Noel Coward was, of course, a super patriot and in Mr. and Mrs. Edgehill he gives us a couple who are at once a joke and the very backbone of England. Eustace Edgehill (Ian Holm) is one of life's losers and with Dorrie, his wife of 18 years, he is on the verge of returning to England from one of the fictitious Samolan islands Coward created and featured in his one novel, several stories and plays. His latest non-starter had been a pineapple plantation and he and Dorrie have actually booked a passage to England when he is offered the post of British Representative on a small forgotten island in which the US is interested. He is, of course, totally unaware that he is being exploited but takes the post which he sees as his duty. Eustace and Dorrie are 'little' people and when the Americans come to build an airstrip they are dismissed as nonentities, however, when the Japanese invade Samolo it is the Americans who pull out and the Edgehills who stay simply because they have received no official instructions either way. Sentimental, okay, but moving also. Superb performances by Dench and Holm.
2 Reviews
J Dench in wwii Noel Coward period piece
ksf-231 October 2008
Viewers will recognize Judi Dench as Mrs. Edgehill in this BBC production, part of the Noel Coward collection. The Edgehills are getting ready to leave the British isle of Samola, to return to England, when Mr. Edgehill gets an assignment to a new post, out in the middle of no-where, right at the start of WW II. His wife is quite disappointed, and must decide if she will accompany him. Ian Holm plays Mr. Edgehill, and had been in films Chariots of Fire, Lord of the Rings, and the Fifth Element. Amanda Pays (Vivienne) has done a whole lot of American television. Viewers may also remember Rachel Gurney (Lady Cynthia). Gurney was also in Upstairs, Downstairs. Some good outdoor photography of what must be Sri Lanka, acc to IMDb. The director ( Gavin Millar) doesn't really go to any effort to show us that its a period piece, except for the dialogue, but its an enjoyable watch. Has an un-satisfying ending, but I guess we're used to the American Hollywood endings, where everything is neatly wrapped up.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
