Cinema: Shell Games Turtle Diary

Directed by John Irvin Screenplay by Harold Pinter

Round and round the sea turtles paddle. They have lived in a tank in London's Regent's Park Zoo for 30 years. Considering that sad history, their cramped conditions and their vast life expectancies, it would be easy to see them --especially in a bad movie--as symbols of futility.

Round and round paddles William Snow (Ben Kingsley). He lives in a boardinghouse and works as a bookstore clerk, having dropped out of marriage and more exciting forms of commerce. Asked if he was a good father to his daughters, he replies, "They thought so. Of course, they were very young then."

Round...

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