The Go-Between (1970)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Joseph Losey

Writers:

Harold Pinter (screenplay)
L.P. Hartley (novel)

Release Date:

December 1970 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

Tale of torrid and forbidden love between Christie and Bates in the English countryside.

Plot Keywords:

1900 | Norfolk | Go Between | Early 20th Century | England

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 8 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

Julie Christie	...	Marian - Lady Trimingham
Alan Bates	...	Ted Burgess
Margaret Leighton	...	Mrs. Maudsley
Michael Redgrave	...	Leo Colston - adult
Dominic Guard	...	Leo Colston - boy
Michael Gough	...	Mr. Maudsley
Edward Fox	...	Hugh Trimingham
Richard Gibson	...	Marcus Maudsley
Simon Hume-Kendall	...	Denys
Roger Lloyd-Pack	...	Charles (as Roger Lloyd Pack)
Amaryllis Garnett	...	Kate (as Amaryllis Garnet)
Keith Buckley
John Rees
Gordon Richardson

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | UK:AA (original rating) | UK:PG (re-rating) (1989) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:11 | USA:GP (original rating) | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Elstree Film and TV Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

EMI Films

Trivia:

First film of Dominic Guard.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "thirtysomething: The Go Between (#3.23)" (1990)

Soundtrack:

TAKE A PAIR OF SPARKLING EYES

Elegant, tragic, yet oddly liberating

The first time I saw this film, I was 18 years old. Now, almost thirty years later, I am still enthralled by its two atmospheres - a hot summery Norfolk, England at the turn of the century versus a cloudy, rainy, modern-day Norfolk. The juxtaposition between the two periods is stunning, and mysterious. The acting is superb, the sets and costumes are superior, and the haunting Michel Legrand score stays with you long after the film is over. I find the film to be quite elegant in its scenes of yesteryear, where the "old" England seemed dreamy, leisurely, carefree, and prim and proper, compared to the dreary, coldly realistic, grown-up, modern-day England, where the past is spoken about, and an explanation of what happened in the past is requested.

Although the movie ends on a tragic note, there is a hint of hope which I found oddly liberating, a feature I didn't notice 30 years ago. But like fine wine, this movie ages well. Enjoy, and go on a trip to the past "...{where it's} a foreign country...they do things differently there."