investment in social housing.

The Captain film points a finger at trappings of authority

It’s two weeks before the end of the Second World War and the German army is disintegrating.

Shakespearean roles turned on head in Queen Margaret

Gender roles and how they shape society are explored in an innovative new play set in the world of William Shakespeare’s plays, says Pat Clinton

Playwright David Edgar—can the left turn the tide against the right?

Was a rightward shift was inevitable for the generation that rose up against the Vietnam War?

Michael Inside—an honest account of life in prison

Director Frank Berry challenges the concept of prison reform in his new drama Michael Inside

Faces and Places is a nice telling of ordinary lives—but does it marginalise black people?

Director Agnes Varda and photographer JR travel around France and put up huge photographs of the people they meet

Towering architectural feats? Piano fails to hit the right note

Architect Renzo Piano has made a successful career out of designing buildings that ordinary people are largely excluded from using

Inspiring anti-racist message from 1978

The Northern Carnival against the Nazis—a rally and concert held on 15 July 1978 in Moss Side, Manchester—was a defining moment in establishing anti-racism in the city and beyond.

Dissent reinterpreted in new exhibition curated by Hislop

Powerful pieces are on display at British Museum’s latest big show but its eclecticism means their context is lacking, argues Hassan Mahamdallie

Music plays on in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, in documentary One Note At A Time

This is the story of struggling artists in New Orleans and their resilience

A hot romance for Cold War musicians in new Polish epic

Captivating performances and musical talent in a context of peasants and modernisation makes for interesting viewing

Idles’ new album is a lightning bolt against reaction

If someone forced you at gun point to describe Idles’ latest album in two words, you could do a lot worse than “angry” and “loud”.

Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman film is a strong call to arms for anti-racists

There are some problems with Spike Lee’s new film, not least how it portrays the cops, but it redeems itself with its key message, says Antony Hamilton

Too much farming in The Guardians, a story of changing women’s lives

The Guardians is an interesting exploration— in the last 20 minutes— of how the First World War changed the role of women in the workplace and the family