Plenty (1985)

A young Englishwoman spends 20 years to make whatever kind of life for herself at the expense of others around her in post-World War 2 England.

Director:

Fred Schepisi

Writers:

David Hare (play), David Hare (screenplay)

Stars:

Meryl Streep, Charles Dance, Tracey Ullman

Nominated for 2 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 3 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Meryl Streep	...	Susan Traherne
Charles Dance	...	Raymond Brock
Tracey Ullman	...	Alice Park
John Gielgud	...	Sir Leonard Darwin
Sting	...	Mick
Ian McKellen	...	Sir Andrew Charleson
Sam Neill	...	Lazar
Burt Kwouk	...	Mr. Aung
André Maranne	...	Villon
Pik Sen Lim	...	Madame Aung
Ian Wallace	...	Medlicoti
Tristram Jellinek	...	Dawncey
Peter Forbes-Robertson	...	Brussells Hotel Manager
Hugo De Vernier	...	Doctor
James Taylor	...	Tony (dead man)

Storyline

Susan Traherne has been irreparably changed by her wartime experiences as a Resistance fighter. She sets out in the post-war world to make her way to what she wants, no matter who is hurt, or how.

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Plot Keywords:

post war | resistance | spy | fully clothed sex | suez crisis | 

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Taglines:

She wants it all. She takes it all. She pays the price.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 September 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bolluk

Filming Locations:

Brussels, Brussels-Capital, Belgium

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pressman Productions, RKO Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

121 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Many critics dismissed the movie as being just a filmed version of David Hare's stage play. In fact Hare re-wrote about 60 percent of the material for the film.

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Goofs

Queen Elizabeth II's coronation was in 1953, yet the flag display in the background includes the Canadian "maple leaf" flag which was not adopted until 1965.

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Quotes

Susan Traherne: You don't understand the figures in my mind!

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Crossover Dreams/Maxie/Mishima/Plenty (1985)

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Soundtracks

"Trumpet Voluntary"
(uncredited)
Music by Jeremiah Clarke
Arranged by Edrich Siebert
KPM Music Ltd

User Reviews

Alone In The World

"Plenty" is a film I watch as often as other people watch "It's A Wonderful Life" or the first "Terminator", yes, I know, I must be a very strange guy. I was a teenager when I saw "Plenty" on stage at the National Theater in London. I remembered the play vividly, Kate Nelligan's performance was sensational. Fred Schepsi's "Plenty" has a totally unique life of its own. We're allowed into Susan's mind and Susan has Meryl Streep's face. Her performance makes her character's intellect visible, cinematic. Intimidating, fascinating, extraordinarily beautiful performance. I think David Hare has written here one of the best female characters I've ever seen and Meryl Streep strips it of every pretense. She can lie even to herself but not to us. It is mesmerizing at times. A ping pong ball going through the character's brain as she listens. Alone, so alone in the world. She never expresses it with words although she, I think, is totally aware of it. The infuriating sense of being incapable to adapt, to belong. Wanting and not wanting. Mesmerizing! As if this wasn't enough, Tracey Ullman, Charles Dance, Sting, Ian McKellen and John Gielgud giving, perhaps one of the best film performances during the final part of of his life I felt rather lonely in my love for this film until I started reading some of the comments posted here and realized I wasn't all alone in the world. Nice to meet you all.