Keep the Aspidistra Flying (1997)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Robert Bierman

Writers:

George Orwell (novel)
Alan Plater (screenplay)

Release Date:

28 August 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Romance | Comedy

Plot:

Gordon Comstock is a copywriter at an ad agency, and his girlfriend Rosemary is a designer. Gordon believes he is a genius...

Plot Keywords:

Poverty | Poet | Book Seller | Marriage | Writing

Cast

Richard E. Grant	...	Gordon Comstock
Helena Bonham Carter	...	Rosemary
Julian Wadham	...	Ravelston
Jim Carter	...	Erskine
Harriet Walter	...	Julia Comstock
Lesley Vickerage	...	Hermione
Barbara Leigh-Hunt	...	Mrs. Wisbeach (as Barbara Leigh Hunt)
Liz Smith	...	Mrs. Meakin
John Clegg	...	McKechnie
Bill Wallis	...	Mr. Cheeseman
Lill Roughley	...	Mrs. Trilling
Dorothea Alexander	...	Old Woman
Peter Stockbridge	...	Old Man
Grant Parsons	...	Beautiful Young Man
Malcolm Sinclair	...	Paul Doring

Also Known As:

A Merry War (New Zealand: English title) (USA)
Comstock and Rosemary

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some sex-related material.

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Rankcolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 | UK:PG (TV rating)

Filming Locations:

Ealing Studios, Ealing, London, England, UK

Company:

BBC Films

Goofs:

Anachronisms: During a scene in the office, Rosemary is sitting at her desk talking to her boss. The light reflects off her glasses, giving off a green tinge, indicative of anti-reflective lenses - not invented during the time the movie takes place.

Quotes:

Gordon Comstock: When you're lying in the gutter, you've got nowhere to fall.

Soundtrack:

Tiger in the Night

Lightweight Orwell

George Orwell wrote 'Keep the Aspidistra Flying' based in part on his own experiences as a young writer, with himself as the object of the satire. It may be hard to think of Richard E. Grant as Orwell, but he does an enthusiastic job of bringing the book's hero to life in this adaptation, portraying an immature, but genuine and brave character struggling to establish what is most important in his life. The setting may be 80 years ago, but director never allows his film to wallow in nostalgia, keeping it fresh instead of overplaying superficial differences from our own era (though the final use of a modern song over the final credits grates). What's a bit more disappointing is the complete absence of politics in the story, odd given Orwell's own passionate commitment; the film's conclusion could be summarised as "if you're middle class, stop worrying and enjoy it", which is not a sentiment I can imagine Orwell endorsing. A lively but slight film.