A Handful of Dust (1988)

The wife's affair and a death in the family hasten the demise of an upper-class English marriage.

Director:

Charles Sturridge

Writers:

Evelyn Waugh (novel), Tim Sullivan (screenplay)

Stars:

James Wilby, Kristin Scott Thomas, Richard Beale

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Wilby	...	Tony Last
Kristin Scott Thomas	...	Brenda Last
Richard Beale	...	Ben
Jackson Kyle	...	John Andrew
Norman Lumsden	...	Ambrose
Jeanne Watts	...	Nanny
Kate Percival	...	Miss Ripon
Richard Leech	...	Doctor
Roger Milner	...	Vicar
Tristram Jellinek	...	Richard Last
Anjelica Huston	...	Mrs. Rattery
Rupert Graves	...	John Beaver
Judi Dench	...	Mrs. Beaver
Pip Torrens	...	Jock
Beatie Edney	...	Marjorie

Storyline

We see the detritus of an abandoned camp in South America and a main character's hallucination. Then, the story begins. Tony (James Wilby) and Brenda Last (Dame Kristin Scott Thomas), lord and lady, live on his enormous estate with their young son. Tony's not much for parties, and Brenda joins London society, on the arm of a penniless man, John Beaver (Rupert Graves), a hanger-on at Tony's club. John is encouraged by his entrepreneurial mother, Mrs. Beaver (Dame Judi Dench), who sees a quid in Tony and Brenda. Brenda and John become lovers, Brenda spends more and more time in London, and Tony's without a clue. Then, bringing things to a head are tragedy, law suits, greed, and what should be a few-months' expedition to Brazil. We are each of us merely a handful of dust.

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Plot Keywords:

class differences | cheating wife | adultery | death of son | 1930s | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

The second of two 1980s British period movies with the word "dust" in the title. The first being Merchant Ivory's Heat and Dust (1983).

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Quotes

Mr. Todd: Let us read "Little Dorrit" again. There are passages in that book that I can never hear without the temptation to weep.

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Arthur 2: On the Rocks/Short Circuit 2/Coming to America/A Handful of Dust/License to Drive (1988)

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Soundtracks

Praise My Soul King Of Heaven
(uncredited)
Music by William Ringham
Words based on Psalm 103

User Reviews

a lot of smoke but no real fire

A story that raises many questions, even good ones, but gives only a few answers. A great cast, James Wilby is for example excellent as Tony Last, goes to work in this beautifully filmed melodrama set in the early thirties i UK and Brazil. The period feeling is great and so are the settings. The story is built up around a doomed marriage, but it is hard to really understand why. There is a lot of smoke here but no real fire until the late and great Sir Alec Guiness comes to work in the last 30 minutes creating a frightening illiterate fan of Charles Dickens. But superb acting on all hands and high class camera-work is not enough although the film is worth watching especially if you have a love for British culture and history, and don't we all...

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 June 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Evelyn Waugh's A Handful of Dust

Filming Locations:

Highclere Castle, Highclere, Hampshire, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$35,470, 26 June 1988

Gross USA:

$1,560,700

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,560,700

Company Credits

Production Co:

Handful of Dust, Stagescreen Productions, London Weekend Television (LWT)

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Fujicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1