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Performance: Season 1, Episode 1Absolute Hell (5 Oct. 1991)Black comedy set in Soho, London, right after WW2. Half of the fun is seeing a slew of very familiar faces kick up their heels as gay men, lesbians, party-girls, drunks, and drag queens. Director:Anthony PageWriter:Rodney Ackland (by) |
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Title: Absolute Hell (05 Oct 1991)
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Cast
| Episode complete credited cast: | |||
| Judi Dench | ... |
Christine Foskett
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Francesca Annis | ... |
Elizabeth Collier
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Sylvia Barter | ... |
Julia Shillitoe
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Paul Birchard | ... |
Butch
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Susan Brown | ... |
Bill
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| Anthony Calf | ... |
Douglas Eden
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Gary Fairhall | ... |
Club Member
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Gregory Floy | ... |
Michael Crowley
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Moyra Fraser | ... |
Lettice Willis
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Sheelagh Fraser | ... |
Madge
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Mark Gillis | ... |
Club Member
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| Charles Gray | ... |
Maurice Hussey
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Barbara Hicks | ... |
Mrs. Pratt
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Betty Marsden | ... |
R. B. Monody
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Sussanah Morley | ... |
Fifi
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Storyline
Black comedy set in Soho, London, right after WW2. Half of the fun is seeing a slew of very familiar faces kick up their heels as gay men, lesbians, party-girls, drunks, and drag queens.
Genres:
DramaParents Guide:
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Details
Country:
UKLanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
5 October 1991 (UK) See more »Company Credits
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This British television movie from 1991 is a real treasure.
"Absolute Hell" offers a glimpse of a world that few people today could have imagined. A Bohemian members-only club, run by the amazing Judi Dench. The telefilm, based on the novel "The Pink Room," takes place in 1945, shortly after Germany surrendered. The setting is SoHo, one of the rare locales where gay men and women could actually feel welcomed, at that time.
What makes this movie so fascinating to watch is the great cast, especially Hugh Nighy, as an alcoholic has-been writer, being deserted by his lover of 9 years, and Betty Marsden, riveting as lesbian literary critic R.B. Monody. Her role is of a type that has rarely been portrayed on film and she is brilliant.
Because this is an ensemble piece we may not get as deep into the characters as we might have, but I think that might be part of the charm here. It is more of a window into a time that few people have seen depicted, than a specific character study.
Well worth the time to watch, if you have the opportunity.