England Made Me (film)

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England Made Me
Original British quad poster
Directed byPeter Duffell
Written byDesmond Cory
Peter Duffell
Based onthe novel by Graham Greene
Produced byJack Levin
StarringPeter Finch
Michael York
Hildegarde Neil
CinematographyRay Parslow
Edited byMalcolm Cooke
Music byJohn Scott
Production
companies
Atlantic Productions
Centralni Filmski Studio
Two World Film
Distributed byHemdale Film Distribution (UK)
Release date
  • 18 November 1973 (1973-11-18)
Running time
102 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

England Made Me is a 1973 British drama film directed by Peter Duffell, starring Peter Finch, Michael York, Hildegarde Neil, and Michael Hordern, and based on the 1935 novel England Made Me by Graham Greene.[1][2] Tony Wollard's art direction was nominated for a British BAFTA Award.[3][4] The film changes the novel's setting from Sweden to Nazi Germany. Duffell explained that he changed the location due to his lack of knowledge of Sweden in the 1930s, the use of imagery the audience would recognise and the growing menace in Europe of the time.[5]

Plot

Anthony Farrant is a naive 1930s businessman who pays a visit to Germany on the way home from a business trip, and falls under the politically dubious spell of charismatic financier Erich Krogh. While Anthony was taught to value fairness and decency, in Erich's world opportunism, corruption, and decadence hold sway.

Main cast

Production

Greene retained the film rights for over 30 years, hoping to adapt the novel himself.[6] The film-makers approached Peter Finch needing a box-office draw in order to get financial backing. Finch, who had appeared in The Heart of the Matter (1953), was an admirer of Greene. Reimagined as a German, the Krogh character became a "Krupp-type munitions tycoon", and the actor studied William Manchester's history of the Krupp dynasty for an understanding of the story's background.[7][8] The film was shot in Belgrade and other parts of Yugoslavia:[6][9][10] the opening scene where Kate and Tony reunite at a French seaside resort was filmed in Opatija.[10]

Critical reception

David Robinson, in The Times, was unsure that relocating the action to 1930s Berlin was wise – "the familiar symbols (not even excluding the obligatory cabaret and decadent party scene) remove any of the ambivalence of the novel's original atmosphere" – but singled out for praise the production values and the acting, especially Hordern's supporting performance as Minty, "flapping around in a greasy mac, and peering through a fog of smoke as he indecently mouths his worn-out fag-ends".[6] Patrick Gibbs wrote a positive review for The Daily Telegraph, calling the film "a very polished little piece". He felt that the change of setting from Sweden to Germany was warranted by Greene's own comment, in a reissue of the novel, that the period had been overshadowed by "the rise of Hitler". Gibbs also felt that it altered the story in interesting ways: Krogh is "made considerably more sympathetic by his frauds now being worked not on investors, but on the Nazi government".[10] In another positive review, for The Sunday Times, Derek Prouse likewise thought the transposing of the action "valid": "the locations and set dressing are a potent asset in the creation of an atmosphere of quiet menace".[11] George Melly, reviewing for The Observer, also felt that the change in location was effective, but had reservations: "That street of Jewish shops, with its broken windows and the Star of David daubed on the walls, is fast becoming as much a cinematic cliché as the Western street, with its saloon bar, bank and Sheriff's office." Nonetheless he praised York's performance as the protagonist, even though the actor's casting evoked memories of the recent Cabaret, and concluded: "This is a worthwhile film, broadly faithful in spirit to Greene's intentions and well acted down to the smallest supporting part."[12] The New York Times wrote of the film, "England Made Me might have worked, were Mr. Duffell and Mr. Cory less superficial movie makers. They've retained a surprising amount of the Greene plot, even a lot of original dialogue, but the story is no longer comic and rueful, just wildly melodramatic."[13] Pauline Kael in The New Yorker thought it a lightweight adaptation of an apprentice work by Greene, but entertaining nonetheless. She found the film's nostalgic recreation of 1930s Germany paradoxically enjoyable: "You're not quite sure if it's all right to feel this way, but at times you may find yourself thinking, I'd love to be there." As well as praising the three main players, Kael wrote, "Michael Hordern gives such a marvellously flamboyant seedy performance as Minty that one wants to applaud him."[9] Leslie Halliwell called the film a "lively, intelligent character melodrama", highlighting Duffell's direction and Finch and Hordern's performances.[14] One admirer of the film was Graham Greene himself, who told The Guardian that it was one of the few screen adaptations of his books that he approved of, and wanted Duffell to write and direct The Honorary Consul.[15] Film 4 called it "an underrated adaptation of Graham Greene's novel ... Although it received little attention when first released, this fascinating character study is ripe for reappraisal now, with the relationship between the two men making for quietly gripping viewing."[16]

References

  1. ↑ "England Made Me". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  2. ↑ "BFI Database entry". BFI. Archived from the original on 14 January 2009.
  3. ↑ Mark Deming (2014). "England-Made-Me – Trailer – Cast – Showtimes – NYTimes.com". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 4 November 2014.
  4. ↑ "BAFTA | Film | Art Direction in 1974". bafta.org. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  5. ↑ p. 155 Sinyard, N. Graham Greene: A Literary Life Springer, 19 Dec. 2003
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Robinson, David (1 June 1973). "The Greene touch in a compelling anecdote". The Times. No. 58797. p. 12.
  7. ↑ Faulkner, Trader (1980). Peter Finch: A Biography. London; Sydney: Pan. pp. 295–297. ISBN 0-330-26120-7.
  8. ↑ Dundy, Elaine (1980). Finch, Bloody Finch: A Life of Peter Finch. New York: Holt, Reinhart and Winston. p. 315. ISBN 0-03-041796-1.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Kael, Pauline (1992) [1st pub. Little, Brown 1977]. "Bloodless and Bloody". Reeling: Film Writings 1972-1975. London; New York: Marion Boyars. pp. 203–205. ISBN 0-7145-2582-0.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Gibbs, Patrick (1 June 1973). "Back to pre-war Greene-land". The Daily Telegraph. No. 36712. p. 15.
  11. ↑ Prouse, Derek (3 June 1973). "All the way with Wilder". The Sunday Times. No. 7825. p. 36.
  12. ↑ Melly, George (3 June 1973). "All change for Nazi Germany". The Observer. p. 35.
  13. ↑ Canby, Vincent (19 November 1973). "Film: 'England Made Me'". The New York Times. p. 53. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  14. ↑ Halliwell, Leslie (1993). Walker, John (ed.). Halliwell's Film Guide (9th ed.). London: HarperCollins. p. 374. ISBN 0-00-255349-X.
  15. ↑ Cunningham, John (19 December 1983). "Plain thoughts of an Englishman abroad". The Guardian. p. 11.
  16. ↑ "Film4 | Channel 4". www.channel4.com. Retrieved 18 February 2024.

External links

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