The Fool (1990 film)

Last updated

The Fool
The Fool (1990 film).jpg
Directed by Christine Edzard
Written by
Produced by Celia Bannerman
Starring
CinematographyRobin Vidgeon
Edited byOlivier Stockman
Music byMichel Sanvoisin
Production
company
Distributed byBarcino Barcino Films S.A.
Release date
  • 7 December 1990 (1990-12-07)(UK)
Running time
140 minutes
CountryUK
LanguageEnglish
Budget£4 million [1]

The Fool is a 1990 British film set in Victorian England's world of finance directed by Christine Edzard and produced by John Brabourne and Richard Goodwin, from a script by Edzard and Olivier Stockman. It stars Derek Jacobi, Cyril Cusack, Ruth Mitchell, Maria Aitken, Irina Brook, Paul Brook and Miranda Richardson. [2] [3] The camerawork was by British cinematographer Robin Vidgeon. [4]

Contents

Plot Summary

The opening credits end with: “This film is dedicated to the anonymous men and women interviewed by Henry Mayhew in London between 1848 and 1861.”

The movie's detailed evocation of life in Victorian London drew on Henry Mayhew's vast personal archive of detailed interviews and vivid descriptions, which first appeared in a series of articles in the Morning Chronicle newspaper and were later compiled into the book London Labour and the London Poor (1851).

The Fool is based on the thoughts and words of these street traders, beggars, artisans, thieves and performers of London on one hand, and on the letters and diaries of members of the upper classes on the other. The narrative is grounded in the double life of a humble clerk who poses as the reclusive, but widely respected "Sir John." He thus moves in wealthy upper class circles and participates in grand investment schemes while living in a London slum, showing the contrast between the world of the very poor and that of the very rich.

Cast

Production

Sands Films, the production company that made the film, is owned and run by Christine Edzard, the screenwriter and director, and her husband Richard B. Goodwin. [5] Jacobi and Cusack had previously worked with Edzard on her film adaptation of Charles Dickens' Little Dorrit in 1987. [6]

The film was the sixth made in collaboration with Goodwin by Edzard, who is known for her meticulous filmmaking, often based on Victorian English sources. [7] Their earlier productions include Stories from a Flying Trunk (1979), The Nightingale (1981), Biddy (1983) and Little Dorrit (1987), and later films include As You Like It (1991), Amahl and the Night Visitors (1996), The IMAX Nutcracker (1997), The Children's Midsummer Night's Dream (2001) and The Good Soldier Schwejk (2018).

Reception

Dennis Clunes described Edzard's colourful film as "an unsentimental satire of scandalous cross-classing" with alternating scenes of the high and low life of 1857 London, "evoking a "richly detailed Dickensian milieu." [8]

Variety admired Edzard's “research and topnotch design with street characters based on interviews by 19th- century social journalist Henry Mayhew”, which were “fine on their own terms, right down to the dirt under their fingernails." But added “Edzard needs to make up her mind whether she’s building a museum or making a movie.” [9]

Time Out was positive, comparing the film's “impeccable attention to detail” and the “socially-conscious” inspiration of Mayhew's work with that of Little Dorrit, while praising its “authentic period feel”. The reviewer found the premise of Mr. Frederick's double life “confusing” but admired the “intriguing...fine theatrical climax in which Jacobi turns on the representatives of True-Brit greed, tearing their selfishness to bits” and concluded that “Jacobi us as usual superb, well supported by a galaxy of British actors.” [10]

Notes

  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. 25.
  2. ↑ "The Fool (1990)". www.allmovie.com.
  3. ↑ Ephraim Katz (2005). The Film Encyclopedia 5th edition. New York: Harper Collins. p. 427. ISBN   9780060742140.
  4. ↑ "The Fool (1991)". BFI. Archived from the original on 21 March 2017.
  5. ↑ Elley, Derek (6 October 1992). "As You Like It". Variety.
  6. ↑ "BFI Screenonline: Little Dorrit (1987)". www.screenonline.org.uk.
  7. ↑ Ephraim Katz (2005). The Film Encyclopedia 5th edition. Harper Collins. p. 427. ISBN   9780060742140. .
  8. ↑ Dennis Clunes (2010). A Short Chronology of World Cinema. London: Sands Films Cinema Club. p. 412. ISBN   9780955384318.
  9. ↑ "The Fool". www.variety.com. 31 December 1990.
  10. ↑ "The Fool". www.timeout.com. 22 April 2016.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Mayhew</span> British writer and activist (1812–1887)

Henry Mayhew was an English journalist, playwright, and advocate of reform. He was one of the co-founders of the satirical magazine Punch in 1841, and was the magazine's joint editor, with Mark Lemon, in its early days. He is also known for his work as a social researcher, publishing an extensive series of newspaper articles in the Morning Chronicle that was later compiled into the three-volume book London Labour and the London Poor (1851), a groundbreaking and influential survey of the city's poor.

<i>Little Dorrit</i> 1855–1857 novel by Charles Dickens

Little Dorrit is a novel by Charles Dickens, originally published in serial form between 1855 and 1857. The story features Amy Dorrit, youngest child of her family, born and raised in the Marshalsea prison for debtors in London. Arthur Clennam encounters her after returning home from a 20-year absence, ready to begin his life anew.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derek Jacobi</span> English actor (born 1938)

Sir Derek George Jacobi is an English actor. Jacobi is known for his work at the Royal National Theatre and for his film and television roles. He has received numerous accolades including a BAFTA Award, two Olivier Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Tony Award. He was given a knighthood for his services to theatre by Queen Elizabeth II in 1994.

<i>The Tales of Beatrix Potter</i> 1971 British film

The Tales of Beatrix Potter is a 1971 ballet film based on the children's stories of English author and illustrator Beatrix Potter. The film was directed by Reginald Mills, choreographed by Sir Frederick Ashton, and featured dancers from The Royal Ballet. The musical score was arranged by John Lanchbery from various sources, such as the operas of Michael Balfe and of Sir Arthur Sullivan, and performed by the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House conducted by Lanchbery. It was produced by Richard Goodwin with John Brabourne as executive producer. The stories were adapted by Goodwin and his wife designer Christine Edzard.

<i>Little Dorrit</i> (1987 film) 1987 British film

Little Dorrit is a 1987 film adaptation of the 1857 novel Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens. It was written and directed by Christine Edzard, and produced by John Brabourne and Richard B. Goodwin. The music by Giuseppe Verdi was arranged by Michael Sanvoisin.

<i>The Happiest Days of Your Life</i> (film) 1950 British comedy film by Frank Launder

The Happiest Days of Your Life is a 1950 British comedy film directed by Frank Launder, based on the 1947 play of the same name by John Dighton. The two men also wrote the screenplay. It is one of a stable of classic British film comedies produced by Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat for British Lion Film Corporation. The film was made on location in Liss and at Riverside Studios, London. In several respects, including some common casting, it was a precursor of the St. Trinian's films of the 1950s and 1960s.

Ronald G. Cook is an English actor. He has been active in film, television and theatre since the 1970s.

Christine Edzard is a film director, writer, and costume designer, nominated for BAFTA and Oscar awards for her screenwriting. She has been based in London for most of her career.

<i>Little Dorrit</i> (TV series) British TV series or programme

Little Dorrit is a 2008 British miniseries based on Charles Dickens's serial novel of the same title, originally published between 1855 and 1857. The screenplay is by Andrew Davies and the episodes were directed by Adam Smith, Dearbhla Walsh, and Diarmuid Lawrence.

Celia Bannerman is an English actress and director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward Jewesbury</span> English actor (1917–2001)

Reginald Edward Oliphant Jewesbury was an English actor, notable for his film, stage and television work and as a member of the Renaissance Theatre Company. In 1982, he appeared with the Royal Shakespeare Company, appearing in The Tempest, Much Ado About Nothing and in Cyrano de Bergerac, the latter two of which he brought to Broadway in 1984, together with Derek Jacobi and Sinéad Cusack. In his later years he appeared in such television comedies as Yes Minister and Blackadder II.

Richard B. Goodwin is a British film producer. As a producer, he received an Academy Award nomination for A Passage to India (1984).. His other films include The Tales of Beatrix Potter (1971), Murder on the Orient Express (1974), Death on the Nile (1978), The Mirror Crack'd (1980), Evil Under the Sun (1982), Little Dorrit (1987), and Seven Years in Tibet (1997).

David Pugh was a British actor, probably best known for playing opposite Rosamund Greenwood and Roy Evans in an acclaimed early film by director Tony Scott, Loving Memory, which was shown at the 1971 Cannes Film Festival. Other film roles included Daft Jamie in Burke & Hare (1971), one of the leads in the 1972 sex comedy The Love Pill, and a creditor in Christine Edzard's 1987 Dickens adaptation, Little Dorrit.

<i>Stories from a Flying Trunk</i> British film from 1979

Stories from a Flying Trunk is a 1979 film based on three stories by Hans Christian Andersen. It was devised, written and directed by Christine Edzard and produced by John Brabourne and Richard Goodwin.

<i>As You Like It</i> (1991 film) British film

As You Like It is a 1991 British film based on the play As You Like It by William Shakespeare. It was devised, written and directed by Christine Edzard and produced by Olivier Stockman and George Reinhart.

<i>The Childrens Midsummer Nights Dream</i> British film

The Children's Midsummer Night's Dream is a 2001 film based on the play A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare. It was written and directed by Christine Edzard and produced by Olivier Stockman. The music by Michel Sanvoisin was performed by the Goldsmiths Youth Orchestra, conducted by Eli Corp. The film features Jamie Peachey, John Heyfron, Danny Bishop, Jessica Fowler and Leane Lyson. It uses Shakespeare's complete text, as well as elaborate costumes and “intricately and properly scaled sets” created in the studio.

<i>Biddy</i> (1983 film) British film

Biddy is a 1983 film written and directed by Christine Edzard, and produced by Richard B. Goodwin at Sands Films Studios in London. The film stars acclaimed actress and theatre director Celia Bannerman, Sam Ghazoros, Kate Elphic, Patricia Napier, Sally Ashby, and John Dalby. The music was arranged by Michael Sanvoisin and cinematography was by Alec Mills.

<i>The Nightingale</i> (1981 film) British film

The Nightingale is a 1981 film directed by Christine Edzard and produced by Richard B. Goodwin at Sands Films Studios in London. The film features Richard Goolden, Mandy Carlin and John Dalby. The music by Beethoven was arranged by Michael Sanvoisin and cinematography was by Christopher Challis. The film uses puppets to tell Hans Christian Andersen's tale about the song of a nightingale heard by the little kitchen girl at the Emperor of China's palace.

<i>The IMAX Nutcracker</i> British film

The IMAX Nutcracker is a 1997 short Christmas film directed by Christine Edzard based on The Nutcracker and the Mouse King by E. T. A. Hoffmann. It was produced by Celia Bannerman, Andrew Gellis, Lorne Orleans and Olivier Stockman at Sands Films Studios in London. The film stars Miriam Margolyes, Heathcote Williams, Lotte Johnson, Benjamin Hall, Harriet Thorpe, and Patrick Pearson.

<i>The Good Soldier Schwejk</i> (2018 film) British film

The Good Soldier Schwejk is a 2018 anti-war satirical film directed by Christine Edzard. It is based on the dark comedy novel The Good Soldier Švejk by Jaroslav Hašek, published between 1921 and 1923. The film was produced by Olivier Stockman at Sands Films Studios in London and stars Alfie Stewart, Joe Armstrong, Kevin Brewer, Sean Gilder, Shona McWilliams and Michael Mears. Music was arranged by Michael Sanvoisin and cinematography was by Joachim Bergamin.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.