A Feast at Midnight (1994)

A new student at a British public school forms a secret society centered around cooking and midnight feasting with other school misfits and outcasts.

Director:

Justin Hardy

Writers:

Justin Hardy, Yoshi Nishio

Stars:

Freddie Findlay, Aled Roberts, Andrew Lusher

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Freddie Findlay	...	Magnus
Aled Roberts	...	Goff
Andrew Lusher	...	Tava
Christopher Lee	...	V. E. 'Raptor' Longfellow
Robert Hardy	...	Headmaster
Samuel West	...	Chef
Carol MacReady	...	Miss Plunder
Lisa Faulkner	...	Miss Charlotte
Edward Fox	...	Father
John Hurley	...	Cabbie
Sebastian Armesto	...	Oberoi (as Sebastián Fernández-Armesto)
Stuart Hawley	...	Bathurst
Jordan Ruffell	...	Mee
Edward Hassard	...	Cubitt
Matthew Blakiston	...	Merriman

Storyline

A new student at a British public school forms a secret society centered around cooking and midnight feasting with other school misfits and outcasts.

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Plot Keywords:

school | cooking | secret society | scoffer | boy | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Family

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for mild sensuality and boyish pranks

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 March 1995 (UK)

Also Known As:

Keskiyön juhla

Filming Locations:

Tottenham House, Wiltshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kwai River

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Christopher Lee stated in interviews given at time of its release he worked for free on this project.

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Quotes

Chef: [after rushing the boys from the kitchen] "Now run away quickly! Go on! Run, runrunrun! Go and be naughty elsewhere, you little, little... chefs."

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Connections

References Jurassic Park (1993)

User Reviews

Charming and light

This movie is absolutely delicious, as light as one of Magnus' (the main character's) own confections. Nevertheless it has held my interest through many viewings and even brought me to tears near the end, every single time.

Not only is the acting of brilliant veterans Robert Hardy, Christopher Lee, Carol MacReady, and Edward Fox as perfect as you would expect, but the children put in brilliant, subtle performances as well, with Freddie Findlay showing true star promise. The lush Dover location and surprisingly poignant music also add dimensions of richness to a very simple, honest story.

The focal characters are realistically bad and good boys -- realistic because often the same boys are both bad and good under believable circumstances -- who learn about the real meaning of friendship, teamwork, and even honor through, well, cooking. Do have fattening and decadent snacks on hand when you watch, because what the boys whip up will certainly make you hungry.

Incidentally, this film also managed to charm my boyfriend and to hold his interest throughout, and since this is such a tiny little dessert of a film, and since said boyfriend generally goes for the gamut of action flicks from Jackie Chan to Akira Kurosawa, or 2-hour Chow Yun-Fat/John Woo bloodbaths, this is really saying something. Because of the way the film gets right into the world of children, while not abandoning entirely the world and motivations of adults, I would also certainly recommend it for children age 8 or 10 and up; but there are still enough jokes and subtleties for grown-ups only that it won't bore parents.