Cold Comfort Farm (1995)

A recently orphaned young woman goes to live with eccentric relatives in Sussex, where she sets about improving their gloomy lives.

Director:

John Schlesinger

Writers:

Malcolm Bradbury (screenplay), Stella Gibbons (novel)

Stars:

Eileen Atkins, Kate Beckinsale, Sheila Burrell

2 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Eileen Atkins	...	Judith Starkadder
Kate Beckinsale	...	Flora Poste
Sheila Burrell	...	Ada Doom
Stephen Fry	...	Mybug
Freddie Jones	...	Adam Lambsbreath
Joanna Lumley	...	Mrs. Mary Smiling
Ian McKellen	...	Amos Starkadder
Miriam Margolyes	...	Mrs. Beetle
Rufus Sewell	...	Seth Starkadder
Ivan Kaye	...	Reuben Starkadder
Jeremy Peters	...	Urk
Maria Miles	...	Elfine Starkadder
Christopher Bowen	...	Charles Fairford
Louise Rea	...	Meriam Beetle
Sophie Revell	...	Rennet

Storyline

In England in the early 1930s, twenty-year-old Flora Poste (Kate Beckinsale), recently orphaned, and left with only one hundred pounds sterling a year, goes to stay with distant relatives on Cold Comfort Farm. Everyone on the gloomy farm is completely around the twist, but Flora tries to sort everything out.

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Plot Keywords:

female protagonist | female led relationship | f rated | farm | 1930s | 

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Taglines:

She discovered a new branch of her family tree... the one with all the nuts.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for brief sensuality and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Towards the end of this movie, Judith Starkadder (Dame Eileen Atkins) can be seen reading tarot cards. The one that she has in her hand is "the Sun". This is considered to represent "earthly happiness" in tarot interpretation.

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Goofs

Flora and Amos walk out of the farmstead to go to church. There are buildings and trees all around. Their conversation is continuous, but the next scene shows them walking straight up through a wide open field of grass with grain fields in the background. There's not a building in sight, and the only trees are in the far distance.

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Quotes

Judith Starkadder: Get back to the vicarage, Violet.

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Crazy Credits

The copyright at the end of this movie is listed as "MCMXV", which translates to 1915. The movie was copyrighted in 1995, so the numerals should read "MCMXCV".

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Connections

Referenced in At the Movies: Jungle 2 Jungle/The Daytrippers/Kama Sutra/Good Luck/Gentlemen Don't Eat Poets (1997)

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Soundtracks

I'm More Than Satisfied
Composed by Fats Waller (as Waller) / Raymond Klages (as Klayes)
Published by EMI Music/Redwood Music
Arrangement by Robert Lockhart

User Reviews

Delightfully funny and gorgeously imaginative!

Cold Comfort Farm has been and remains one of my favorite movies of all time. Why? Simple: it is hilarious, has a star-studded and perfect ensemble cast, and is a beautiful adaptation of an equally, if not more hilarious, book. When one thinks about this movie, one always returns to the cast and how well-suited they were for their roles. Kate Beckinsale fits perfectly in the role of London débutante Flora Poste who, like Jane Austen, "could not endure a mess." Ian McKellen plays his role to fire and brimstone perfection. Rufus Sewell is remarkably well suited as the smoldering Seth with his brooding eyes and husky, outdoors-y sentiments. Eileen Atkins plays the extremely depressed, reverse-Oedipal mother of Seth in all her exceptional oddness. This is but naming a few of the fabulous cast members that fills this film. The film itself is beautifully filmed and beautifully acted. I would highly recommend it to anyone who 1)enjoys subtle British humor and 2)just enjoys an all-around excellent film.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 May 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cold Comfort Farm

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$66,427, 12 May 1996

Gross USA:

$5,682,429

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$5,682,429

Company Credits

Production Co:

BBC Films, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Thames International

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1