Acting
Finney's tragicomic commitment to a man out of time.
Writing
Nabokovian wordplay meets Liverpudlian deadpan.
Direction
Frears' debut already shows his gift for tonal whiplash.
Director
Stephen Frears
Albert Finney
Eddie Ginley
Billie Whitelaw
Ellen Ginley
Frank Finlay
William Ginley
Janice Rule
Mrs. Blankerscoon
Carolyn Seymour
Alison Wyatt
Fulton Mackay
John Straker
Oscar James
Danny Azinge
Bill Dean
Tommy Wright
Wendy Richard
Anne Scott
Maureen Lipman
Naomi
Neville Smith
Arthur
George Innes
Bookshop Proprietor
Tom Kempinski
C.L. Quarry - Psychiatrist
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Frears made this for £80,000 after the BBC wouldn't let him direct Play for Today—it's essentially an expanded television play with cinematic ambition.
The film bombed because distributors had no idea how to market a comedy this sad; it took decades to find its audience as a cult curio.
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