Mr & Mrs Edgehill

In this BBC drama from 1985, based on a Noel Coward short story, a lower-middle class couple working in the UK imperial service rebuild their damaged relationship after receiving an unlikely assignment on the eve of world war two. I don't know how much of the original is present in the play, but the script is perceptive and has a surprisingly modern feel; although the story is observational with a plot that serves mainly to illustrate character. Judi Dench and Ian Holm are a top cast but their characters, while nicely drawn, aren't really vehicles for acting masterclasses. But it's worth eighty minutes of your time.

Viewers will recognize Judi Dench as Mrs. Edgehill in this BBC production, part of the Noel Coward collection. The Edgehills are getting ready to leave the British isle of Samola, to return to England, when Mr. Edgehill gets an assignment to a new post, out in the middle of no-where, right at the start of WW II. His wife is quite disappointed, and must decide if she will accompany him. Ian Holm plays Mr. Edgehill, and had been in films Chariots of Fire, Lord of the Rings, and the Fifth Element. Amanda Pays (Vivienne) has done a whole lot of American television. Viewers may also remember Rachel Gurney (Lady Cynthia). Gurney was also in Upstairs, Downstairs. Some good outdoor photography of what must be Sri Lanka, acc to IMDb. The director ( Gavin Millar) doesn't really go to any effort to show us that its a period piece, except for the dialogue, but its an enjoyable watch. Has an un-satisfying ending, but I guess we're used to the American Hollywood endings, where everything is neatly wrapped up.

The British Empire as we have seen in post war times left some detritus that we didn't know what to do with. This story is about a long forgotten Pacific island that the Foreign Office discovers it needs to be rid of but doesn't know how. They send Mr Edgehill, a man so lowly graded in the Diplomatic service that he barely registers. A failed businessman who is available to fly the flag. Ian Holm plays him with sympathy and pathos. Judi Dench plays his wife with a resigned air of another fine mess her silly, but much loved, spouse has got her in.

Noel Coward had a love/hate relationship with Empire admiring much of it but seeing with clarity the "Mad Dogs and Englishmen". We wrote a kindly, sad tale full of pathos and subtlety. The film portrays the story well.