Country

Overview:

In 1945, the Carlions assemble at an English country house for a family gathering. During the event, they must determine who is to take over the family brewing empire, since the present head of the business, Sir Frederick, is getting old. The results of the 1945 general election causes a major stir, and some angry farmers occupy a barn.

Director:

Richard Eyre

Status:

Released

Language:

English

Buget:

$0.00

Revenue:

$0.00

Key words:

country house
world war ii
patriarch
war photographer
spanish civil war (1936-39)
birthday party
family business
conservatism
ballroom dancing
male homosexuality
election
presumed dead
long lost relative
female journalist
family gathering
squatting
socialists
dinner party
missing daughter
christening
dead son
wealthy family
estranged family
wealth distribution
business successor

Cast

Leo McKern

~ as ~

Sir Frederick Carlion

James Fox

~ as ~

Philip Carlion

Wendy Hiller

~ as ~

Daisy - Lady Carlion

Penelope Wilton

~ as ~

Virginia Carlion

Jill Bennett

~ as ~

Alice Carlion

Deborah Norton

~ as ~

Faith

Joan Greenwood

~ as ~

Dollie van der Biek

Alan Webb

~ as ~

Sir Piers Blair

Tim Seely

~ as ~

Andrew Oliphant - Father

Frederick Alexander

~ as ~

Andrew Oliphant - Son

View full cast & crew

Reviews (1)

CinemaSerf
Written 7 month(s) ago
7
With WWII won, the "Carlion" family gather at their stately home in the run up to the British General Election. These are wealthy and privileged people who run a brewing business and it's their head "Sir Frederick" (Leo McKern) who is now looking to pass on the mantle. As with many family gatherings, the atmosphere quickly becomes quite toxic only here it's not just the mix of personalities that sparks, but attitudes. Politics in the kingdom is changing, attitudes are changing and the days of gentry and serf might well be on the way out as it becomes clear that Clement Attlee's socialist government is going to be running the country with quite a substantial mandate. McKern holds this together well providing a mix of stoicism and belligerence as his character has to deal with societal changes as well as those affecting his own role in his business and his family. Dame Wendy Hiller and Penelope Wilton also contribute well helping to illustrate the changing nature of the role of women in this brave new world, too. There are also references to the hitherto under-the-heal labouring classes who finally take their pitchforks in hand and gently (they are British, after all) make their presence felt. It's a little bit verbose at times, and Richard Eyre doesn't always manage to sustain the pace leading to maybe a few too many troughs amidst the undoubted peaks provided by a cast who present us with a familial equivalent of Janus - looking both behind them and to the front, left and then right, all at the same time unsure how to jump. Perhaps prophetic of a period of national "realignment" under Margaret Thatcher's newly elected government that was about to start as this was made?