Always Drama Around Tamara - DVD

Film: With Always Drama Around Tamara, director Stephen Frears once again proves his versatility: after his award-winning drama The Queen and the romance Chéri, Frears this time ventures into a comic adaptation that works as both a modern morality tale, a modern adaptation of the Thomas Hardy novel On the Green Edge of the World, and a romantic comedy.

Life in the quaint village of Ewedown in the English county of Dorset goes at a quiet, sedate pace. Here the clocks still go a little differently, the idyllic spot has successfully escaped the hustle and bustle of larger cities. And that's why Stonefield Farm is the perfect place for a writer's retreat, where they can not only unwind but also find inspiration for their latest works. But the seeming idyll is abruptly disrupted by the visit of Tamara Drewe (Gemma Arterton), who has returned to her old home from London. Not only does the young woman cause a stir with her far too skimpy outfits. When she starts a relationship with the successful rock star Ben (Dominic Cooper), the small community is turned upside down. And soon it becomes clear that not everything here is as idyllic and civilized as it seems on the surface...

Immer Drama um Tamara is, even if the somewhat stupid German title does not exactly suggest it, a really funny and above all clever comedy, which can boast with wonderful dialogue and great actors. The screenplay is based on the excellent cartoon Tamara Drewe by Posy Simmonds, who in turn was inspired by Thomas Hardy's novel Am gründen Rand der Welt (Far from the madding crowd). What Stephen Frears has conjured from the original is cheeky, a little frivolous and, above all, very British.

The superb ensemble is led by Gemma Arterton (James Bond - Quantum of Solace, Clash of the Titans), who really is perfectly cast as a big city sin on two long legs. But the rest of the cast has also been more than aptly chosen. The guests of the writer's retreat, in particular, are a wonderful bunch who alone make going to the movies worthwhile. The collection of egos, neuroses and vanities that clash here make for some of the best and most amusing moments of the film.

Admittedly, the many different characters and their individual storylines ensure that Immer Drama um Tamara at times feels a little overloaded. But Stephen Frears is not considered one of the best British directors ever for nothing. And so it is also thanks to his skill that the comedy is never completely thrown off track even in the most chaotic moments and skilfully navigates past flat silliness. Wonderful entertainment, which can be warmly recommended to lovers of noble British comedies!

Picture + Sound: Since only a data-reduced press sample was available for testing, no judgment can be made about the technical implementation at this point. Since just the picture quality already knew in this version to convince, can be assumed for the purchase DVD of a very good conversion.

Extras: Just 35 minutes of bonus material are offered to the interested viewer. It starts with a barely 10-minute, German-language Making of, which is too short and too advertising-heavy to provide really in-depth information about the making of the film. But if superficial information is enough for you, you get it in a short, concise and not unsympathetic way. It continues with a nearly 3 minute look at the shooting of the scene in which Tamara shows herself for the first time to the inhabitants of her home village. For the staff behind the camera there must have been worse things than having to repeat this scene more than once. Another 2 minutes of B-roll footage illuminates this scene from a different angle.

A few interviews and a comparison between scenes from the comic and their realization in the film, along with the German and English trailers, round out the bonus material.

Conclusion: Always Drama about Tamara is a wonderful comedy with a few hangs and many lovable characters. On the DVD, it's definitely worth getting the original English version, which does a better job of showcasing the wordplay of the clever script than the admittedly good dub. The bonus material on the DVD isn't particularly in-depth, but the comparison between the film and the comic book template alone is worth a look. Absolutely recommended for lovers of British comedies

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp