Publisher: CinemaSerf June 8, 2023
Told by way of a interview retrospective, this is a tale of disillusionment and political naivety amongst the English upper classes in the 1930s. Guy Bennett (Rupert Everett) was a student at Cambridge University - openly gay to his fellow students - on the periphery of the social and political norms of the day. His friend Tommy Judd (Colin Firth) and he bonded largely out of a desire for non-conformity, not because they believed in the same ideals; Firth a fervent Marxist, Everett ambitious - perhaps because of his sexuality - to reach the top of the hierarchical structure at the school. He falls in love, however - with the younger James Harcourt (Cary Elwes) and all the blind-eyes that had previously been turned to his behaviour were turned full beam and his behaviour, and to some extent that of Judd are challenged to breaking point. Julian Mitchell's play has been self-adapted to demonstrate just how insidious the educational establishment could be for those who did not play the game; and how empowering it could be for the ultra-conformist bullies (in this film deftly portrayed by Tristan Oliver as Fowler) and it is little wonder these academic institutions became an intellectual petrie dish for those recruiting future espionage assets. The film looks gorgeous - though filmed in Oxford - with a gently complementary score from Michael Storey.