Metroland (1997)

The sudden reappearance of his best friend Toni, after ten years absence, causes Chris to remember his past, to question some of his lifestyle decisions and to re-evaluate his life and marriage to Marion.

Director:

Philip Saville

Writers:

Julian Barnes (novel), Adrian Hodges (screenplay)

Stars:

Christian Bale, Lee Ross, Emily Watson

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Christian Bale	...	Chris
Emily Watson	...	Marion
Lee Ross	...	Toni
Elsa Zylberstein	...	Annick
John Wood	...	The Retired Commuter
Rufus	...	Henri
Amanda Ryan	...	Joanna
Jonathan Aris	...	Dave
Ifan Meredith	...	Mickey
Boris Terral	...	Jacques
Lucy Speed	...	Punk Girl
Bill Thomas	...	Middle-Aged Commuter
Bethan Fairbairn	...	Amy
Daisy Fairbairn	...	Amy
Del Bartle	...	One of The Subverts

Storyline

After ten years absence Toni, Chris's best friend, suddenly reappears in London to bring chaos and doubt into Chris's calm, tranquil, slightly boring, predictable life. Chris starts to remember his carefree youth as a photographer in Paris when he lived with and enjoyed a torrid affair with Annick. It was also in Paris that he first met and fell in love with Marion. The temptations and pressure exerted on Chris by Toni to return to their former carefree life of sex, drugs and rock'n'roll soon starts to have an impact on Chris's marriage. He starts to question his values, his lifestyle choices and his relationship with Marion and even suspects her of starting an affair with Toni whom she dislikes! Eventually circumstances come to a head and Chris is forced to decide whether to follow Toni back to the hedonistic, irresponsible life of his youth or face the harsh realities of the present and stay with Marion.

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Plot Keywords:

friend | love | marriage | photographer | sex | 

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Taglines:

Metroland is not a location - it is a state of mind.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexuality, and for language

Details

Country:

Spain France UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 August 1998 (UK)

Also Known As:

Keskellä elämää

Filming Locations:

Amersham, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$26,682, 11 April 1999, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$299,463, 6 June 1999

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arts Council of England,Blue Horizon Productions,Eurimages

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film takes place in 1977.

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Goofs

When sitting in the Pub talking about sleeping with "other" women and having sex with the same person for so long, the song heard on the juke-box in the background is Dire Straits' "Sultans of Swing". Although an early version of the song had indeed been recorded in June 1977 and even received significant airplay in London, the particular version heard wasn't recorded until mid 1978.

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Quotes

The Retired Commuter: It doesn't matter where you go. Metroland isn't a place. It's a state of mind.

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Connections

Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Never Been Kissed/Blood, Guts, Bullets & Octane/Metroland/Go/The Last Days (1999)

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Soundtracks

So You Win Again
Composed by Russ Ballard
Performed by Hot Chocolate
Published by Russell Ballard Ltd./EMI Virgin Music Ltd.
Courtesy of EMI Records Ltd.

User Reviews

Metroland...a state of mind, not a place.

After several years of a happy marriage an old friend from his single years re-appears. The movie then lets us see in flashbacks how the main characters have evolved into an urban "long time married couple." The friend's return creates great tension between the husband and wife and leads the husband to a re-examination of his life. The characters play off each other very well and the actress that plays the French girlfriend was terrific. The best line in the movie was, "Oh, you'll get married and have a family, your not original enough not to." This film tells its story, develops the characters, and by the time it ends has tied everything up in nice packages leaving the viewer satisfied.