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An Awfully Big Adventure (1995)

 -  Comedy | Drama  -  21 July 1995 (USA)
5.8
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Ratings: 5.8/10 from 1,692 users  
Reviews: 29 user | 14 critic

Set right after World War II, a naive teenage girl joins a shabby theatre troupe in Liverpool. During a winter production of Peter Pan, the play quickly turns into a dark metaphor for youth... See full summary »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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Rita Tushingham ...
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Edward Petherbridge ...
St. Ives
Nicola Pagett ...
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Clive Merrison ...
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Ruth McCabe ...
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Storyline

Set right after World War II, a naive teenage girl joins a shabby theatre troupe in Liverpool. During a winter production of Peter Pan, the play quickly turns into a dark metaphor for youth as she becomes drawn into a web of sexual politics and intrigue. Written by Alex Brewer

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

A revealing comedy about what really goes on when the lights go down. See more »

Genres:

Comedy | Drama

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexuality and some language | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

21 July 1995 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Aventure en coulisses  »

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$258,195 (USA)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

(Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Georgina Cates had unsuccessfully auditioned for the part of Stella under her real name of Clare Woodgate. Frustrated, she dyed her hair, reinvented herself as a 16-year-old Liverpool girl called "Georgina Cates", and landed the role. See more »

Goofs

When O'Hara is running down the wharf in 1947, there is a modern car carrier (ship) in the background. See more »

Quotes

Rose: You can't do anything I don't hear about, not on that motorbike.
[a beat]
Rose: You won't find her. Not now.
P.L. O'Hara: I might. And I might find him.
Rose: How will you know?
P.L. O'Hara: I'll know. Little chap, stands like me.
Rose: How's that?
P.L. O'Hara: Heroical, twice nightly.
See more »

Connections

References Stella Maris (1918) See more »

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User Reviews

The Show Must Go On
31 July 2002 | by (USA) – See all my reviews

I've been curious about this movie for a long time. I finally saw it on IFC.

It was great! In this age of VERY expensive, predictable, committee-approved "art", I was relieved to watch this story unfold. Although I suspected early on about the relationship between Cates and Rickman's characters, it's execution was much better than the usual pap that pretends to be a surprise or twist.

Or even interesting.

The real twists in this story, was its own mirror of the real human forces and decisions that keep some of the sweetest, and unfortunately, worst stories going on. The twists were the tiny reasons why such things, sometimes painful and abhorrent to our collective cultural sense of what's right and decent in a society, to continue within it.

The hypocrisy of denying that these dark parts of ourselves exist often cause them to continue. Often times, the self-appointed moral-police of our culture make this inevitable in their pursuit of human frailty, the aftermath of its hunt, and the white-washing of the events (and non-events) they discovered.

No character represented total evil, good, decadence or purity, including Stella. She had as much (subtle) emotional weaponry with her, as she had emotional scars.

Many Americans don't like, or have been trained (over time) to not have patience for such imperfect main-characters in fiction anymore. The one-dimensional, mass-marketed character, is the norm here now.

That's sad. Because of that, this movie (and others like it) didn't do very well here.

Having this story take place within the entertainment industry is an excellent way of displaying so much of the world's human tragedy AND stupidity being covered up by some people's treachery, some people's nobility, or a combination of both.

And even at the end of this tale, all of the stage crew, like life itself, executed their own particular versions of the adage, "The show must go on."

No perfect hollywood story here, with it's base and stupid doling out of come-uppance of everyone's flaws...or Evil.


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