The Go-Between

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source: The Go-Between

I watched this a day after watching the 1971 version with Julie Christie & Alan Bates...I was out to be very objective with no agenda other than my true response...The novel on which the film is based, ranks among my favourites of all time. So I know the story quite intimately. This version was quite moving where the 1971 didn't touch me in any way.... I don't know enough about film-making to identify why this is so technically....but one thing I would say is casting ....especially Leo, the boy for whom future emotional development ceases with the events that take place in this film...re Jack Hollingtons Leo, he is sweet, endearing, innocent & likeable....you can feel his vulnerability & therefore it's realistic for things to impact on him in the shattering way that they do.....in the 1971 version, I don't like or feel for, or connect with, any of the characters...they are all wooden .... And the story telling is way superior in this later film....much more rounded & it's fuller....the key riveting moments seem fleeting in the earlier film....the later film joins all the dots really clearly & effectively....& mostly, impactfully....the viewer can really get the significance of the cricket match, the significance of the concert, why people were surprised & moved by Leo's singing, the tensions between Marion's mother, & her suitor & her secret lover....and the older Leo also, is a character that is loveable & really plausible as an older version of the younger boy..still showing the same sensitivities & tenderness of heart....and I think it's only in this version of the film, that it becomes clear why the summer of 1900 which was shaping up to be the glorious beginning of a glorious new century, could have such a long-lasting damaging impact on Leo...not an easy story to adapt to screen, bc so much of its drama hinges on the inner subjective world of a boy at the beginning of burgeoning adolescence as he finds himself thrust into a social class beyond his station and this as it's seen through the eyes of his older self looking back for the first time, and for the first time seeing the huge fallout....this later film did a worthy job....as someone already commented, it was much more appropriate to have a Lord Trimington that wasn't attractive....confusing in the earlier film to have the opposite....perhaps the only weakness was Marion.....at least the younger Marion....she didn't, for me, manage the balance of being odious in her exploiting of Leo while remaining likeable....but Ted Burgess actor did manage this well....and don't believe anyone who dismisses the book as drivel....the book excels in explaining how knottedness & desiccation can enter people's emotional life and is exquisitely written (from someone who is very fussy)....if you're cut off from that subjective world of feeling or in denial of it, it would explain why you could dismiss such an outstanding book.

I am, more often than not, left disappointed when my favourite literary classics are adapted for television or the big screen, and while this BBC production of LP Hartley's novel is not perfect, it does better than most. The drama begins with a crushed, sorrowful looking older Leo (Jim Broadbent) travelling on a train to Norfolk, the scene of his foreign past. He imagines his younger self, (Jack Hollington) who accuses him of being a "Dull Dog." The older Leo then lays the blame for him being this "creature of ashes and cinder" squarely on the shoulders of his younger self. I found it to be a clever, and moving way of beginning the story. We then travel back fifty years in time to the scorching summer of 1900 and the characters that would haunt Leo into his old age. Leo spends his holidays at the country manor of his upper-class friend Marcus. (Samuel Joslin) It is here that he meets the beautiful, but manipulative and selfish Marian, (Joanna Vanderham) who he becomes instantly besotted with. He then becomes a postman of sorts, as he delivers love letters between Marian and her bit of rough, the tenant farmer Ted Burgess. (Ben Batt) Over the course of the summer, Leo feels increasingly uncomfortable and guilty about ferrying these correspondence, which he now knows aren't just "normal letters," back and forth. The engagement of Marian to the landlord, war hero, and thoroughly decent Trimingham (Stephen Campbell Moore) increases Leo's torment even further. I found it to be well directed, beautifully shot, with picture perfect locations. The performances were excellent throughout, especially from Master Hollington as young Leo. His acting was subtle, natural, intuitive and he had a charismatic presence that you could not take your eyes off of. One to watch out for I would say. At times it felt a little rushed, especially at the end where Broadbent returns as Leo, Batt as Marian's grandson, and Vanessa Redgrave plays the part of an older Marian. That is just a small complaint though. Overall, I found it to be a very moving adaptation of my favourite LP Hartley novel

A wonderful well cast and moving theme. Leo (Jack Hollington) held centre stage with almost cameo performances from Jim Broadbent and Vanessa Redgrave. Set in 1900, just one minor error on the soundtrack - a Collared Dove cooing in the background on a quiet summer's day - this species of dove didn't arrive in the UK from the Middle East via Europe until the 1960s!

Heart wrenching. Heart stopping. Beautiful love story. Hateful mother. Blind love. The abuse of this child broke my heart. Neglect and abuse he endured as he payed in the rain crying. My goodness. Early on in the show, he feel so in love. The first love of a little boy is more real than anything most give credit. I just adored this movie.

I liked the story although I was never sure why Leo was spending time with the rich Maudsley's. It was hard to have too much sympathy for the secret lovers because of the way they manipulated Leo into doing their bidding. But all-in-all I enjoyed it

Beautiful and Beautiful! Wow! Sad, from cast to music and photography! All 10/10

Turning 13 is never easy, but for Leo it's far more than his own burgeoning puberty that entangles him. His curiosity about the ways of love is confounded by his lack of father, so he turns to a young farmer on the estate where he is summering. His lower social status already makes him a fish out of water at the sprawling English estate, so the eldest daughter's attention and care for him is most welcomed. As the story progresses, his burgeoning feelings for her and curiosity about the unspoken mechanics of "spooning" begin to take a heartbreaking turn. He is caught in the midst of a Romeo and Juliet tale that leaves him feeling torn by his friendship with all the parties involved. Leo is a heartbreaking character, but also relatable. A beautiful movie to watch, definitely recommend.

I have neither read the novel nor seen the first film adaptation, but after viewing the 2015 release of The Go Between I can understand why it was nominated for so many awards. Wonderful cinematography, exact period costumes, even how the outdoors shots were cleared of practically all remnants of modern life, put you there in 1900. Great acting by all of the cast, especially from Jack Hollington who plays young Leo. The stiffness and stuffiness of the Edwardian lifestyle for the British upper class is well presented in the film, although by 1900 cracks were beginning to appear in the veneer of this strict social structure of the haves and have-nots. The delineation of how and when the classes meet each other and interact is clearly displayed. My how times have changed in the 21st century. If the Queen's grandson may marry a mixed race American divorcee imagine what say a daughter of a mere Lord may have over her own life choices.