Late Flowering Lust

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Late Flowering Lust
Late Flowering Lust 1994 title.png
Title screen
Genre Comedy drama
Directed byDavid Hinton
Starring
Composer Jim Parker
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producersAvril MacRory
Douglas Rae
ProducerCaroline Speed
CinematographyNic Knowland
EditorJon Costelloe
Running time53 minutes
Production company Ecosse Films
Original release
Network BBC2
Release8 May 1994 (1994-05-08)

Late Flowering Lust is a television film starring Nigel Hawthorne, Richenda Carey and Jonathan Cecil, based on the poetry of John Betjeman. Produced by Caroline Speed and directed by David Hinton, it first aired on BBC2 on 8 May 1994. The film features performances by the dancers of Adventures in Motion Pictures, set to the music of Jim Parker.

Contents

Synopsis

When Cousin John is invited to a pre-War weekend house party in Home Counties Betjeman land, he is taken aback by the beauty of the girls. His hosts, the Faircloughs, are of the older generation and the daughter and all her friends are of the younger one. [1] The bright young things cavort through their social litany: tennis, golf, swimming, cycling, even a pheasant shoot. Cousin John is left on the fringes of the activity, watching wistfully.

Cast

Rosemary Allen, Scott Ambler, Matthew Bourne, Ally Fitzpatrick, Maxine Fone, Andrew George, Etta Murfitt and Simon Murphy from Adventures in Motion Pictures portray the bright young things.

Production

The production was originally planned for the stage. Nigel Hawthorne, portraying Cousin John, described the character as "an amalgam of Betjeman, myself and my father". [2]

Late Flowering Lust was Nigel Hawthorne's idea born out of his love for the poetry of John Betjeman. It was also Hawthorne's idea, along with his partner, Trevor Bentham, to ask Adventures in Motion Pictures to collaborate on the project and for Matthew Bourne to choreograph the film. [3]

Filming took place in the summer of 1993. The house featured is Benington Lordship, near Stevenage in Hertfordshire. [3] The park and gardens of Benington Lordship and the 19th-century gatehouse also featured in the production.

Jim Parker's music, originally composed for the albums Banana Blush, Late Flowering Love (both 1974) and Varsity Rag (1981), [4] was performed by the Nash Ensemble. Hawthorne recited the poetry of John Betjeman.

Hawthorne mentioned in a 1994 interview that a stage version was planned for the following February, [5] but it never came to fruition.

Home video

The film was only ever released on VHS, so it is not available on DVD. [1]

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