Feature Friday: Peter's Friends
Sometimes there's just something magical about the people you meet in college. It doesn't happen every time, or to everybody. Sometimes you're just lucky. I know I was.
From the first day, I knew that I was where I was supposed to be. The people I met that day are still active part of my life. Without Sparky, or Sti-Fu, or Lady Steph, or E-Rock, or Painview, or Scosa...I don't know. But I DO know that I wouldn't be where I am today without them.
The same can be said of the group of friends I made about 6 years ago, the WOMP group. That traveling band of thespians, bent on family-friendly entertainment. Under the watchful eye of Becky and Carrie and Melinda, they have grown to be a major player in the theater world. Or Frisco, anyway. Being on stage with the Elfin Princess and my Apocalypse Queen as well as the Goodman/Goodwin's, Jimmy Vines, mea Culpa, Dan-O, Brownie, The Voice, Red, Burst Forth, the Midgets in Bloom, the singing Ellis', the Jinx's, and too many more to name, has been a blessing. I can't wait for another opportunity to work with them all again.
This is also true of my latest crew of Browncoats, doing all they can to keep us in the air.
I guess what I'm saying is that friendship, that unbreakable, indescribable bond, is the rarest of possessions. That, once obtained, is next to impossible to give up.
As well it should be...
Title: Peter's Friends
Year: 1992
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Staring: Stephen Fry, Kenneth Branagh, Hugh Laurie, Alphonsia Emmanuel, Emma Thompson, Imelda Staunton, Phyllida Law, Rita Rudner
It's New Years Eve in a quiet little English village, and Peter (Fry) has arranged a reunion of his college mates, most of whom haven't seen each other in several years. Peter's father has recently passed away, and left the family mansion to his only son. Also, Peter has some rather important news that he needs to share with his friends. But he is quite unprepared to see just how much they have changed since their carefree college and acting troupe days.
Andrew (Branagh) is a successful screenwriter living in America, writing for his wife, Carol (Rudner)'s TV sit-com. But not all is well in Hollywood. Carol is obsessed with her career, to the extent of placing her work before her marriage. And Andrew, feeling less the man he was when he was writing plays in his youth, has turned to alcohol for solace.
Roger (Laurie) and Mary (Staunton), prosperous jingle-writers, have just lost a child, one of a set of twins. Mary is having a very hard time leaving the surviving child alone, and Roger is hurting over his ability to move on, while his wife can't.
Lovelorn Maggie (Thompson), the writing agent, is looking for a husband to start a family. But she's lacking in self-confidence, and has a low opinion of herself. She feels that this reunion will allow her to build up the courage to approach a relationship with Peter.
Winding out the group is free-spirit Sarah (Emmanuel), who brings along her newest boyfriend, who just happens to be married.
'Peter's Friends' is both heartfelt and enduring. Rudner and her husband/writing partner, Martin Bergmann, have penned a great screenplay that accurately captures the bonds of long-term friendship and the trials that come with adulthood.
Kenneth "The Best Shakespearian Actor Of His Era, Or Any Other" Branagh pulls double duty, on both sides of the camera, and makes it look easy. While his portrayal of Andrew is reserved, almost subtle, it's his work as director that shines in this film.
And then-wife Emma Thompson is wonderful as Maggie. Her craft over the years has grown so much, and her roles as both actress and producer have helped raise the bar in Hollywood. She is a marvel to behold, and carries the best performance of the movie.
Best known to American audiences as Fox's Dr. House, Hugh Laurie has had quite a lot of fame across the pond. For several years, in fact. Staples of the Black-Adder series, both he and Stephen Fry are remarkable actors, and very, very funny. Laurie plays his Roger Charleston with a depth and understated grief. He shows his conviction of not giving up, of just living, that every parent that has suffered a loss should see and try to emulate.
As for the grieving mother, Imelda Staunton disappears into her role of Mary Charleston, much as she did in Vera Drake. Staunton plays Mary as the shell-shocked, hysterical figure we all assume we would be if such an event should ever happen to us. But she also plays the victim, outcast from her friends, unable to cope. Unable to move on. You see her loss in every gesture, every word, spoken or not.
For his part, Stephen Fry is also quite invisible in his role of Peter Morton. Gone is the quick wit and over-the-top flamboyance seen in the Black-Adder. Instead Fry goes the subtle route. And it fits the character well. Peter is a multilayered man, and though he gathers his friends together under false intentions, his motives are pure. And his relationship with Phyllida Law, Vera, the housekeeper, is one of the best in the movie.
Alphonsia Emmanuel has a very tough role to play. As the carefree, devil-may-care Sarah Johnson, she must be both flirtatious and guarded at the same time. Her love 'em and leave 'em attitude towards men over the years has finally caught up with her and now she must examine that aspect of her character. And Emmanuel has to to this while keeping the audience on her side. It's not an easy thing to do, and she falters a couple of times. We don't get to see her full character arc, but it is hinted at, and I think Sarah will eventually come around.
But it's Rudner who gets the short straw of the film. Primarily a comedian, she just doesn't have the acting chops to carry her weight with the rest of the cast. Branagh does his best to keep her afloat, but somewhere along the way, Rudner's Carol needs to come into her own. And it never happens. Not a horrible thing, but one that breaks the rhythm of the overall movie.
Still, a great little film that gets most everything right. And one that should make you revel in the friendships you have. Large and small.
-Jos
"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive." ~Anäis Nin
From the first day, I knew that I was where I was supposed to be. The people I met that day are still active part of my life. Without Sparky, or Sti-Fu, or Lady Steph, or E-Rock, or Painview, or Scosa...I don't know. But I DO know that I wouldn't be where I am today without them.
The same can be said of the group of friends I made about 6 years ago, the WOMP group. That traveling band of thespians, bent on family-friendly entertainment. Under the watchful eye of Becky and Carrie and Melinda, they have grown to be a major player in the theater world. Or Frisco, anyway. Being on stage with the Elfin Princess and my Apocalypse Queen as well as the Goodman/Goodwin's, Jimmy Vines, mea Culpa, Dan-O, Brownie, The Voice, Red, Burst Forth, the Midgets in Bloom, the singing Ellis', the Jinx's, and too many more to name, has been a blessing. I can't wait for another opportunity to work with them all again.
This is also true of my latest crew of Browncoats, doing all they can to keep us in the air.
I guess what I'm saying is that friendship, that unbreakable, indescribable bond, is the rarest of possessions. That, once obtained, is next to impossible to give up.
As well it should be...
Title: Peter's Friends
Year: 1992
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Staring: Stephen Fry, Kenneth Branagh, Hugh Laurie, Alphonsia Emmanuel, Emma Thompson, Imelda Staunton, Phyllida Law, Rita Rudner
It's New Years Eve in a quiet little English village, and Peter (Fry) has arranged a reunion of his college mates, most of whom haven't seen each other in several years. Peter's father has recently passed away, and left the family mansion to his only son. Also, Peter has some rather important news that he needs to share with his friends. But he is quite unprepared to see just how much they have changed since their carefree college and acting troupe days.
Andrew (Branagh) is a successful screenwriter living in America, writing for his wife, Carol (Rudner)'s TV sit-com. But not all is well in Hollywood. Carol is obsessed with her career, to the extent of placing her work before her marriage. And Andrew, feeling less the man he was when he was writing plays in his youth, has turned to alcohol for solace.
Roger (Laurie) and Mary (Staunton), prosperous jingle-writers, have just lost a child, one of a set of twins. Mary is having a very hard time leaving the surviving child alone, and Roger is hurting over his ability to move on, while his wife can't.
Lovelorn Maggie (Thompson), the writing agent, is looking for a husband to start a family. But she's lacking in self-confidence, and has a low opinion of herself. She feels that this reunion will allow her to build up the courage to approach a relationship with Peter.
Winding out the group is free-spirit Sarah (Emmanuel), who brings along her newest boyfriend, who just happens to be married.
'Peter's Friends' is both heartfelt and enduring. Rudner and her husband/writing partner, Martin Bergmann, have penned a great screenplay that accurately captures the bonds of long-term friendship and the trials that come with adulthood.
Kenneth "The Best Shakespearian Actor Of His Era, Or Any Other" Branagh pulls double duty, on both sides of the camera, and makes it look easy. While his portrayal of Andrew is reserved, almost subtle, it's his work as director that shines in this film.
And then-wife Emma Thompson is wonderful as Maggie. Her craft over the years has grown so much, and her roles as both actress and producer have helped raise the bar in Hollywood. She is a marvel to behold, and carries the best performance of the movie.
Best known to American audiences as Fox's Dr. House, Hugh Laurie has had quite a lot of fame across the pond. For several years, in fact. Staples of the Black-Adder series, both he and Stephen Fry are remarkable actors, and very, very funny. Laurie plays his Roger Charleston with a depth and understated grief. He shows his conviction of not giving up, of just living, that every parent that has suffered a loss should see and try to emulate.
As for the grieving mother, Imelda Staunton disappears into her role of Mary Charleston, much as she did in Vera Drake. Staunton plays Mary as the shell-shocked, hysterical figure we all assume we would be if such an event should ever happen to us. But she also plays the victim, outcast from her friends, unable to cope. Unable to move on. You see her loss in every gesture, every word, spoken or not.
For his part, Stephen Fry is also quite invisible in his role of Peter Morton. Gone is the quick wit and over-the-top flamboyance seen in the Black-Adder. Instead Fry goes the subtle route. And it fits the character well. Peter is a multilayered man, and though he gathers his friends together under false intentions, his motives are pure. And his relationship with Phyllida Law, Vera, the housekeeper, is one of the best in the movie.
Alphonsia Emmanuel has a very tough role to play. As the carefree, devil-may-care Sarah Johnson, she must be both flirtatious and guarded at the same time. Her love 'em and leave 'em attitude towards men over the years has finally caught up with her and now she must examine that aspect of her character. And Emmanuel has to to this while keeping the audience on her side. It's not an easy thing to do, and she falters a couple of times. We don't get to see her full character arc, but it is hinted at, and I think Sarah will eventually come around.
But it's Rudner who gets the short straw of the film. Primarily a comedian, she just doesn't have the acting chops to carry her weight with the rest of the cast. Branagh does his best to keep her afloat, but somewhere along the way, Rudner's Carol needs to come into her own. And it never happens. Not a horrible thing, but one that breaks the rhythm of the overall movie.
Still, a great little film that gets most everything right. And one that should make you revel in the friendships you have. Large and small.
-Jos
"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive." ~Anäis Nin
posted by Josh at
9:44 AM
2 Comments:
You know, that's one of my favorite little films! I adore the Great and All Mighty Branagh!
By
Taylor, At
7:54 AM
Glad you approve, my Queen...
PoD
By
Josh, At
8:11 AM
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