"The Line of Beauty" (2006)TV mini-series

Director:

Saul Dibb

Writers:

Alan Hollinghurst (novel)
Andrew Davies (adaptation)

Release Date:

17 May 2006 (UK)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

The story of two gay lovers in 1980s London.

Plot Keywords:

Self Mutilation | Gay | Cocaine | Sex | 1980s

Cast

Dan Stevens	...	Nick Guest
Oliver Coleman	...	Toby Fedden
Carmen du Sautoy	...	Elena
Kenneth Cranham	...	Sir Maurice Tipper
Tim McInnerny	...	Gerald Fedden
Barbara Flynn	...	Sally Tipper
Alice Krige	...	Rachel Fedden
Hayley Atwell	...	Catherine 'Cat' Fedden
Don Gilet	...	Leo Charles
Oscar James	...	Brentford
John Quayle	...	Geoffrey Titchfield
John Standing	...	Lord Kessler
Justin Salinger	...	Russell
Bruno Lastra	...	Tristao
Kika Markham	...	Mrs. Thatcher

Runtime:

USA:179 min (San Francisco Lesbian & Gay Film Festival)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:MA

Filming Locations:

Amersham, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

In the pub scene for Nick and Leo's first meeting, "time" is called at the end of the evening by the real landlord of that pub, the Windsor Castle pub.

Quotes:

Sally Tipper: They're going to have to learn. The homosexuals, I mean.
Nick Guest: Actually, we are learning to be safe.
[silence]
Nick Guest: These days we use protection, and there are other things one can do: oral sex, for example - it's much less dangerous.
Sally Tipper: ...Kissing, you mean?

The sexier side of the Tory dominated 80's

I watched the first episode of the line of beauty last Wednesday (17th May) and I personally enjoyed it. I, myself am only 22 years old and so I was born in the eighties but obviously don't remember it. The story follows one man through his sexual awakening in amidst all the fake glamour of the 80's Tory government. The political side of it is interesting to watch, but the main focus was watching Dan Stevens character (Nick Guest) meeting other men. I have not seen Dan Stevens before in anything else, but from now on I will be on the look out for anything else he appears in. His crystal clear blue eyes, and the way he plays the character's naiveté (in the first episode anyway) is well done. I will definitely watch the next two episodes and may even read the book if I can get hold of it. I recommend tuning in, (espically if your gay) for the sex scenes alone but also for the clever portrayal of the Thatcherite years and how it both destroyed and made the country we are all living in today.