Harry Potter's Daniel Radcliffe plays his most mature role to date as Jack Kipling, 17-year-old son of Rudyard Kipling (David Haig of Four Weddings and a Funeral), in My Boy JackIt's 1915 and World War I has been declared. Aged only 17 Kiplings son like most of his generation is swept up in the enthusiasm to fight the Germans a mood stoked vigorously by his father. Jack is cripplingly short sighted and the army has rejected him twice rendering him too myopic even for an army suffering thousands of casualties a week and desperate for recruits. Yet Rudyard is undeterred determined that his son should go to the front like countless other sons and fight for the values that he Kipling espouses so publicly. Using his fame and influence Kipling persuades Lord Roberts on his death bed to get Jack a commission in the Irish guards. This intervention is barely tolerated by Carrie and daughter Elise (Carey Mulligan) as they disagree that Jack is fit to fight and fear for his safety on the front line. Jack is instantly popular with his troop he is a great leader and trains tirelessly to overcome the disability that is his eyesight. Six months later Jack sails to France as a lieutenant. Jack went missing in action during the Battle of Loos and his mother and father carried out an increasingly desperate search for him spanning many years and many miles.
Based on Haig's play My Boy Jack , this film was made for television but is not at all apparent when experiencing it, being shot with all care and resources that a mainstream movie gets.
Order My Boy Jack by David Haig, Daniel Radcliffe, Kim Cattrall, and Carey Mulligan (DVD) for $16.99 by clicking here.
My Boy Jack (Nick Hern Books) , David Haig's play is to be made available shortly for $18.95. You may either pre-order here or get the older edition (from different publisher) of My Boy Jack (Paperback) from other sellers on Amazon Marketplace (limited stock).
