American Friends (1991)

Francis Ashby, a senior Oxford don on holiday alone in the Alps, meets holidaying American Caroline and her companion Elinor, the blossoming Irish-American girl she adopted many years ... See full summary »

Director:

Tristram Powell

Writers:

Michael Palin (story), Michael Palin (screenplay),

Stars:

Bryan Pringle, Fred Pearson, Michael Palin

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bryan Pringle	...	Haskell
Fred Pearson	...	Hapgood
Michael Palin	...	Reverend Francis Ashby
Alfred Molina	...	Oliver Syme
Susan Denaker	...	Mrs. Cantrell
Jonathan Firth	...	Cable
Ian Dunn	...	Gowers
Robert Eddison	...	Rushden - The President
David Calder	...	Pollitt
Simon Jones	...	Anderson
Charles McKeown	...	Maynard
Roger Lloyd-Pack	...	Dr. Butler
John Nettleton	...	Groves
Trini Alvarado	...	Miss Elinor Hartley
Connie Booth	...	Miss Caroline Hartley

Storyline

Francis Ashby, a senior Oxford don on holiday alone in the Alps, meets holidaying American Caroline and her companion Elinor, the blossoming Irish-American girl she adopted many years before. Ashby finds he enjoys their company, particularly that of Elinor, and both the women are drawn to him. Back at Oxford he is nevertheless taken aback when they arrive unannounced. Women are not allowed in the College grounds, let alone the rooms. Indeed any liaison, however innocent, is frowned on by the upstanding Fellows.

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Plot Keywords:

oxford | holiday | alps | american abroad | mountain | 

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Taglines:

Education in love

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some mild language and sensuality

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

April 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Amerikanische Freundinnen

Filming Locations:

Kanton Wallis, Switzerland

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), British Screen Productions, Mayday

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Did You Know?

Trivia

Michael Palin says that the plot was taken from a real-life incident involving his great-grandfather.

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Soundtracks

"Schumann Lieder [Opus 25]"
By Robert Schumann
Sung by Susan Denaker

User Reviews

The view from college

Set about one hundred years ago, in Europe and England, this tale of repressed love initially feels like a re-working of 'A Room with a View', with the list of who fell for whom slightly re-arranged. But its portrait of Victorian England seems deliberately exaggerated: a woman can't speak to a college fellow without ruining his reputation, it seems, or talk to a man after dark without being arrested as a whore. Yet there's a charm here that grows on you, in spite of its obviousness. What is perhaps a shame is the missed opportunity presented by the fact that there hero's opponent (in a college election) is an advocate of evolution, which by implication the hero opposes: but the film does not force its favourite to defend his creed. I liked odd bits of casting: Alfred Molina playing sexy, for example, and Roger Lloyd-Peck (Trigger in 'Only Fools and Horses') playing posh. But the script itself, though cute, could have done with some of the same originality.