Awfully Big Adventure, An (1995)

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General		Extras
Category	Drama	Main Menu Introduction Menu Animation & Audio
Rating
Year Of Production	1995
Running Time	107:30 (Case: 110)
RSDL / Flipper	RSDL (57:24)	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Mike Newell
Studio Distributor	Universal Pictures Home Video	Starring	Hugh Grant Alan Rickman Georgina Cates Alun Armstrong Peter Firth Prunella Scales Rita Tushingham Alan Cox Edward Petherbridge Nicola Pagett Carol Drinkwater Clive Merrison Gerard McSorley
Case	?
RPI	$19.95	Music	Richard Hartley

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	Unknown	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	None	Smoking	Yes
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

     In 1995, director Mike Newell was the darling of the cinematic world, having been the man responsible for the world-charming Four Weddings And A Funeral the previous year. However, the response to his next film, An Awfully Big Adventure was virtually a world-wide gasp of horror. Where was the whimsy and the comedy? Where were all the lovable characters? Where was the escapist element and joyous exit? This film was such a departure from what the world had expected that they stayed away from the cinema in droves, resulting in a hefty loss for its production company. There were also some pretty poor marketing decisions made about its promotion which also cost it horribly in the audiences' expectations about the kind of film they were going to see.

     But, in truth, does a director have to regurgitate the content of his previous film in order to assuage his public? The novelist Beryl Bainbridge, whose 1990 novel was the source of the film's story is renowned as a particularly acerbic and darkly witty commentator on status, social mores and English culture. Her own difficult childhood and sense of alienation are the bedrock from which this story sprang; and her problematic relationship with her father created a springboard for some of the darker themes of this particular tale. Bainbridge herself began to tread the boards at a tender age in a post-war Liverpool that still cowered under the shadow of those harsh preceding war years. Screenwriter Charles Wood also remembered life in repertory theatre in that era. His screenplay - according to producer Hilary Heath - drew from real live actors from the period. "All of the characters are based on real people," she said, "apart from P.L. O'Hara, who was an amalgam" . Perhaps this creates some of the critical difficulties that the film suffered - truth - as they say - is stranger than fiction, and, perversely, perhaps these real-life representations seem more far-fetched than fully created characters would have done.

     No matter. Our story focuses on 16 year old Stella Bradshaw (Georgina Cates), who, in the estimation of her Uncle Vernon (Alun Armstrong), is "burgeoning". Stella lives with her uncle and aunt, having been abandoned by her unwed mother, and never knowing her father. Now that she's left school, she must find a job - any job, and, much to her guardians' relief, she lands one at the local repertory theatre presided over by the supercilious and foppish Meredith Potter (Hugh Grant, in a very unsympathetic role). In spite of his flagrant homosexuality, Stella falls for him in a seriously big way and begins to prepare herself for her fantasised big affair with the great man. Potter, completely oblivious to her affections, is more interested in seducing her co-worker Geoffrey (Alan Cox) whilst he resignedly assembles a mishmash cast for the repertory program. As a result of post-war austerity and trauma the pickings are slim, and damaged.

     In spite of Potter's indifference, Stella's ripening has not gone unnoticed by other males around her. These advances are stoically endured by Stella, all in preparation for her imagined liaison with Potter, in spite of the fact that she doesn't "much like the feel of it." This is a film for mature audiences - and some of these scenes are quite confronting - not so much in what they show, but the import behind the scenes.

     As the repertory season carries on - and the actors strut and fret their hours upon the stage, tiny, and oft distracting little personal glimpses are revealed about the troupe. But crisis arrives on a winged chariot on the fateful night that the actor due to perform Captain Hook in Peter Pan breaks his leg on stage. None of the other actors are able or prepared to take on the role, and so theatre manageress, Rose (Prunella Scales), calls in a favour, summoning P L O'Hara (Alan Rickman) - the "greatest Hook ever" - to step into the breach. He arrives, windswept and motorcycling, to rescue the company, although it is apparent that there is a distinct enmity between him and Potter.

     Whilst O'Hara arrives as the conquering hero, his intimate discussions with Rose prove he is a man conflicted and haunted by his past. He has been to Liverpool before, and was besotted by a girl who called herself Stella Maris - the Star of the Sea. He knows she had a son to him, but has never been able to find her or the boy again. As he encounters young Stella, he finds himself utterly hypnotised by her. She is unworldly, yet a candid observer; ungainly, yet a wispy beauty; innocent, yet visceral. Is it simply her name that founded his attraction, or is there something more?

     From the arrival of O'Hara in the film, the plot takes a sharp twist. From its previous observance of backstage theatrics, it deepens into an almost classical tragedy, with strong Sophoclean elements of Electra seeping in. With classical tragedy, there is frequently a theme of the inevitability of fate, and this certainly begins to surface in the second main act of this film. O'Hara and Stella embark upon a sexual relationship with widely variant motivations. For Stella, this is still the preparation and learning phase of her intentions to become Potter's lover. For O'Hara, this is a compelling and beguiling romance - a kind of ode to his past great and tragic love, with the fervent hope it may create a new beginning. He finds her gauche acceptance touching and heart-rending - he wants to protect her from the evil of Potter's indifference.

     What transpires is a searing examination of values, double standards and tragic consequence. O'Hara confronts Potter on his abuse of the hapless Geoffrey and threatens to expose him this time to the authorities. Potter counter-attacks with his awareness of O'Hara's carnal knowledge of Stella. But the greater, tragic consequence of O'Hara's obsession with Stella is about to be revealed. She herself remains patently unaware of the part she is playing in this tragi-drama. Her desperate attempts to reconcile her intense passions are resorted to frequent trips to phone booths, where she speaks to her mother in a strange, sad and pathetic confessional ritual.

     When this film was initially released, the marketers begged the reviewers not to reveal the final twists - a la The Crying Game. And, if my writing has not already spoiled that intent, allow me to curtail any further exposition of the plot.

     There are, however, some interesting side notes to the production itself, which simply add to the frisson of the story. According to the notes on this film available at the production website, the story of principal actor Georgina Cates is a perfect dovetail into this story of duplicity. Mike Newell wanted a local teenager to play the role of Stella, in order to give her the authentic, awkward, almost Lolita-like quality that the part required. The actress Clare Woodgate had read the news from Screen International - a trade magazine - that Newell was casting for Stella. Having read the book, she created a personal marketing campaign to achieve the part. After initial contacts, she was informed that they knew who she was, that she was "very nice", but they were looking for a real, unknown, and authentic Liverpuddlian teenager to portray Stella. Ignoring all sage advice to the contrary, Woodgate reinvented herself as Georgina Cates, inventing an entire historic fabric to convince Newell that she was, indeed, a local teenaged amateur who lived over a fish shop with her agoraphobic mother. Instead of the local 16 year old he wanted, he unwittingly gave the part to a 20 year old actress who hailed from London. Apparently the ruse was portentous for the actor as well, because she legally changed her name to Georgina Cates after this production.

     This film is an assembly of the glorious vanguard of British performers, and every one of them are thespianetically on the button. No doubt it was a villainous lark for Grant to play such an odious character, and Rickman is his normal superlative best. The supports are consummately superlative, in spite of ill-treatment of them in the script. By that I mean that this is a referential piece. If you've not read the novel, you may find the group of characters portrayed in front of you a bit bewildering. But even that, I enjoyed - a kind of British melange - or perhaps - "blancmange" - that had its own kind of charm.

     The reviews I recall at this film's viewing were almost universally scathing, but, in all honesty, I think that's an over-compensation for its difficult subject matter. They derided the editing and the content, but both, in my opinion, remained faithful to the source material. I find it far more significant that, apparently, Beryl Bainbridge herself enjoyed the film.

Video

     The transfer is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 16x9 enhanced.

     The transfer itself is quite acceptable. Grain levels are acceptably low and there is no low level noise. The contrast levels are crisp and the vision is quite sharp. There is, however, some evidence of compression difficulties. Fortunately, they are not significant.

     The colours are very bright and punchy with a full tonal range.

     This presentation is largely artefact free with the exception of some minor speckling.

     This is an RSDL disc, and the layer change at 57:24 s a tad clumsy, but it's not horrendous.

Video Ratings Summary

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Audio

     The soundtrack is delivered in English Dolby Digital 2.0 and there is little directional activity

     The dialogue is rather tricky until you get your ear tuned. There are no subtitles.

     The original music is by Richard Hartley, but mostly it relies on standard war-time torch songs - and they're utterly appropriate.

     The use of surround sound is minimal, and subwoofer activity is virtually nonexistent.

Audio Ratings Summary

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Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
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Menu

     The menu is animated and relies on appropriate theme music.

      This does not appear to be available in any other format apart from the R4 - so we win this round!

     The critics hated this, and the paying public voted with their lack of bums on seats, but I actually rather enjoyed this. I thought it was an interesting, Electran observation that played itself to its Sophoclean hilt. It's challenging and painful, but worthy - at least in my eyes. I await your comments.

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