A Month in the Country (1987)

Five centuries ago a mural was created in a country church in the north of England and then hidden under layers of white paint. Looking at it again will be a distraction, the Rev. Mr. Keach... See full summary »

Director:

Pat O'Connor

Writers:

J.L. Carr (novel), Simon Gray

Stars:

Colin Firth, John Atkinsons, Jim Carter

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Colin Firth	...	Tom Birkin
John Atkinsons	...	Old Man on Train
Jim Carter	...	Ellerbeck
Patrick Malahide	...	Reverend Keach
Kenneth Branagh	...	James Moon
Richard Vernon	...	Colonel Hebron
Tim Barker	...	Mossop
Vicki Arundale	...	Kathy Ellerbeck
Martin O'Neil	...	Edgar Ellerbeck
Natasha Richardson	...	Alice Keach
Tony Haygarth	...	Douthwaite
Eileen O'Brien	...	Mrs. Ellerbeck
Elizabeth Anson	...	Lucy Sykes
Barbara Marten	...	Mrs. Sykes
Kenneth Kitson	...	Mr. Sykes

Storyline

Five centuries ago a mural was created in a country church in the north of England and then hidden under layers of white paint. Looking at it again will be a distraction, the Rev. Mr. Keach tells WWI veteran Tom Birken who will spend a month in the country restoring the mural. Another veteran, James Moon, is looking for the grave of an ancestor of the patroness of the church who fought in the Crusades. The rector's wife, Alice, comes to see the mural and later visits Birken's bell tower abode, bringing a basket of apples. Will she open the book in which he has pressed the yellow rose she gave him earlier?

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Plot Keywords:

independent film | based on novel

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 February 1988 (Ireland)

Also Known As:

En månad på landet

Filming Locations:

Bray Studios, Down Place, Oakley Green, Berkshire, England, UK

Box Office

Gross:

$443,524 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Channel Four Films, Euston Films, PfH Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

According to Alice Keach, her roses are the variety Sarah Van Fleet. However, the film is set in 1920 and Sarah Van Fleet roses were not introduced until 1926.

User Reviews

A lovely, complex film that keeps revealing itself

I adored the book by J. L. Carr, and was skeptical that Birkin's first person narrative could be conveyed on film. Firth brilliantly makes this internal landscape manifest, while the film provides a sumptuous external setting. All the lead cast strike an effective balance between intensity and restraint. Every time I view the movie, I see things that I hadn't noticed before.

I wish I had seen "A Month in the Country" on the big screen when it was released. The laserdisc looks good, though I wonder what I'm missing. Even though the laserdisc soundtrack is monophonic, it was striking enough to make a friend jump when we were viewed it.