The history of the background music may be of interest to those interested in the production of this film. I worked with Carl Davis on the music for this movie at his home in south London to rushes sent by ITV in 1980 as well as doing the final recording in the studio and he didn't give me any credit for my Indian musical input as Carl knew nothing about Indian Ragas. There was a lot of controversy and dispute over this issue and a great deal of acrimony which led to the film being aired only once . Shame really as it was a good film based on a good story with good actors. I also worked on the other Scott novel'The Jewel in The Crown' for which George Fenton did give me credits for my Indian musical input.
4 Reviews
A touching meditation of marital love
rucricket29 December 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Staying On is a sequel to the Raj Quartet, but preceded the 1984 mini-series The Jewel in the Crown. I watched it in the order the author Paul Scott intended and felt I benefitted as such. Staying On is more focused than the more famous mini series, and arguably better suited to TV as a result.
It reunites Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard (of Brief Encounters fame) as the elderly English couple, the Smalleys, who have 'stayed on' in India, after the collapse of the English regime.
Both into their 70s, Mr Smalley is suffering from a poor heart. His wife Lucy, who loves him despite his increasingly eccentric behaviour, worries for her future health and happiness when he dies. The fact that they are at the whims of the conniving Mrs Bhoolaboy adds to the tension.
I would ultimately put this on a par with its more famous relation. I can't say anything about the books, but the characters here have more room to come to life and develop in their own way than is the case in TJITC.
While death and illness - common themes for Mr Scott - hang over the Smalley's lives, it is less melodramatically intrusive, though no less significant. As a meditation on love and dependence, it is quite touching. However, love cannot conquer death, or so the climax suggests.
There is greater warmth and love in this hour and twenty minutes than the whole of TJITC, as Mr Smalley's apparent intransigence before his wife's love ultimately gives way in a touchingly realised voiceover. This is Howard's moment in the sun.
Johnson's comes at the very end, when she delivers a heart-rending monologue delivered to her dead husband. The camera follows her patiently round the room, never getting too close or jumping around, as Lucy pours our her heart.
Patience brings reward for the audience, as this climax is worth the wait.
It reunites Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard (of Brief Encounters fame) as the elderly English couple, the Smalleys, who have 'stayed on' in India, after the collapse of the English regime.
Both into their 70s, Mr Smalley is suffering from a poor heart. His wife Lucy, who loves him despite his increasingly eccentric behaviour, worries for her future health and happiness when he dies. The fact that they are at the whims of the conniving Mrs Bhoolaboy adds to the tension.
I would ultimately put this on a par with its more famous relation. I can't say anything about the books, but the characters here have more room to come to life and develop in their own way than is the case in TJITC.
While death and illness - common themes for Mr Scott - hang over the Smalley's lives, it is less melodramatically intrusive, though no less significant. As a meditation on love and dependence, it is quite touching. However, love cannot conquer death, or so the climax suggests.
There is greater warmth and love in this hour and twenty minutes than the whole of TJITC, as Mr Smalley's apparent intransigence before his wife's love ultimately gives way in a touchingly realised voiceover. This is Howard's moment in the sun.
Johnson's comes at the very end, when she delivers a heart-rending monologue delivered to her dead husband. The camera follows her patiently round the room, never getting too close or jumping around, as Lucy pours our her heart.
Patience brings reward for the audience, as this climax is worth the wait.
Wonderful and brilliantly acted
dthia23 December 1998
The film was made in the hill city of Simla in northern India (although the story is set in another hill retreat. The scenery is beautiful, and the atmosphere is quite exotic. The acting of all characters is brilliant: Celia Johnston was exceptional.
A sorrry sequel
Sir_Oblong_Fitzoblong18 December 2020
The novel Staying On was written as a coda to the Raj Quartet but this film was made 4 years before The Jewel in the Crown (1984), apparently partly as a trial run to see if Granada could handle the complexities of Jewel. Thank goodness they didn't do it the other way round.
Jewel was a memorable rendition of an excellent series of books. This film is not memorable. Having read the Quartet but not Staying On I can't say for certain how much this film's shortcomings are down to the book and how much to the rendition but I strongly suspect the latter is the more culpable. In any case the outcome is a pretty depressing 90 minutes.
It is a near contentless story, set in 1972, about a couple of the Raj who stayed on in India after independence and are now having to face the consequences. The picture of several unhappy lives is clear in the first 10 minutes and from then on it is pretty much padding to drag out the film and lay on the point with a trowel. There is none of the complexity, subtlety, politics, or variety of characters to be found in Jewel.
Trevor Howard pretty much rolls out his tried and tested Trevor-Howard-retired-colonel routine while Celia Johnson draws on years of experience of playing frustrated and miserable women.
Saeed Jaffrey livens things up a bit, as he usually does, with his own stock-in-trade convivial Indian, and Zia Mohyeddin gives a well-run-in lovable loyal Indian rogue performance but it isn't enough to dispel the feeling that there is less here than meets the eye. Whether true to the book or not this is not a great piece of TV. It is remarkable that Granada still felt able to go on and do the Jewel and do it so well.
If you enjoyed Jewel, be prepared for a let down with this.
Jewel was a memorable rendition of an excellent series of books. This film is not memorable. Having read the Quartet but not Staying On I can't say for certain how much this film's shortcomings are down to the book and how much to the rendition but I strongly suspect the latter is the more culpable. In any case the outcome is a pretty depressing 90 minutes.
It is a near contentless story, set in 1972, about a couple of the Raj who stayed on in India after independence and are now having to face the consequences. The picture of several unhappy lives is clear in the first 10 minutes and from then on it is pretty much padding to drag out the film and lay on the point with a trowel. There is none of the complexity, subtlety, politics, or variety of characters to be found in Jewel.
Trevor Howard pretty much rolls out his tried and tested Trevor-Howard-retired-colonel routine while Celia Johnson draws on years of experience of playing frustrated and miserable women.
Saeed Jaffrey livens things up a bit, as he usually does, with his own stock-in-trade convivial Indian, and Zia Mohyeddin gives a well-run-in lovable loyal Indian rogue performance but it isn't enough to dispel the feeling that there is less here than meets the eye. Whether true to the book or not this is not a great piece of TV. It is remarkable that Granada still felt able to go on and do the Jewel and do it so well.
If you enjoyed Jewel, be prepared for a let down with this.
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