Made in 1985, and set in 1951 with roots 20 years further back. For me the cars and their exhaust note, the floors, sounds of the door latches, and the river, all exude the essences of the times. Anthony Hopkins attention to the detail of language, phrases and words, place his character spot-on in the period. A tremendous success. The capture of social context within the story works as well. Admittedly the plot is torturous and I had to keep backtracking to understand, but to the director's and writer's credit they did not stoop to making things boring by overly long explanations; they kept it fast paced, just like real people would talk, and it is up to me to get up to speed. The second screening was much more enjoyable! A film that is rich in sets and costumes, as well as dialog, period language and plot! A drawing room drama, not an action film; a study of sociological entanglements.