A Month in the Country

source: A Month in the Country

Trailer—A Month in the Country

A Month in the Country

I have only seen this film twice because it was shown on cable and I've never been able to find it since. It is beautifully filmed and it really captures the essence of ART. No sex, no bad language, nothing objectionable, just pure film, pure cinema. Colin Firth is beautiful in this--he plays the character just right, a bit of angst, a bit of frustration and a whole lot of artist. Kenneth Branagh isn't bad either, and I don't always love him. One thing that makes this film so beautiful is the lighting. It's rarely dark--there's lots of sun and color, just like a landscape painting. They were very careful to make this a film about art and it's very successful. If you like Colin, you'll love this movie.

I have to say this is my favourite film of all time. I've seen it a dozen times at least and it never diminishes now I have the DVD. For anyone interested, the Church in the film is St Mary's in Radnage, Buckinghamshire as are a lot of the locations. Firth, Branagh, Richardson and Carter are all fantastic! Like others before me, I wish i'd seen it on the big screen too. Still, it is always a total delight to watch! I have been to Radnage for picnic's etc and the countryside there is wonderful! Well worth the visit! Firth and Branagh have both moved on to bigger and better...? things since but, they both love this film and so do I!

I adored the book by J. L. Carr, and was skeptical that Birkin's first person narrative could be conveyed on film. Firth brilliantly makes this internal landscape manifest, while the film provides a sumptuous external setting. All the lead cast strike an effective balance between intensity and restraint. Every time I view the movie, I see things that I hadn't noticed before. I wish I had seen "A Month in the Country" on the big screen when it was released. The laserdisc looks good, though I wonder what I'm missing. Even though the laserdisc soundtrack is monophonic, it was striking enough to make a friend jump when we were viewed it.

I saw this in 1987 when it came out in a cinema in Dublin. I loved it, the time, the place everything. I don't know if it's me but I wonder if it was made now would it still feel the same. I sometimes look at new period pieces and the actors look too modern or modern views are being given. It's as if they are acting for a modern day audience. I did not feel that this film was like that. It was authentic. Were the inside shots really inside the church in Radnage and where was the house where Rev Keach and his wife were living? Was it a real house, it looked like it. When I saw this film in 1987 I was with a good friend of mine. He died a few years later in an accident and some more years later Natasha Richardson died following an accident. I will look at this film again and think of them both.

This is a true gem of a film. Only those however who have an empathy for the destruction of World War One, and a sensitivity about how moving religious themes can be, will really appreciate the aspects of the film which make it timeless. It is deliberately slow and careful in its pace, and the contrasts between Church and Chapel, working and upper class, and social mobility makes it a film I have always found very moving. The use of the Schubert Mass as a musical backdrop at key points emphasises the cathartic journey Birkin makes. Indeed, his visit to the church as an old man demonstrates the way he has been cleansed of the mud of Flanders.

Colin Firth, as Tom Birkin, has me truly believing he IS Tom Birkin. The physical, mental and emotional trauma of war and what it does to those who survive are mirrored on Birkin's face as he attempts to get on with life and complete his assignment in the little town the story takes place. The scene where the reverend's wife is taking Birkin back to church by way of the wood is one I will never forget. It sums up the message of the story in one shot! Birkin's reaction was so similar to my own. Jim Carter (who has also appeared with CF in The Hour of the Pig and Shakespeare in Love) is also a real treat. A Month In The Country has a lovely cast and some top notch performances. This is one of those movies worth searching for!

From the opening moments when Firth gets off the train in the rain, and arrives in Oxgodby, this film is almost perfectly done. The acting, by Firth and Branaugh and Malahyde is fine, and believable. Firth arrives to restore a painting on a church wall. Shell -shocked from his service in France, and unhappy; the month at the lovely countryside restores him somewhat. The music, by Blake, is lovely. When I feel down, I put this on the VCR. I am restored. Wish it could be released again, as I have a rather poor copy. But I love it just the same Firth is wonderful