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