A Rather English Marriage

I was tired and did not expect to stay with this movie, but thought I'd see how it began. The story and the absolutely wonderful performances by Finney and Courtenay kept me absorbed in it till it was all over. This quiet movie was, unexpectedly, to be one of my all-time favorites.

The pairing of Courtenay and Finney,whose contrasting styles combine so well together,were brilliant in The Dresser,which makes their pairing in this drama so very welcome.They play contrasting men widowed on the same day and paired together by social services.Finney is a womanising ex=Battle of Britain pilot whose wife came from wealthy stock while Courteney is a former milkman.Courteney possesses all the requisite domestic skills while Finney would struggle to boil water without a recipe book. Against all odds and not helped by Finney's habit of assuming command they rub along well together until the arrival of Joanna Lumley a gold-digger who sets her sights on Finney

Beautifully written and impeccably played character study.It illustrates that dumbing down ,while having achieved epidemic proportions on UK television,has not yet conquered all bastions of the box.

This reviewer considers 'A Rather English Marriage' one of the finest dramas she's ever watched, British or otherwise. So good in fact, that one does forget that it was made for TV.

'A Rather English Marriage' is beautifully shot and is a lovely-looking drama in general. It's sensitively directed by Paul Seed, and hauntingly scored with a nigh-on ideal use of Glenn Miller's "Moonlight Serenade" at the drama's end.

Scripting is thought-provoking, gently funny and heart-wrenchingly poignant. The story is told with great sensitivity, with the parts that could easily have been contrived being handled gracefully and believably, and really touched me on an emotional level. The ending is one classic example of an ending that one can see it as little as once and never forget it, that's how effective an ending it is. It is paced very securely, while never hurting the gentle atmosphere or adopting the book's (of which it is a very faithful adaptation of apart from the ending) occasional tendency to plod.

The characters in 'A Rather English Marriage' are very well-written and easy to engage with. All serve a point to the story and they are interesting. Liz could easily have been annoying and one-dimensional considering her gold-digging nature, but 'A Rather English Marriage' successfully gives the character a good deal of heart. It is Reggie and Roy's relationship that holds 'A Rather English Marriage' together, and it is beautifully written and even more beautifully acted, the contrasting personalities of the two complementing each other perfectly.

You can't go wrong with the acting either, which is superb across the board. Especially Tom Courtenay at his understated best, while Albert Finney in the more broadly written role is a splendid contrast, without falling into ham or caricature. Joanna Lumley gives charming support, and the rest of the acting is without fault.

In conclusion, an unforgettably brilliant British drama. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Finney & Courtenay are teamed again in this tale of two widowers who are drawn together by a well meaning social services worker.

Finney seems at first coolly detached from his loss, while Courtenay is the far more visibly shaken of the two. Finney is essentially left with a lifetime interest in his home and a small annual stipend by his late wife. Courtenay needs companionship. The social worker brings them together in a marriage of convenience.

Finney assumes the role of the master of the house and Courtenay essentially the man servant.For those who enjoyed the pair in 1984's The Dresser, Courtenay calling Finney "Sir" will bring a smile to your face.

As the plot evolves, we see Finney deteriorating while Courtenay steps up to the plate to assume the more dominant role. Both are forced to face tragedy again during their time together and learn to adapt.

The film deals with how people deal with grief, or choose not, and in the end, how we all must make that choice.

A really wonderful drama. A good plot, elevated hugely by two perfect performances from Tom Courtenay and Albert Finney. They are truly superb as Southgate (working-class) and Reggie ("The Squadron Leader"-staunchly upper-class), two widowers who strike an unlikely friendship to come to terms with life again. Finney and Courtenay truly show exactly what brilliant acting is, and this is comfortably the best original single drama in 1998.