| Julie Christie | ... | Kitty Baldry | |
| Glenda Jackson | ... | Margaret Grey | |
| Ann-Margret | ... | Jenny Baldry | |
| Alan Bates | ... | Chris Baldry | |
| Ian Holm | ... | Doctor Anderson | |
| Frank Finlay | ... | William Grey | |
| Jeremy Kemp | ... | Frank | |
| Hilary Mason | ... | Ward | |
| John Sharp | ... | Pearson | |
| Elizabeth Edmonds | ... | Emery | |
| Valerie Whittington | ... | Beatrice | |
| Patsy Byrne | ... | Mrs. Plummer | |
| Amanda Grinling | ... | Alexandra | |
| Edward de Souza | ... | Edward | |
| Michael Cochrane | ... | Stephen | |
| Vickery Turner | ... | Jessica | |
| Sheila Keith | ... | Sister | |
| Shirley Caine | ... | Ward Sister | |
| Emily Irvin | ... | Young Jenny | |
| William Booker | ... | Young Chris | |
| Valerie Aitken | ... | Ballerina | |
| Nicholas Franken | ... | Young Civilian Gentleman | |
| Robin Langford | ... | First Young Officer | |
| Stephen Finlay | ... | Second Young Officer | |
| Llewellyn Rees | ... | Lord Lieutenant | |
| Jeremy Arnold | ... | Ballerina's Boyfriend | |
| Allan Corduner | ... | Pianist at Party (as Alan Corduner) | |
| John Lonsdale | ... | Groom | |
| Robert Keegan | ... | Chauffeur | |
| Pauline Quirke | ... | Girl Searching in Hospital | |
| Cathy Finlay | ... | Downstairs Nurse | |
| Charles Morgan | ... | Weeping Man | |
| Gerry Cowper | ... | Ward Nurse | |
| Patrick Gordon | ... | Wounded Officer | |
| Larry Noble | |||
| Stephen Whittaker | ... | Hostile Soldier | |
| Kevin Whately | ... | Hostile Soldier's Mate | |
| Jack May | ... | Brigadier General | |
| Dorothy Alison | ... | Brigadier's Wife | |
| Norman Mitchell | ... | Ernest | |
| Martin Ransley | ... | Young Man in Boat | |
| Jane Laurie | ... | Girl in Boat | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Derek Lyons | ... | Hostile Soldier (uncredited) | |
Directed by | |||
| Alan Bridges | |||
Writing credits | ||
| Rebecca West | (novel) | |
| Hugh Whitemore | (writer) | |
Original Music by | |||
| Richard Rodney Bennett | |||
Cinematography by | |||
| Stephen Goldblatt | |||
Film Editing by | |||
| Laurence Méry-Clark | |||
Casting by | |||
| Noel Davis | |||
Production Design by | |||
| Luciana Arrighi | |||
Art Direction by | |||
| Ian Whittaker | |||
Costume Design by | |||
| Shirley Russell | |||
Makeup Department | |||
| Ann Brodie | .... | makeup artist | |
| Carol Hemming | .... | hair stylist | |
| Susie Hill | .... | hair stylist | |
| Basil Newall | .... | makeup artist | |
Production Management | |||
| Redmond Morris | .... | production manager | |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | |||
| Allan James | .... | assistant director | |
| Peter Waller | .... | second assistant director | |
| Michael Zimbrich | .... | second assistant director | |
Art Department | |||
| Jack Carter | .... | construction manager | |
| Dougie Cox | .... | stand-by stagehand | |
| Wally Fraser | .... | stand-by carpenter | |
| Gordon Harris | .... | stand-by painter | |
| John Hedges | .... | carpenter | |
| Michael Hedges | .... | carpenter (as Mick Hedges) | |
| Michael Jones | .... | supervising painter | |
| Derek Knowler | .... | dressing props | |
| John Manning | .... | stand-by props | |
| John Martin | .... | stagehand | |
| Philip McDonald | .... | stand-by props (as Phil McDonald) | |
| Cleo Nethersole | .... | drapesman | |
| George Peppiatt | .... | dressing props | |
| Jill Quertier | .... | production buyer | |
| Thy Richards | .... | chargehand carpenter | |
| Crispian Sallis | .... | assistant art director | |
| Thomas Tarry | .... | plasterer | |
| Charles Torbett | .... | property master | |
| Ken Wellands | .... | painter | |
Sound Department | |||
| Keith Batten | .... | boom operator | |
| Taffy Haines | .... | sound engineer | |
| Gerry Humphreys | .... | dubbing mixer | |
| Katrina Kane | .... | assistant sound editor | |
| Simon Kaye | .... | sound loader | |
| Stephen Spencer | .... | dubbing assistant | |
| William Trent | .... | dubbing editor (as Bill Trent) | |
Special Effects by | |||
| Nick Allder | .... | special effects | |
| Martin Gutteridge | .... | special effects | |
| Garth Inns | .... | special effects | |
| Graham Longhurst | .... | special effects | |
Camera and Electrical Department | |||
| Frank Batt | .... | grip (as Frankie Batt) | |
| John J. Campbell | .... | focus puller (as John Campbell) | |
| Clive Coote | .... | still photographer | |
| Mark Cridlin | .... | clapper loader | |
| Martin Evans | .... | gaffer | |
| John Field | .... | rigger | |
| Paul Kenward | .... | clapper loader trainee | |
| Peter MacDonald | .... | camera operator | |
| Ray Meehan | .... | best boy | |
| Jimmy Worley | .... | electrician | |
| John Wright | .... | stand-by rigger | |
Costume and Wardrobe Department | |||
| Linda Burtenshaw | .... | assistant costume designer | |
| Nic Ede | .... | wardrobe master (as Nicolas Ede) | |
| Catherine Halloran | .... | wardrobe mistress (as Cath Halloran) | |
Editorial Department | |||
| Bryan Oates | .... | first assistant editor | |
Music Department | |||
| Marcus Dods | .... | conductor | |
| John Richards | .... | music recordist | |
Transportation Department | |||
| Tommy Lee | .... | unit driver | |
| Colin Morris | .... | unit driver | |
| Bill Wilmott | .... | unit driver | |
Other crew | |||
| Joanna Campling | .... | publicist | |
| Len Cave | .... | production accountant | |
| Jack Churchill | .... | assistant accountant | |
| Vicki Deason | .... | production assistant (as Vicki Manning) | |
| Josie Fulford | .... | continuity | |
| Diana Hawkins | .... | publicist | |
| Alan John | .... | cashier | |
| Asad Qureshi | .... | production runner | |
| Maggie Southam | .... | secretary to producer | |
| Guy Travers | .... | location manager | |
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| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| IMDb Drama section | IMDb UK section | Add this title to MyMovies |
This is one of the most beautiful, and heartbreaking, films that I have ever seen. The story of a shell-shocked soldier who, in order to escape the horrors of the war in which he has been involved (WW I) retreats to some inner world of the past. He loses all sense of reality, and becomes entrenched in a time before his marriage, the loss of his child, and the pressures of adulthood. Played by the magnificent and tragically departed Alan Bates, the title character Captain Chris Baldry, takes refuge in a love that existed twenty years before, when he was a young man with his life in front of him. The object of his affection, Glenda Jackson, is now a middle aged woman, but he sees her with the eyes of love, and she is for him the youthful beauty with whom he fell in love decades ago. His wife, a brittle and uncaring Julie Christie, wants him to regain his sense of the present, because she misses her social status. His first love does not initially believe that he should be roused back to consciousness, because she wants him to remain in a happy, albeit unrealistic state. His cousin (played by an unusually good Ann-Margret), a woman who has loved him in secret since the days of their shared childhood, is in a middle place between the two, wanting him back, and yet appreciating the fact that his unawareness and his psychological trip backward in time is bringing him a sort of peace.
Ultimately, the women join forces and realize, with the help of a psychiatrist, that the man they love must be roused from his reverie. The final scene, in which he is brought face to face with reality, is wrenching and difficult, and Sir Alan is able to show with the straightening of his shoulders and the stiffness of his gait that he has returned, sadly, to the present. It is an unspeakably sad performance, of great beauty.
I was reminded, when watching this film, of another film which focused almost entirely on character as opposed to action: "Charly" a film based on the book "Flowers for Algernon" In that movie, which garnered an Academy Award as Best Actor for Cliff Robertson, depicted how an individual who has been moved into a different reality (a retarded man becomes, for a short while, intellectually gifted)can capture a few moments of happiness, which must be sacrificed when he returns to his prior state.
Similarly, the film 'Awakenings' with Robert De Niro tells the story of a man who languished in a coma for many years, and was allowed, through the use of an experimental drug, a few weeks of happiness, a few brief moments to experience life, before the veil of unconsciousness was once again drawn over him when the drugs stopped working.
These stories of people who find happiness in small, short snippets of time, are incredibly moving, and underscore the brevity of life, and the importance of living each moment to its fullest extent.
The Return of the Soldier is truly a tour de force, very sad, very beautiful, and incredibly well-acted. I would strongly recommend it to admirers of Alan Bates, and all those who want to be deeply engaged by a film.