England Made Me (film)

England Made Me
Original British quad poster
Directed by	Peter Duffell
Written by	Desmond Cory Peter Duffell
Based on	the novel by Graham Greene
Produced by	Jack Levin
Starring	Peter Finch Michael York Hildegarde Neil
Cinematography	Ray Parslow
Edited by	Malcolm Cooke
Music by	John Scott
Production companies	Atlantic Productions Centralni Filmski Studio Two World Film
Distributed by	Hemdale Film Distribution (UK)
Release date	18 November 1973 (1973-11-18)
Running time	102 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

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. Tony Wollard's art direction was nominated for a British BAFTA Award. 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.

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

• Peter Finch as Erich Krogh
• Michael York as Anthony Farrant
• Hildegarde Neil as Kate Farrant
• Joss Ackland as Haller
• Michael Hordern as F. Minty
• Tessa Wyatt as Liz Davidge
• Michael Sheard as Fromm
• Richard Gibson as young Tony
• Lalla Ward as young Kate
• William Baskiville as Stein
• Demeter Bitenc as Reichsminister
• Vladan Živković as Heinrich
• Vlado Bacic as Hartmann
• Mirjana Nikolic as Nikki

Production

The film was shot in Yugoslavia.

Critical reception

George Melly, reviewing for The Observer, felt that the change in location was effective, but also 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."

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."

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."

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.

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."

External links

• England Made Me at IMDb