| American Friends | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Directed by | Tristram Powell |
| Written by |
Michael Palin Tristram Powell |
| Produced by |
Steve Abbott Patrick Cassavetti |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Philip Bonham-Carter |
| Edited by | George Akers |
| Music by | Georges Delerue |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Palace Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 95 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £2.5 million [1] |
| Box office | $23,034 (US)
[2] £141,096 (UK) [1] |
American Friends is a 1991 British film starring Michael Palin. It was written by Palin and its director, Tristram Powell.
Palin plays Francis Ashby, a senior Oxford professor on holiday in the Swiss Alps in 1861. There he meets the American Caroline Hartley ( Connie Booth) and her 18-year-old ward Elinor ( Trini Alvarado). Ashby is drawn to them both, particularly Elinor, but is rather surprised when they arrive in Oxford and rent a house. Women are not allowed in the college, nor are fellows allowed to marry, which puts him in an embarrassing situation. Ashby's rival for the post of college president, Oliver Syme ( Alfred Molina), takes full advantage of this to try to discredit Ashby.
The plot was based on a real-life incident involving Palin's great-grandfather, Edward Palin.
- Michael Palin - Rev. Francis Ashby
- Trini Alvarado - Elinor Hartley
- Connie Booth - Caroline Hartley
- Alfred Molina - Oliver Syme
- Bryan Pringle - Haskell
- Fred Pearson - Hapgood
- Susan Denaker - Mrs. Cantrell
- Jonathan Firth - Cable
- Ian Dunn - Gowers
- Robert Eddison - William Granger Rushden
- David Calder - Pollitt
- Simon Jones - Anderson
- Charles McKeown - Maynard
- Roger Lloyd-Pack - Dr. Butler
- John Nettleton - Rev. Groves
- Alun Armstrong - Dr. Victor Weeks
- Sheila Reid - Mrs. Weeks
- Edward Rawle-Hicks - John Weeks
- Markus Gehrig - Swiss Guide
- Jo Stone-Fewings - Undergraduate
- Jimmy Jewel - Ashby Senior
- Wensley Pithey - Cave
- Arthur Howard - Voe
- Charles Simon - Canon Harper
- Adrian Gannon - Extra
The film won the Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award for Best film/screenplay.
The CD soundtrack composed by Georges Delerue is available on Music Box Records label. [3]
- ^ a b "Back to the Future: The Fall and Rise of the British Film Industry in the 1980s - An Information Briefing" (PDF). British Film Institute. 2005. p. 19.
- ^ "American Friends (1993) - Box Office Mojo". www.boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
- ^ http://www.musicbox-records.com/en/53-american-friends.html website
| American Friends | |
|---|---|
|
| |
| Directed by | Tristram Powell |
| Written by |
Michael Palin Tristram Powell |
| Produced by |
Steve Abbott Patrick Cassavetti |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Philip Bonham-Carter |
| Edited by | George Akers |
| Music by | Georges Delerue |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Palace Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 95 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £2.5 million [1] |
| Box office | $23,034 (US)
[2] £141,096 (UK) [1] |
American Friends is a 1991 British film starring Michael Palin. It was written by Palin and its director, Tristram Powell.
Palin plays Francis Ashby, a senior Oxford professor on holiday in the Swiss Alps in 1861. There he meets the American Caroline Hartley ( Connie Booth) and her 18-year-old ward Elinor ( Trini Alvarado). Ashby is drawn to them both, particularly Elinor, but is rather surprised when they arrive in Oxford and rent a house. Women are not allowed in the college, nor are fellows allowed to marry, which puts him in an embarrassing situation. Ashby's rival for the post of college president, Oliver Syme ( Alfred Molina), takes full advantage of this to try to discredit Ashby.
The plot was based on a real-life incident involving Palin's great-grandfather, Edward Palin.
- Michael Palin - Rev. Francis Ashby
- Trini Alvarado - Elinor Hartley
- Connie Booth - Caroline Hartley
- Alfred Molina - Oliver Syme
- Bryan Pringle - Haskell
- Fred Pearson - Hapgood
- Susan Denaker - Mrs. Cantrell
- Jonathan Firth - Cable
- Ian Dunn - Gowers
- Robert Eddison - William Granger Rushden
- David Calder - Pollitt
- Simon Jones - Anderson
- Charles McKeown - Maynard
- Roger Lloyd-Pack - Dr. Butler
- John Nettleton - Rev. Groves
- Alun Armstrong - Dr. Victor Weeks
- Sheila Reid - Mrs. Weeks
- Edward Rawle-Hicks - John Weeks
- Markus Gehrig - Swiss Guide
- Jo Stone-Fewings - Undergraduate
- Jimmy Jewel - Ashby Senior
- Wensley Pithey - Cave
- Arthur Howard - Voe
- Charles Simon - Canon Harper
- Adrian Gannon - Extra
The film won the Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award for Best film/screenplay.
The CD soundtrack composed by Georges Delerue is available on Music Box Records label. [3]
- ^ a b "Back to the Future: The Fall and Rise of the British Film Industry in the 1980s - An Information Briefing" (PDF). British Film Institute. 2005. p. 19.
- ^ "American Friends (1993) - Box Office Mojo". www.boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
- ^ http://www.musicbox-records.com/en/53-american-friends.html website