Review of Another Country (1984) by Daniel A — 25 Jan 2011

Though Everett and Firth both deliver fine performances, Another Country fails to make the most of its interesting premise, and succumbs to the assumed sexual sensibilities of its audience that in turn demean the film's central relationship.

It is interesting that three prominent British actors make their big-screen debuts in this movie. Cary Elwes, whose career peaked during the early nineties, is all but forgotten today despite his terrible performance in 2004's Saw, and is notable here mostly for his eye-catching good looks that have since faded with his career. Rupert Everett in the lead role does a great job in steering the film as a sensitive and self-assured non-conformist who falls in love with one of his male peers. His career has seen varied success, but since the decision to reveal his real life homosexuality, has been regularly typecast in limited roles, and subsequently spiraled into a mess of catty remarks and bad plastic surgery. While finally Colin Firth, whose career took the longest to built momentum, is now on the verge of picking up his first Oscar, and brings here one of his many fine performances.

The movie follows Everett's Guy Bennett, a young man whose bad experiences at a 1930s English boarding school prompt him to become a Russian spy. Sadly the film's decision to focus entirely on Bennett's life at school, neglecting his spy years completely, is disappointing. I found little here to set this apart from the hordes of other boarding school movies out there, with a focus on familiar themes of struggling with authority, in-school politics, and repressed sexual urges. The latter being rather a large problem in this instance.

Director Marek Kanievska does his best to forge a believable relationship between Bennett and his lover James Harcourt, but the distinct lack of contact between these two men is laughable. It's very difficult to believe in their infatuation when the passion between them can only be displayed through endless lingering looks or an arm around the shoulder. This pandering to the easily offended is like a stake in the heart of the movie, and prompts me to think that a proposed remake with Daniel Radcliffe in the lead role may not be a bad idea if it means justice can be done with this central romance.

On a more positive note the film features impressive cinematography, with the charms of period England admirably captured behind the floppy-haired, good looking actors, creating an overwhelmingly pleasant aesthetic. Likewise, the screenplay, while clearly flawed, is at least intelligent and well-written even if it does take the story in a less satisfying direction than it could have. It sees its characters develop nicely throughout the film and poses some interesting questions about life during this time, as well as its philosophies.

As such Another Country is a decent film which can be enjoyed for its strong performances and pretty visuals, but sadly less so for its underwhelming narrative.