A Private Function (1984)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Malcolm Mowbray

Writers:

Alan Bennett (story) &
Malcolm Mowbray (story) ...

Release Date:

11 March 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

1947 in a small town in England. The war has been won two years ago, but there's still rationing of meat...

Plot Keywords:

Pig | Small Village | Mother In Law | Dance Scene | Breaking The Law

Awards:

Won 3 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Michael Palin	...	Gilbert Chilvers
Maggie Smith	...	Joyce Chilvers
Denholm Elliott	...	Dr. Charles Swaby
Richard Griffiths	...	Henry Allardyce the Accountant
Tony Haygarth	...	Leonard Sutcliff the Farmer
John Normington	...	Frank Lockwood the Solicitor
Bill Paterson	...	Morris Wormold the Meat Inspector
Liz Smith	...	Joyce's Mother
Alison Steadman	...	Mrs. Allardyce
Jim Carter	...	Inspector Noble
Pete Postlethwaite	...	Douglas J. Nuttol the Butcher
Eileen O'Brien	...	Mrs. Sutcliff
Rachel Davies	...	Mrs. Forbes, Wormold's Landlady
Reece Dinsdale	...	P.C. Penny
Philip Whileman	...	Preston Sutcliff (as Philip Wileman)

Runtime:

94 min | USA:93 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:M | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:7 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Barnoldswick, Lancashire, England, UK

Company:

HandMade Films

Trivia:

Denholm Elliott replaced Ian Richardson who pulled out owing to a prior commitment to a TV series in the U.S.

Quotes:

Dr. Charles Swaby: In Westminster Abbey tomorrow morning, a young couple are getting married of a purity and a nobility scum like you just can't comprehend.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in What the Pythons Did Next... (2007) (TV)

Underrated gem

The 1980s were dark days for the British film industry and productivity was at an unprecedented low. That doesn't mean that there weren't a number of very fine films made during this time. It does mean that they tend to be rather forgotten in what is often described as a period of wilderness for British cinema. This is rather unfair, as there are a number of fine films made during this decade that don't get the attention they should. A Private Function is a case in point.

The cast assembled for the film is simply one of the best I have ever seen in one movie. Look at the cast today and you would say it was star-studded; actually, many of these actors were not especially famous at the time (only Michael Palin, Maggie Smith, Denholm Elliott and Alison Steadman were really famous actors). Most of the others (Richard Griffiths, Pete Postlethwaite, Jim Carter, Liz Smith, Bill Paterson, Tony Haygarth) have achieved more recognition since. Their obvious talent and future potential was clear to see in this movie. As the fortunes of British films have improved since, their careers have duly flourished.

If the film has a weakness, it is that it is supposed to be a star vehicle for Michael Palin, and yet his character is utterly dull and boring. Palin has proved he is a very capable actor elsewhere and might have impressed more if the kind of effort Bennett put into developing the other characters had also been afforded to Palin's role. This is a minor point though, because the rest of the characters are so well scripted it doesn't seem to matter too much. Palin would probably be the first to admit that the film works because of the script's overall quality (Alan Bennett is simply one of Britain's most incisive comic minds) and because of the wonderful supporting cast, not because of the strength of his own character.

A Private Function is a relatively low budget and uniquely British film. The writing and the acting represent the very best of British cinema. It's a shame it doesn't get more recognition but the gentle wit, eccentric characters and lack of glamour and romance, plus the state the British film industry was in at the time it was made, probably meant that it was never destined to be a blockbuster. It does remain a very funny and at times quite barbed portrait of a particular period in 20th century British history.