The Go-Between (film)
Encyclopedia
The Go-Between is Harold Pinter
's 1970 film
adaptation of the novel
by L. P. Hartley
. A British
production directed by Joseph Losey
, it stars Dominic Guard
(in the title role of Leo Colston), Julie Christie
, Alan Bates
, Margaret Leighton, Michael Redgrave
, Michael Gough
and Edward Fox
.
Pinter's screenplay—his final collaboration with Losey, following The Servant (1963) and Accident (1967)—is largely faithful to the novel, though it alludes to the novel's opening events in dialogue
and incorporates events described in the novel's epilogue
within the central narrative.
, Heydon
and Norwich
in Norfolk.
at the 1971 Cannes Film Festival
.
Margaret Leighton earned an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actress
for her performance in the film.
In 1999 it was included on the British Film Institute's list of the 100 best British films
.
. Harold Pinter. 2nd ed. London: Faber and Faber
, 2007. ISBN 978-0-571-23476-9. [Updated ed. of The Life and Work of Harold Pinter (London: Faber, 1996).]
Gale, Steven H. Sharp Cut: Harold Pinter's Screenplays and the Artistic Process. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky
, 2003. ISBN 0-8131-2244-9.
–––,ed. The Films of Harold Pinter. Albany, NY: SUNY Press, 2001. ISBN 0-7914-4932-7.
Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter, CH, CBE was a Nobel Prize–winning English playwright and screenwriter. One of the most influential modern British dramatists, his writing career spanned more than 50 years. His best-known plays include The Birthday Party , The Homecoming , and Betrayal , each of which he adapted to...
's 1970 film
1970 in film
The year 1970 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 9 - Larry Fine, the second member of The Three Stooges, suffers a massive stroke, therefore ending his career....
adaptation of the novel
The Go-Between
The Go-Between is a romantic novel by L. P. Hartley , published in London in 1953. The novel begins with the famous line "The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there."-Plot summary:...
by L. P. Hartley
L. P. Hartley
Leslie Poles Hartley was a British writer, known for novels and short stories. His best-known work is The Go-Between , which was made into a 1970 film, directed by Joseph Losey with a star cast, in an adaptation by Harold Pinter...
. A British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
production directed by Joseph Losey
Joseph Losey
Joseph Walton Losey was an American theater and film director. After studying in Germany with Bertolt Brecht, Losey returned to the United States, eventually making his way to Hollywood...
, it stars Dominic Guard
Dominic Guard
Dominic Guard is a former English film actor.His most famous role was as a 14-year-old when he played Leo in The Go-Between. He won a BAFTA award in 1972 for his performance...
(in the title role of Leo Colston), Julie Christie
Julie Christie
Julie Frances Christie is a British actress. Born in British India to English parents, at the age of six Christie moved to England, where she attended boarding school....
, Alan Bates
Alan Bates
Sir Alan Arthur Bates CBE was an English actor, who came to prominence in the 1960s, a time of high creativity in British cinema, when he demonstrated his versatility in films ranging from the popular children’s story Whistle Down the Wind to the "kitchen sink" drama A Kind of Loving...
, Margaret Leighton, Michael Redgrave
Michael Redgrave
Sir Michael Scudamore Redgrave, CBE was an English stage and film actor, director, manager and author.-Youth and education:...
, Michael Gough
Michael Gough
Michael Gough was an English character actor who appeared in over 150 films. He is perhaps best known to international audiences for his roles in the Hammer Horror films from 1958, and for his recurring role as Alfred Pennyworth in all four movies of the Burton/Schumacher Batman franchise,...
and Edward Fox
Edward Fox (actor)
Edward Charles Morice Fox, OBE is an English stage, film and television actor.He is generally associated with portraying the role of the upper-class Englishman, such as the title character in the film The Day of the Jackal and King Edward VIII in the serial Edward & Mrs...
.
Pinter's screenplay—his final collaboration with Losey, following The Servant (1963) and Accident (1967)—is largely faithful to the novel, though it alludes to the novel's opening events in dialogue
Dialogue
Dialogue is a literary and theatrical form consisting of a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people....
and incorporates events described in the novel's epilogue
Epilogue
An epilogue, epilog or afterword is a piece of writing at the end of a work of literature or drama, usually used to bring closure to the work...
within the central narrative.
Location
The film was shot at Melton ConstableMelton Constable
Melton Constable is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.It covers an area of and had a population of 518 in 225 households as of the 2001 census.For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of North Norfolk...
, Heydon
Heydon, Norfolk
Heydon, Norfolk, is an English village in the county of Norfolk and district of Broadland.Heydon is about five miles north of Reepham, and has no through road, making it isolated except from the south...
and Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
in Norfolk.
Honours and awards
The film won the Grand PrixPalme d'Or
The Palme d'Or is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival and is presented to the director of the best feature film of the official competition. It was introduced in 1955 by the organising committee. From 1939 to 1954, the highest prize was the Grand Prix du Festival International du...
at the 1971 Cannes Film Festival
1971 Cannes Film Festival
- Jury :*Michèle Morgan *Pierre Billard *Michael Birkett *Anselmo Duarte *István Gaál *Sergio Leone *Aleksandar Petrović *Maurice Rheims *Erich Segal...
.
Margaret Leighton earned an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actress
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
for her performance in the film.
In 1999 it was included on the British Film Institute's list of the 100 best British films
BFI Top 100 British films
In 1999 the British Film Institute surveyed 1000 people from the world of British film and television to produce the BFI 100 list of the greatest British films of the 20th century. Voters were asked to choose up to 100 films that were 'culturally British'...
.
Cast
- Julie ChristieJulie ChristieJulie Frances Christie is a British actress. Born in British India to English parents, at the age of six Christie moved to England, where she attended boarding school....
- Lady Marian Trimingham - Edward FoxEdward Fox (actor)Edward Charles Morice Fox, OBE is an English stage, film and television actor.He is generally associated with portraying the role of the upper-class Englishman, such as the title character in the film The Day of the Jackal and King Edward VIII in the serial Edward & Mrs...
- Hugh Trimingham - Alan BatesAlan BatesSir Alan Arthur Bates CBE was an English actor, who came to prominence in the 1960s, a time of high creativity in British cinema, when he demonstrated his versatility in films ranging from the popular children’s story Whistle Down the Wind to the "kitchen sink" drama A Kind of Loving...
- Ted Burgess - Margaret Leighton - Mrs. Maudsley
- Michael RedgraveMichael RedgraveSir Michael Scudamore Redgrave, CBE was an English stage and film actor, director, manager and author.-Youth and education:...
- Leo Colston - Dominic GuardDominic GuardDominic Guard is a former English film actor.His most famous role was as a 14-year-old when he played Leo in The Go-Between. He won a BAFTA award in 1972 for his performance...
- Leo Colston - Michael GoughMichael GoughMichael Gough was an English character actor who appeared in over 150 films. He is perhaps best known to international audiences for his roles in the Hammer Horror films from 1958, and for his recurring role as Alfred Pennyworth in all four movies of the Burton/Schumacher Batman franchise,...
- Mr. Maudsley - Richard GibsonRichard GibsonRichard Gibson is an English actor, probably best known for his role as the archetypal Gestapo Officer Herr Otto Flick in the BBC hit sitcom series, Allo 'Allo!.-Career:...
- Marcus Maudsley - Simon Hume-Kendall - Denys
- Roger Lloyd-Pack - Charles
- Amaryllis Garnett - Kate
Further reading
Billington, MichaelMichael Billington (critic)
Michael Keith Billington is a British author and arts critic. Drama critic of The Guardian since October 1971, he is "Britain's longest-serving theatre critic" and the author of biographical and critical studies relating to British theatre and the arts; most notably, he is the authorised...
. Harold Pinter. 2nd ed. London: Faber and Faber
Faber and Faber
Faber and Faber Limited, often abbreviated to Faber, is an independent publishing house in the UK, notable in particular for publishing a great deal of poetry and for its former editor T. S. Eliot. Faber has a rich tradition of publishing a wide range of fiction, non fiction, drama, film and music...
, 2007. ISBN 978-0-571-23476-9. [Updated ed. of The Life and Work of Harold Pinter (London: Faber, 1996).]
Gale, Steven H. Sharp Cut: Harold Pinter's Screenplays and the Artistic Process. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky
University Press of Kentucky
The University Press of Kentucky is the scholarly publisher for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and was organized in 1969 as successor to the University of Kentucky Press. The university had sponsored scholarly publication since 1943. In 1949 the press was established as a separate academic agency...
, 2003. ISBN 0-8131-2244-9.
–––,ed. The Films of Harold Pinter. Albany, NY: SUNY Press, 2001. ISBN 0-7914-4932-7.
External links
- "Films by Harold Pinter: The Go Between 1966" – At HaroldPinter.org: The Official Website of the International Playwright Harold PinterHarold PinterHarold Pinter, CH, CBE was a Nobel Prize–winning English playwright and screenwriter. One of the most influential modern British dramatists, his writing career spanned more than 50 years. His best-known plays include The Birthday Party , The Homecoming , and Betrayal , each of which he adapted to...
.. - "Harold Pinter & Joseph Losey", by Jamie Andrews, Harold Pinter Archive Blog, British LibraryBritish LibraryThe British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...
, 15 June 2009.