Another Country (1984 film)
Encyclopedia
Another Country is a 1984 British romantic
biographical film
by Julian Mitchell
adapted from his play of the same title
. The film, directed by Marek Kanievska
, stars Rupert Everett
as Guy Bennett along with Colin Firth
as Tommy Judd. Also starring are Michael Jenn as Barclay, Robert Addie
as Delahay, Rupert Wainwright
as Donald Devenish), Tristan Oliver as Fowler, Cary Elwes
as James Harcourt, Piers Flint-Shipman
(credited as Frederick Alexander) as Jim Menzies, and Anna Massey
as Imogen Bennett. Also present in three scenes as an extra without any dialogue is Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer
, the younger brother of Diana, Princess of Wales
.
Another Country is loosely based on the life of the spy Guy Burgess
, Guy Bennett in the play, and examines the effect his homosexuality
and exposure to Marxism
has on his life, and the hypocrisy and snobbery of the English public schools.
Before it was made into a movie, the play Another Country had a highly successful run on the London stage, winning the Play of the Year award for 1982. Among the actors who played the role of Guy Bennett during the first run were Rupert Everett, Daniel Day-Lewis
, and Colin Firth. Kenneth Branagh
was among those playing the role of Tommy Judd.
) and Tommy Judd (Colin Firth
) are friends because they are both outsiders in their own ways. Bennett is openly gay, while Judd is a Marxist.
One day, a teacher walks in on Martineau (Philip Dupuy) and a boy from another house engaged in mutual masturbation. Martineau subsequently kills himself
because of the shame of having been found, and chaos erupts as teachers and the senior pupils try their hardest to keep the scandal away from parents and the rest of the outside world. The gay scandal however gives the army-obsessed house captain Fowler (Tristan Oliver), who dislikes both Bennett and Judd, a welcome reason to scheme against Bennett to keep him from becoming a "God" - a school title for the two top prefects. Fowler is able to intercept a love letter from Bennett to James Harcourt (Cary Elwes
). Bennett agrees to be punished so as not to compromise Harcourt; on an earlier occasion he had simply blackmailed the other Gods for their own "experiences" with him.
Meanwhile, Judd is reluctant to become a prefect, since he feels that he cannot endorse a "system of oppression" such as this, and has a memorable, bitter speech about how the boys oppressed by the system grow up to be the fathers who maintain it. He however eventually agrees to become a prefect in order to prevent the hateful Fowler from becoming Head of House. This never comes about, however, because Donald Devenish (Rupert Wainwright
) agrees to stay at school and become a prefect if he is nominated to become a God instead of Bennett.
Devastated at the loss of his cherished dream of becoming a God, Bennett comes to realize that the British class system strongly relies on outward appearance and that to be openly gay is a severe hindrance to a career as a diplomat
.
The film's epilogue
states that he emigrated
to Russia later in his life, after having been a spy for the Soviet Union
; Judd died fighting in the Spanish Civil War
.
, which is the "other country" Bennett turns to in the end, but it can be seen to take on a number of different meanings and connotations. It could be a reference to the first line of the second (or third, depending on the version) stanza of the hymn I Vow to Thee, My Country
, which is sung in both the play and film, as well as referring to the fact that English public school life in the 1930s was indeed very much like "another country".
Another Country
is also the title of a novel
by James Baldwin
, which includes gay and bisexual characters.
The Go-Between is a novel by L.P. Hartley
(1895-1972), published in London in 1953. The novel begins with the famous line:
The most direct reference is to several well known lines from British literature, originating from Christopher Marlowe
's play, The Jew of Malta
Here "the wench" may refer to Martineau. Most of the students are more interested in covering up a potential scandal than worrying about the actual death. If so, the "adultery" may refer to what is done to Martineau and perhaps all students by the school, rather than his actual sexual liaisons.
where it won the award for Best Artistic Contribution.
Romance film
Romance films are love stories that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate involvement of the main characters and the journey that their love takes through courtship or marriage. Romance films make the love story or the search for love the main plot focus...
biographical film
Biographical film
A biographical film, or biopic , is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or people. They differ from films “based on a true story” or “historical films” in that they attempt to comprehensively tell a person’s life story or at least the most historically important years of their...
by Julian Mitchell
Julian Mitchell
Julian Mitchell FRSL , full name Charles Julian Humphrey Mitchell, is an English playwright, screenwriter and occasional novelist...
adapted from his play of the same title
Another Country (play)
Another Country is a play written by English playwright Julian Mitchell that premiered in 1981 at the Greenwich Theatre in south-east London and later transferred to the West End in March 1982. In the summer of 2000 the play was revived at The Oxford Playhouse. From 4 September 2000 until 28...
. The film, directed by Marek Kanievska
Marek Kanievska
Marek Kanievska is a British film director. His films have won various awards at the Cannes Film Festival and the Florence Film Festival.-Film:*The First Day - short film*Another Country...
, stars Rupert Everett
Rupert Everett
Rupert James Hector Everett is an English actor. He first came to public attention in 1981, when he was cast in Julian Mitchell's play and subsequent film Another Country as an openly gay student at an English public school, set in the 1930s...
as Guy Bennett along with Colin Firth
Colin Firth
SirColin Andrew Firth, CBE is a British film, television, and theatre actor. Firth gained wide public attention in the 1990s for his portrayal of Mr. Darcy in the 1995 television adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice...
as Tommy Judd. Also starring are Michael Jenn as Barclay, Robert Addie
Robert Addie
Robert Alastair Addie was an English actor who was best known for playing Sir Guy of Gisbourne in the television series Robin of Sherwood.-Career:...
as Delahay, Rupert Wainwright
Rupert Wainwright
Rupert Wainwright is an English film and television director, writer, and actor.Wainwright was born in Cotswolds, UK and started his film career in the 1980s as an actor...
as Donald Devenish), Tristan Oliver as Fowler, Cary Elwes
Cary Elwes
Ivan Simon Cary Elwes , known professionally as Cary Elwes, is an English actor. The son of Dominick Elwes and Tessa Georgina Kennedy, Elwes acted in off-Broadway plays during college and moved to the United States in the early 1980s. He is known for his role as Westley in the cult classic The...
as James Harcourt, Piers Flint-Shipman
Piers Flint-Shipman
Piers Fredrick Alexander Flint-Shipman was a British actor. He was the son of a film producer and was educated at Eton College.-Career:...
(credited as Frederick Alexander) as Jim Menzies, and Anna Massey
Anna Massey
Anna Raymond Massey, CBE was an English actress. She won a BAFTA Award for the role of Edith Hope in the 1986 TV adaptation of Anita Brookner’s novel Hotel du Lac.-Early life:...
as Imogen Bennett. Also present in three scenes as an extra without any dialogue is Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer
Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer
Charles Edward Maurice Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, DL , styled Viscount Althorp between 1975 and 1992, is a British peer and brother of Diana, Princess of Wales...
, the younger brother of Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
.
Another Country is loosely based on the life of the spy Guy Burgess
Guy Burgess
Guy Francis De Moncy Burgess was a British-born intelligence officer and double agent, who worked for the Soviet Union. He was part of the Cambridge Five spy ring that betrayed Western secrets to the Soviets before and during the Cold War...
, Guy Bennett in the play, and examines the effect his homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
and exposure to Marxism
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
has on his life, and the hypocrisy and snobbery of the English public schools.
Before it was made into a movie, the play Another Country had a highly successful run on the London stage, winning the Play of the Year award for 1982. Among the actors who played the role of Guy Bennett during the first run were Rupert Everett, Daniel Day-Lewis
Daniel Day-Lewis
Daniel Michael Blake Day-Lewis is an English actor with both British and Irish citizenship. His portrayals of Christy Brown in My Left Foot and Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood won Academy and BAFTA Awards for Best Actor, and Screen Actors Guild as well as Golden Globe Awards for the latter...
, and Colin Firth. Kenneth Branagh
Kenneth Branagh
Kenneth Charles Branagh is an actor and film director from Northern Ireland. He is best known for directing and starring in several film adaptations of William Shakespeare's plays including Henry V , Much Ado About Nothing , Hamlet Kenneth Charles Branagh is an actor and film director from...
was among those playing the role of Tommy Judd.
Plot summary
The setting is a 1930s Eton-esque public school, where Guy Bennett (Rupert EverettRupert Everett
Rupert James Hector Everett is an English actor. He first came to public attention in 1981, when he was cast in Julian Mitchell's play and subsequent film Another Country as an openly gay student at an English public school, set in the 1930s...
) and Tommy Judd (Colin Firth
Colin Firth
SirColin Andrew Firth, CBE is a British film, television, and theatre actor. Firth gained wide public attention in the 1990s for his portrayal of Mr. Darcy in the 1995 television adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice...
) are friends because they are both outsiders in their own ways. Bennett is openly gay, while Judd is a Marxist.
One day, a teacher walks in on Martineau (Philip Dupuy) and a boy from another house engaged in mutual masturbation. Martineau subsequently kills himself
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
because of the shame of having been found, and chaos erupts as teachers and the senior pupils try their hardest to keep the scandal away from parents and the rest of the outside world. The gay scandal however gives the army-obsessed house captain Fowler (Tristan Oliver), who dislikes both Bennett and Judd, a welcome reason to scheme against Bennett to keep him from becoming a "God" - a school title for the two top prefects. Fowler is able to intercept a love letter from Bennett to James Harcourt (Cary Elwes
Cary Elwes
Ivan Simon Cary Elwes , known professionally as Cary Elwes, is an English actor. The son of Dominick Elwes and Tessa Georgina Kennedy, Elwes acted in off-Broadway plays during college and moved to the United States in the early 1980s. He is known for his role as Westley in the cult classic The...
). Bennett agrees to be punished so as not to compromise Harcourt; on an earlier occasion he had simply blackmailed the other Gods for their own "experiences" with him.
Meanwhile, Judd is reluctant to become a prefect, since he feels that he cannot endorse a "system of oppression" such as this, and has a memorable, bitter speech about how the boys oppressed by the system grow up to be the fathers who maintain it. He however eventually agrees to become a prefect in order to prevent the hateful Fowler from becoming Head of House. This never comes about, however, because Donald Devenish (Rupert Wainwright
Rupert Wainwright
Rupert Wainwright is an English film and television director, writer, and actor.Wainwright was born in Cotswolds, UK and started his film career in the 1980s as an actor...
) agrees to stay at school and become a prefect if he is nominated to become a God instead of Bennett.
Devastated at the loss of his cherished dream of becoming a God, Bennett comes to realize that the British class system strongly relies on outward appearance and that to be openly gay is a severe hindrance to a career as a diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
.
The film's epilogue
Epilogue
An epilogue, epilog or afterword is a piece of writing at the end of a work of literature or drama, usually used to bring closure to the work...
states that he emigrated
Emigration
Emigration is the act of leaving one's country or region to settle in another. It is the same as immigration but from the perspective of the country of origin. Human movement before the establishment of political boundaries or within one state is termed migration. There are many reasons why people...
to Russia later in his life, after having been a spy for the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
; Judd died fighting in the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
.
Cast
- Rupert EverettRupert EverettRupert James Hector Everett is an English actor. He first came to public attention in 1981, when he was cast in Julian Mitchell's play and subsequent film Another Country as an openly gay student at an English public school, set in the 1930s...
as Guy Bennett - Colin FirthColin FirthSirColin Andrew Firth, CBE is a British film, television, and theatre actor. Firth gained wide public attention in the 1990s for his portrayal of Mr. Darcy in the 1995 television adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice...
as Tommy Judd - Michael Jenn as Barclay
- Robert AddieRobert AddieRobert Alastair Addie was an English actor who was best known for playing Sir Guy of Gisbourne in the television series Robin of Sherwood.-Career:...
as Delahay - Rupert WainwrightRupert WainwrightRupert Wainwright is an English film and television director, writer, and actor.Wainwright was born in Cotswolds, UK and started his film career in the 1980s as an actor...
as Donald Devenish - Tristan Oliver as Fowler
- Cary ElwesCary ElwesIvan Simon Cary Elwes , known professionally as Cary Elwes, is an English actor. The son of Dominick Elwes and Tessa Georgina Kennedy, Elwes acted in off-Broadway plays during college and moved to the United States in the early 1980s. He is known for his role as Westley in the cult classic The...
as James Harcourt - Frederick AlexanderPiers Flint-ShipmanPiers Fredrick Alexander Flint-Shipman was a British actor. He was the son of a film producer and was educated at Eton College.-Career:...
as Jim Menzies - Adrian Ross Magenty as Wharton
- Geoffrey Bateman as Yevgeni
- Philip Dupuy as Martineau
- Guy Henry as Head Boy
- Jeffrey WickhamJeffrey WickhamJeffrey Wickham is a British film and television actor. He is the father of the actress Saskia Wickham.-Selected filmography:* Before Winter Comes * The Breaking of Bumbo * Waterloo...
as Arthur - John Line as Best Man
- Gideon Boulting as Trafford
- Nicholas RoweNicholas Rowe (actor)Nicholas James Sebastian Rowe is a Scottish actor.-Biography:Rowe was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, the son of English parents Alison, a singer, and Andrew Rowe, a Member of Parliament and editor. He attended Eton and received a BA in Hispanic Studies from Bristol University...
as Spungin - Anna MasseyAnna MasseyAnna Raymond Massey, CBE was an English actress. She won a BAFTA Award for the role of Edith Hope in the 1986 TV adaptation of Anita Brookner’s novel Hotel du Lac.-Early life:...
as Imogen Bennett - Betsy BrantleyBetsy BrantleyBetsy Brantley is an American actress.Brantley was born Rutherfordton, North Carolina. She is the older sister of producer/screenwriter Duncan Brantley, and formerly married to Simon Dutton and Steven Soderbergh....
as Julie Schofield - Earl Charles SpencerCharles Spencer, 9th Earl SpencerCharles Edward Maurice Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, DL , styled Viscount Althorp between 1975 and 1992, is a British peer and brother of Diana, Princess of Wales...
(uncredited) as Student extra
Title
The title refers not only to communist RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, which is the "other country" Bennett turns to in the end, but it can be seen to take on a number of different meanings and connotations. It could be a reference to the first line of the second (or third, depending on the version) stanza of the hymn I Vow to Thee, My Country
I Vow to Thee, My Country
I Vow to Thee, My Country is a British patriotic song created in 1921 when a poem by Sir Cecil Spring-Rice was set to music by Gustav Holst.-History:...
, which is sung in both the play and film, as well as referring to the fact that English public school life in the 1930s was indeed very much like "another country".
Another Country
Another Country (novel)
Another Country is a 1962 novel by James Baldwin. The novel tells of the bohemian lifestyle of musicians, writers and other artists living in Greenwich Village in the late 1950s. It portrayed many taboo themes such as bisexuality, interracial couples and extramarital affairs.-Plot summary:The first...
is also the title of a novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by James Baldwin
James Baldwin (writer)
James Arthur Baldwin was an American novelist, essayist, playwright, poet, and social critic.Baldwin's essays, for instance "Notes of a Native Son" , explore palpable yet unspoken intricacies of racial, sexual, and class distinctions in Western societies, most notably in mid-20th century America,...
, which includes gay and bisexual characters.
The Go-Between is a novel by L.P. Hartley
L. P. Hartley
Leslie Poles Hartley was a British writer, known for novels and short stories. His best-known work is The Go-Between , which was made into a 1970 film, directed by Joseph Losey with a star cast, in an adaptation by Harold Pinter...
(1895-1972), published in London in 1953. The novel begins with the famous line:
- "The past is a foreign country (often misquoted as 'another country')...: they do things differently there."
The most direct reference is to several well known lines from British literature, originating from Christopher Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe was an English dramatist, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. As the foremost Elizabethan tragedian, next to William Shakespeare, he is known for his blank verse, his overreaching protagonists, and his mysterious death.A warrant was issued for Marlowe's arrest on 18 May...
's play, The Jew of Malta
The Jew of Malta
The Jew of Malta is a play by Christopher Marlowe, probably written in 1589 or 1590. Its plot is an original story of religious conflict, intrigue, and revenge, set against a backdrop of the struggle for supremacy between Spain and the Ottoman Empire in the Mediterranean that takes place on the...
Friar Barnadine: "Thou hast committed--"
Barabas: "Fornication-- but that was in another country; / And besides, the wench is dead."
Here "the wench" may refer to Martineau. Most of the students are more interested in covering up a potential scandal than worrying about the actual death. If so, the "adultery" may refer to what is done to Martineau and perhaps all students by the school, rather than his actual sexual liaisons.
Awards
The film was entered into the 1984 Cannes Film Festival1984 Cannes Film Festival
- Jury :*Dirk Bogarde *Franco Cristaldi *Michel Deville *Stanley Donen *Istvan Dosai *Arne Hestenes *Isabelle Huppert *Ennio Morricone...
where it won the award for Best Artistic Contribution.