The Falklands Play (TV 2002)

Twenty years ago, Britain went to war to regain the Falkland Islands. The Falklands Play is a gripping account of how Margaret Thatcher's government handled the biggest crisis in British ... See full summary »

Director:

Michael Samuels

Writer:

Ian Curteis

Stars:

Patricia Hodge, James Fox, John Standing

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Patricia Hodge	...	Rt Hon Margaret Thatcher MP (Prime Minister)
James Fox	...	Rt Hon Peter, 6th Baron Carrington KCMG MC (Foreign Secretary)
John Standing	...	Rt Hon William Whitelaw CH MC MP (Home Secretary)
Michael Cochrane	...	Rt Hon Nicholas Ridley MP (Financial Secretary to the Treasury)
Jeremy Child	...	Rt Hon Francis Pym MC MP (Lord President of the Council / Foreign Secretary)
Rupert Vansittart	...	Sir Robert Armstrong (Cabinet Secretary)
Jonathan Coy	...	Richard Luce MP (Minister of State, Foreign Office)
Clive Merrison	...	Rt Hon John Nott MP (Secretary of State for Defence)
Peter Blythe	...	Rt Hon Sir Michael Havers QC MP (Attorney-General)
Jeremy Clyde	...	Sir Nicholas Henderson (HM Ambassador to the United States)
Colin Stinton	...	Alexander Haig (US Secretary of State)
Shaughan Seymour	...	Adm. Sir Henry Leach (First Sea Lord)
Anthony Calf	...	Robin Fearn (Head of Falkland Islands Department, Foreign Office)
Jasper Jacob	...	John Wilkinson MP (Parliamentary Private Secretary to John Nott)
Richard Cordery	...	Tom Enders (US Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs)

Storyline

Twenty years ago, Britain went to war to regain the Falkland Islands. The Falklands Play is a gripping account of how Margaret Thatcher's government handled the biggest crisis in British foreign affairs since Suez. It tells the story of how Argentina - an ally of the British - fought the Conservative government and invaded sovereign British territory. This play charts the backroom manoeuvrings between Thatcher's government and the military, between the British and the Americans, and the Americans and the Argentineans that led to a breakdown in diplomacy, to war and to Britain's eventual victory.

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Plot Keywords:

britain | falklands | falkland islands | argentina | south georgia island | 

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Details

Official Sites:

BBC Four

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 April 2002 (UK)

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The script used in the film is in fact an amended and abridged version of the original script. It removes all of the material involving the Junta and the Pope.

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Quotes

Alexander Haig: We are trying to de-escalise a war.
Margaret Thatcher: So am I. But you do not do it by appeasement. You increase its chances. You see this table? This was where Neville Chamberlain sat in 1938 when he spoke on the wireless about the Czechs as "far away people about whom we know nothing and with whom we have so little in common". Munich! Appeasement! A world war followed because of that irresponsible, woolly-minded, indecisive, slip-shod attitude and the deaths of 45 million people.
Tom Enders: The fact that we have to treat...
[...]

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Connections

Featured in When TV Goes to War (2011)

User Reviews

At last, a true appraisal of the situation.

In this day and age of cynicism it's refreshing for a film (tele-play?) to tell it how it was. At the end of the day a militaristic dictatorship invaded a peaceful little Island, watched over by a democratic nation. Sorry but those are the facts. This is how it's told. You then throw in a strong, charismatic leader and you've also got a damn good story. Patricia Hodge (I would never have cast her) was marvellous. Anyone wishing to see a balanced view of the conflict should watch this and An Ungentlemanly Act and this presentation.