The Assam Garden

Last updated

The Assam Garden
The Assam Garden FilmPoster.jpeg
Directed by Mary McMurray
Written byElisabeth Bond
Produced by Nigel Stafford-Clark
Starring Deborah Kerr
Madhur Jaffrey
Alec McCowen
Zia Mohyeddin
Anton Lesser
Iain Cuthbertson
CinematographyBryan Loftus
Music by Richard Harvey
Distributed byContemporary Films Ltd.
Release dates
UK June 1985
US 30 July 1986
Running time
92 min.
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget£600,000 [1]

The Assam Garden is a 1985 British drama film directed by Mary McMurray and produced by Nigel Stafford-Clark with Peter Jaques as associate producer. Made by Moving Picture Company and distributed by Contemporary Films Ltd., it was written by Elisabeth Bond. The music score was by Richard Harvey and the cinematography by Bryan Loftus.

Contents

The film stars Deborah Kerr and Madhur Jaffrey with Alec McCowen, Zia Mohyeddin, Anton Lesser and Iain Cuthbertson. [2]

The film was shot at Priors Mesne in Aylburton, Gloucestershire, England. At certain times of the year the garden is opened as part of the NGS (Gardens open for Charity) Scheme. In addition part of the land owned by Priors Mesne and run by the owners is now a Deer Park.

Plot

The recently widowed and somewhat cold Mrs. Graham (Deborah Kerr) discovers that her late husband's expansive garden has been selected for consideration as a "Great British Garden". Mrs Graham then devotes her days to tending the garden that her husband had devoted his life to, in the hopes of it being selected for this honour. While gardening, Mrs. Graham encounters and develops a close friendship with her neighbor, Mrs. Lal. Through working in the garden with Mrs. Lal, Mrs. Graham finds some joy and warmth in life.

However, Mrs. Lal is homesick for her native India and at the end of the film, returns to India, leaving Mrs. Graham alone again. Mrs. Graham also learns that her husband left debts and she may be forced to sell her house and beloved garden, just when it looks like it has qualified for the Great British Garden list. The film ends with Mrs. Graham standing alone in the garden calling to her late husband to not leave her.

Cast

Award nomination

YearAward ceremonyCategoryNomineeResult
1987 David di Donatello Best Foreign Actress Deborah Kerr Nominated

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deborah Kerr</span> British film and television actress (1921–2007)

Deborah Jane Trimmer CBE, known professionally as Deborah Kerr, was a British actress. She was nominated six times for the Academy Award for Best Actress, becoming the first person from Scotland to be nominated for any acting Oscar.

<i>Young Bess</i> 1953 film by George Sidney

Young Bess is a 1953 Technicolor biographical film made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer about the early life of Elizabeth I, from her turbulent childhood to the eve of her accession to the throne of England. It stars Jean Simmons as Elizabeth and Stewart Granger as Thomas Seymour, with Charles Laughton as Elizabeth's father, Henry VIII, a part he had played 20 years before in The Private Life of Henry VIII. The film was directed by George Sidney and produced by Sidney Franklin, from a screenplay by Jan Lustig and Arthur Wimperis based on the novel of the same title by Margaret Irwin (1944).

<i>Personal Services</i> 1987 British comedy film directed by Terry Jones

Personal Services is a 1987 British comedy film directed by Terry Jones and written by David Leland, about the rise of a madam of a suburban brothel which caters to older men. The story is inspired by the real experiences of Cynthia Payne, the "House of Cyn" madam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alec McCowen</span> English actor

Alexander Duncan McCowen, was an English actor. He was known for his work in numerous film and stage productions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billie Whitelaw</span> English actress (1932–2014)

Billie Honor Whitelaw was an English actress. She worked in close collaboration with Irish playwright Samuel Beckett for 25 years and was regarded as one of the foremost interpreters of his works. She was also known for her portrayal of Mrs. Baylock, the demonic nanny in the 1976 horror film The Omen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madhur Jaffrey</span> British-American actress, cook, and TV host (born 1933)

Madhur Jaffrey CBE is an Indian-born British-American actress, food and travel writer, and television personality. She is recognized for bringing Indian cuisine to the western hemisphere with her debut cookbook, An Invitation to Indian Cooking (1973), which was inducted into the James Beard Foundation’s Cookbook Hall of Fame in 2006. She has written over a dozen cookbooks and appeared on several related television programmes, the most notable of which was Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cookery, which premiered in the UK in 1982. She was the food consultant at the now-closed Dawat, which was considered by many food critics to be among the best Indian restaurants in New York City.

<i>Shakespeare Wallah</i> 1965 American film

Shakespeare Wallah is a 1965 Merchant Ivory Productions film. The story and screenplay are by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, about a travelling family theatre troupe of English actors in India, who perform Shakespeare plays in towns across India, amidst a dwindling demand for their work and the rise of Bollywood. Madhur Jaffrey won the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the 15th Berlin International Film Festival for her performance. The music was composed by Satyajit Ray.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saeed Jaffrey</span> British-Indian actor (1929–2015)

Saeed Jaffrey was a British-Indian actor. His career covered film, radio, stage and television roles over six decades and more than 150 British, American, and Indian movies. During the 1980s and 1990s he was considered to be Britain's highest-profile Asian actor, thanks to his leading roles in the movie My Beautiful Laundrette (1985) and television series The Jewel in the Crown (1984), Tandoori Nights (1985–1987) and Little Napoleons (1994). He played an instrumental part in bringing together film makers James Ivory and Ismail Merchant and acted in several of their Merchant Ivory Productions films such as The Guru (1969), Hullabaloo Over Georgie and Bonnie's Pictures (1978), The Courtesans of Bombay (1983) and The Deceivers (1988).

<i>The Philanderer</i> Pay by George Bernard Shaw

The Philanderer is a play by George Bernard Shaw.

Zia Mohyeddin was a British-Pakistani film actor, producer, director, and television broadcaster who appeared in both Pakistani cinema and television, as well as in British cinema and television throughout his career.

<i>Barnacle Bill</i> (1957 film) 1957 British film

Barnacle Bill is a 1957 Ealing Studios comedy film, starring Alec Guinness. He plays an unsuccessful Royal Navy officer and six of his maritime ancestors. This was the final Ealing comedy, and the last film Guinness made for Ealing Studios. His first Ealing success was in Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949), in which he also played multiple roles. The film was written by the screenwriter of Passport to Pimlico.

<i>Cotton Mary</i> 1999 British film

Cotton Mary is a 1999 film co-directed by Ismail Merchant, best known as the producer half of Merchant Ivory, and the Indian actress and writer Madhur Jaffrey, who also co-starred. It is a sensual film, shot in coastal South India.

<i>Heat and Dust</i> (film) 1983 British film

Heat and Dust is a 1983 British historical romantic drama film, with a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala based on her novel, Heat and Dust (1975). It was directed by James Ivory and produced by Ismail Merchant. It stars Greta Scacchi, Shashi Kapoor and Julie Christie.

<i>The Perfect Murder</i> (1988 film) 1988 British film

The Perfect Murder is a 1988 English-language Indian film directed by Zafar Hai and produced by Merchant-Ivory. The film is based on the 1964 novel The Perfect Murder by British crime fiction writer HRF Keating and stars Naseeruddin Shah as Inspector Ghote, the leading character in Keating's novels. Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgård as well as many noted Indian actors such as Madhur Jaffrey, Amjad Khan, Dalip Tahil, Ratna Pathak, Annu Kapoor and Johnny Walker appear in the film.

<i>Time Without Pity</i> 1957 British film

Time Without Pity is a 1957 British film noir thriller film directed by Joseph Losey and starring Michael Redgrave, Ann Todd, Leo McKern, Paul Daneman, Peter Cushing, Alec McCowen and Renee Houston. It is about a father trying to save his son from execution for murder.

<i>I See a Dark Stranger</i> 1946 British film

I See a Dark Stranger – released as The Adventuress in the United States – is a 1946 British World War II spy film with touches of light comedy, starring Deborah Kerr and featuring Trevor Howard. It was written and produced by the team of Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat, with Launder directing.

<i>The Doctors Dilemma</i> (film) 1959 British film

The Doctor's Dilemma is a 1958 British comedy-drama film directed by Anthony Asquith and starring Leslie Caron, Dirk Bogarde, Alastair Sim, and Robert Morley. It is based on the 1906 play The Doctor's Dilemma by George Bernard Shaw. A satire on the pretensions of the medical profession and their concentration on treating patients who can pay well, it contrasts their world of imperfect science, always bumping up against unknowns, with the boundless spheres of love and beauty.

<i>The Chalk Garden</i> (film) 1964 film by Ronald Neame

The Chalk Garden is a 1964 British-American film directed by Ronald Neame. It stars Deborah Kerr and Hayley Mills and is an adaptation of the 1955 play of the same name by Enid Bagnold.

<i>Little Lord Fauntleroy</i> (1980 film) 1980 British film

Little Lord Fauntleroy is a 1980 British family film directed by Jack Gold and starring Alec Guinness, Rick Schroder, Eric Porter, Connie Booth, and Colin Blakely. It is based on the 1886 children's novel of the same name by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

References

  1. "Back to the Future: The Fall and Rise of the British Film Industry in the 1980s - An Information Briefing" (PDF). British Film Institute. 2005. p. 19.
  2. Goodman, Walter. "The Assam Garden (1985)". The New York Times. Retrieved 31 May 2012.