A 51-minute gut punch about war ghosts and borrowed strength.
A teenage girl takes care of a former soldier suffering from the effects of being gassed in the First World War.
Acting
Finlay's tremors and silences—gas damage without melodrama.
Writing
Deborah Stokes carries scenes with almost no dialogue.
Director
Robert Knights
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Made for British television's 'Screen Two' anthology, this exemplifies the era's willingness to fund bleak, commercially unviable historical dramas. The 51-minute runtime was a deliberate slot, not a cut.
Rupert Graves' tiny role as Jim was among his earliest screen appearances; he'd explode into visibility two years later in 'A Room with a View'. Finlay, meanwhile, was already legendary—he'd played Salieri on stage and screen.
GB
