Wetherby (1985)
- Starring:
- Vanessa Redgrave, Ian Holm, (more)
- Director(s):
- David Hare
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- R
- Category:
- Mystery & Suspense
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In a novel and intriguing approach to storytelling, director David Hare has created an engaging mystery and human drama that ostensibly focuses on an innocent dinner party but is really about something else. Jean Travers (Vanessa Redgrave) is an old-maid schoolmarm who has lived in Wetherby, a small town in northeastern Yorkshire, all of her life. She is still haunted by memories of a passionate love affair with a young man who was later murdered while on military duty in Malaysia nearly 35 years ago in the '50s. One evening, Jean invites a group of friends over for dinner; the group is comprised of two couples, one of which spends the time sniping at each other. A young man, John Morgan (Tim McInnerny) is also in the dinner party. Jean thinks he was brought along by one of the couples; the couples, in turn, believe he was invited by Jean -- in short, he is a total stranger that everyone assumes is a friend of someone there. As the evening progresses, political topics of the moment are brought up and chewed over; Margaret Thatcher, Richard Nixon, and other notables of the era are discussed, and various comments are made on the laziness of today's youth. The dinner party ends, and the next day John Morgan comes back to visit Jean. While she is in the midst of preparing tea for them both, he takes out a gun and kills himself. The shock waves from his senseless act later reverberate among the dinner-party guests, as the police investigator tries to piece together the man's background and the dinner party itself. Questions are raised about his motives, and viewers see the dinner party again, moment by moment, in an entirely new light. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Theatrical Feature Running Time:
- 103 mins
Complete Cast:
- Vanessa Redgrave - Jean Travers
- Judi Dench - Marcia Pilborough
- Marjorie Yates - Verity Braithwaite
- Suzanna Hamilton - Karen Creasy
- Katy Behean - Young Marcia
- Jonathan Lazenby - Boatman
- Howard Crossley - Police
- Patrick Blackwell
- David Foreman - Young Malay
- Mike Kelly - CID Policeman
- Paula Tilbrook - Mrs. Mortimer
- Nigel Rooke - Page
- Stephanie Noblett - Suzie Bannerman
- Norman Mills - Drama Teacher
- Ted Beyer - Police Sergeant
- Robert Hines - Jim Mortimer
- Bert King - Mr. Mortimer
- Matthew Guinness - Randall
- Ian Holm - Stanley Pilborough
- Stuart Wilson - Police
- Tim McInnerny - John Morgan
- Joely Richardson - Young Jean Travers
- Trevor Lunn - Pretentious Parent
- Brenda Hall
- Ian Bleasdale - Neurotic Teacher
- Peter Martin - Helpful Parent
- Tom Wilkinson - Roger Braithwaite
- Diane Whitley
- Vanessa Rosenthal - Pretentious Parent
- John Robert - Page
- Guy Nicholls - Mr. Varley
- Richard Marris - Sir Thomas
- Penny Downie
- Marjorie Sudell
- Christopher Fulford - Arthur
- Director(s):
- David Hare
- Writer(s):
- David Hare
- Producer(s):
- Simon Relph
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- R(Not For Children, Adult Situations, Brief Nudity, Adult Language, Violence)
- Categories:
- Mystery & Suspense
- Closed Captioning:
- Check All Versions
- Subtitles:
- Check All Versions
- 1985 - Wetherby - Berlin International Film Festival - Golden Bear
