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Front Row: Dennis Lehane, The Fighter, Mike Figgis opera

Dennis Lehane, The Fighter, Mike Figgis opera

01/02/2011

BBC Radio 4 - Front Row, Dennis Lehane, The Fighter, Mike Figgis opera

Mark Lawson talks to Dennis Lehane and reviews The Fighter and Mike Figgis's opera debut.

Mark Lawson talks to Dennis Lehane, whose books include Mystic River, Shutter Island and Gone, Baby, Gone and reviews the film The Fighter and Mike Figgis's debut directing opera.

With Mark Lawson. 

Christian Bale's performance in The Fighter has earnt him an Oscar nomination. Sports correspondent Eleanor Oldroyd reviews this film, which tells the story of the early years of boxer "Irish" Micky Ward and the brother who helped train him before he turned pro in the mid 1980s. 

Dennis Lehane discusses the experience of having three films adapted from his novels Mystic River, Shutter Island and Gone, Baby, Gone. In his latest book, Moonlight Mile, he returns to characters from Gone Baby Gone.

Baroness Estelle Morris, the former Secretary of State for Education and Katharine Birbalsingh, the teacher who hit the headlines after speaking at the Conservative Party Conference, join Mark Lawson to discuss three new plays which share an education theme: The Knowledge by John Donnelly and Little Platoons by Steve Waters - which are on at the Bush in London and Mogadishu by Vivienne Franzmann which is at Manchester Royal Exchange.

Film-maker Mike Figgis directs his first opera at English National Opera. His version of Lucrezia Borgia by Donizetti includes filmed interludes. Helen Wallace reviews.

Producer: Jack Green.

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

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