The Go-Between

Plot synopsis:
The story follows a young boy named Leo Colston (Dominic Guard), who in the year 1900 is a guest of his wealthy school friend, Marcus Maudsley (Richard Gibson), to spend the summer holidays at his family's Norfolk country house. While there, Marcus is taken sick and quarantined with the measles. Left to entertain himself, Leo befriends Marcus's beautiful elder sister Marion Maudsley (Julie Christie), and finds himself a messenger, carrying messages between her and a tenant farmer neighbor, Ted Burgess (Alan Bates), with whom she is engaging in a secret illicit affair.
Her parents, however want to engage her to Hugh, Viscount Trimingham (played by Edward Fox) the estate owner. A heatwave leading to a thunderstorm coincides with Leo's birthday party and the film's climax, when Marion's mother and Leo, in search for Marion, find her making love with Burgess in a farm building. This event has a long-lasting impact on Leo after Burgess shoots himself in his farmhouse kitchen.
More than fifty years later, Marion, now the Dowager Lady Trimingham, sends for Leo, wanting him to speak to her grandson to assure him that she had truly loved Burgess. She asks Leo whether her grandson reminds him of anyone, and he replies "Yes. Ted Burgess".
Michael Redgrave plays Leo in old age.
Pinter's screenplay for the film was his final collaboration with Losey, following The Servant (1963) and Accident (1967). It is largely faithful to the novel, although it alludes to the novel's opening events in dialogue where Leo is held in admiration by the students due to their belief he caused injury to two bullies through black magic and incorporates events described in the novel's epilogue within the central narrative.

Tags: flashback

Review:
Harold Pinter adapted L P Hartley's novel and Joseph Losey directed - Lose, a blacklisted American who became one of the pillars of British Cinema in the 60's - think "The Servant" or "Accident" - Then, of course, Julie Christie, sublime.
Richly-detailed period romantic drama, told more or less from a child's viewpoint but treated with the maturity one has come to expect from a Losey film (the main plot is interspersed with fragmented clips of the boy as an old man - played by Sir Michael Redgrave - revisiting the aristocratic country estate where the majority of the narrative takes place).Though the characters are rather swamped by their surroundings (the two leads are particularly subdued) - as captured by the gleaming cinematography of Gerry Fisher and the elegant décor of Carmen Dillon - the film allows for several good performances from a sturdy cast, including Dominic Guard (as the boy Leo who acts as messenger in the impossible love between upper-class Julie Christie and commoner Alan Bates, both of whom he idolizes), Edward Fox (as Christie's intended, a war-hero), as well as Margaret Leighton and Michael Gough (as her parents); Leighton's role remains in the background for most of the time but, then, she asserts herself during the last third to bring down the couple's relationship - with the unwilling assistance of the bewildered Guard.
Besides, Michel Legrand contributes an atypically ominous yet haunting score.This was the third and last time Losey and screenwriter Harold Pinter worked together, constituting a very fruitful and quite extraordinary collaboration; for about two-thirds of its length, the film finds Losey somewhere near his best - the contemporary subplot where Leo reprises his 'services' for an older Christie works less well, in my opinion (and is too sketchily presented anyway), rendering an already deliberately-paced film somewhat overlong!
It begins as a 12-year- old boy, Leo (Dominic Guard), comes to spend the summer of 1900 at a large English country estate.
However, after a brief break off in communications; Ted and Marian begin their secret exchanges again with Leo still acting as their dutiful Mercury-like 'go-between.' Then, on Leo's thirteenth birthday, he suddenly learns the shocking nature of his carried missives.This film, accented by Michel Legrand's score, has a mysterious, almost Gothic, feel about it.
I find the film to be quite elegant in its scenes of yesteryear, where the "old" England seemed dreamy, leisurely, carefree, and prim and proper, compared to the dreary, coldly realistic, grown-up, modern-day England, where the past is spoken about, and an explanation of what happened in the past is requested.Although the movie ends on a tragic note, there is a hint of hope which I found oddly liberating, a feature I didn't notice 30 years ago.
England is having a heat wave that year, and the weather and scenery play as much of a role in this movie as do the actors.Marcus' big sister, Marian (Julie Christie - Dr. Zhivago, etc.) has fallen for Ted (Alan Bates) the tenant farmer.
However this film captures the painful endurance of Leo as his country collapses towards war, a rigid society faces its own internal turmoil and Leo is stripped of his innocence before he is ready.Set during a blistering summer before the First World War in which Leo stays with the wealthy family of a schoolfriend, the story revolves around Leo's new acquaintances amongst the adults of the family and their circle of socialites (his friend is confined to bed with measles).
All of this is witnessed by Leo who has to deal with his burgeoning but still confused understanding of the situation and his own schoolboy affections for Marian.The story boils to a climax when the oppressive summer finally breaks and the dramatic revelations violently alter the course of personal lives, society and England..
Invited by his upper crust classmate Marcus Maudsley to summer at his family estate thirteen year old Leo Colston is taken into confidence by Marcus's beautiful older sister Marian (Julie Christie) to act as a messenger to her illicit lover, local farmer Ted Burgess (Alan Bates.) Marian is engaged to Lord Trimingham (Edward Fox) whom Leo develops a strong liking for.
The overall morose mood of the film is retained throughout though Lalo Schiffrin's score reeking of hysteria threatens it on more than one occasion.Christie and Bates, Edward Fox as Twillingham and the young Dominic Guard are excellent fits in their roles but Margaret Leighton as Lady Maudsley turns on the jets as the film closes and walks away with the acting honors..
In 1900 Norfolk, England, twelve-year-old Dominic Guard (as Leo Colston) goes to spend the summer at the beautiful country estate of blond school chum Richard Gibson (as Marcus Maudsley).
While Gibson is bedridden with measles, Guard is coerced into delivering love notes as "The Go-Between" for Christie and hunky neighboring farmer Alan Bates (as Ted Burgess)...But, Christie is engaged to Edward Fox (as Hugh Trimingham), a member of her own social class.
But, "The Go-Between" is a spectacular-looking film, with cinematographer Gerry Fisher and the crew making it well worth eyeing - and Joseph Losey leads Guard and his co-stars to fine performances.******* The Go-Between (12/70) Joseph Losey ~ Dominic Guard, Julie Christie, Alan Bates, Richard Gibson.
American screenwriter and director Joseph Losey's twenty-third feature film which was written by English playwright, screenwriter, actor and director Harold Pinter (1930-2008), is an adaptation of a novel from 1953 by British author Leslie Poles Hartley (1895-1972).
It tells the story about Leo Colston, a 12-year-old student and a kind of magician who in a hot summer of 1900 is invited as a guest to a countryside mansion called the Brandham Hall in Norfolk by an aristocratic family named Maudsley.
Leo has come there mainly due to his schoolmate Marcus who is the son of Mr and Mrs Maudsley, but his initial reasons for being there changes when he notices Marcus' elder sister Marian.Distinctly and precisely directed by American filmmaker Joseph Losey (1909-1984), this quietly paced fictional tale which is narrated by the protagonist and from multiple viewpoints, draws a gripping portrayal of the moral and emotional dilemma an adolescent boy is faced with after becoming a secret messenger and the forbidden relationship between an aristocratic and affianced young woman and a tenant farmer who has to hide their romance.
While notable for its naturalistic and atmospheric milieu depictions, sterling production design by English production designer Carmen Dillon, cinematography by English cinematographer Gerry Fisher, costume design by costume designer John Furniss and the fine editing by English film editor Reginald Black (1902-1992), this character-driven and narrative-driven period drama where an aging man reminiscence a pivotal year in his life when his young heart was struck by a magnificent woman, depicts an empathic and incisive study of character and contains an efficient and prominent score by French composer Michel Legrand.This romantic, suspenseful, reflective and stringently structured story which is set against the backdrop of a rural county near the city of Norwich in East England in the late 19th century, examines themes like friendship, class distinctions, loss of innocence and is impelled and reinforced by its fragmented narrative structure, substantial character development, subtle continuity, foreboding and harmonic atmosphere, graceful aura, exceptionally moving flash forward scenes and the memorable acting performances by former English actor Dominic Guard in his debut feature film role, English actress Julie Christie, English actor Sir Alan Bates (1934-2003), English actress Margaret Leighton (1922-1976) and English actor Edward Fox. An eloquent, literary and nostalgic coming-of-age tale from the early 1970s which brilliantly combines various genres and which gained, among numerous other awards, the Palme d'Or at the 24th Cannes Film Festival in 1971.As their two previous cooperation's, Joseph Losey and author Harold Pinter's third and final collaboration is a film adaptation of a novel by a 20th century British writer and an artistic character piece that examines and emphasizes the internal struggles of characters from upper and lower social classes who are either by themselves or others led into predicaments that unravels their frailty.
There's also an unlikely implication that the events of the Norfolk summer which Leo experienced 40 years ago were so traumatic that he had become psychologically incapable of getting married.But for me, although there's not much that happens in the plot, this film is heavy with nostalgia.
In the early 1900s, a 12-year-old boy staying with his school-friend and his friend's family in the English countryside for the summer becomes indirectly involved in the clandestine affair between a privileged young woman and a lusty, low-class farmer.
Its high rating on IMDb is clearly due to the "Halo Effect" of Pinter and Losey.I love the cast: Bates, Christie, Leighton and Redgrave, but the material they are given is, to me, simply worthless.
You are much better off seeing "Far From the Madding Crowd," not a great film, but much better than "The Go-Between."The only reason I gave it a 2 instead of a 1 is because Christie and Bates look so good and I enjoyed hating the bourgeois attitudes of the family..
At the turn of the century a displaced boy becomes a private "postman" between a rough house farmer (Alan Bates) and the soon-to-be-married daughter (Julie Christie) of the local landed classes.There are many films that don't add up to much, but have some sort of badge of quality and entertainment.
A role that was just playing a small variation on herself.Dominic Guard plays the boy in his first ever role and while a passable effort - doesn't really shout "major star in the making." The uncertainty of the young actor probably being more about being in front of the camera for the first time rather than a cunning reading of the script.Some may well find this film is a giant "so what" and "what did we learn?" Rather like The Virgin and the Gypsy (which is worse) and Far From the Madding Crowd (which is better) these are British films that are a break from the norm and might be stealing an extra IMDb star because of it..
But the overall pace feels exactly right, like that of a familiar piece of music; the dialogue is economical, but every word memorable; and each individual scene and set piece (the swimming encounter, the cricket game, the singing recital, the daily conversations between the boy and the various adults, all of whom seem to know things that he has yet to understand) seems as close to perfection as movies get..
But there's not enough dramatic meat in the film to supply much below the surface - unlike the L.P. Hartley novel on which the film is based.Dominic Guard does well as the boy who craves approval and gets cruelly used by Julie Christie and Alan Bates as a go-between for their forbidden sexual assignations.
In the English countryside of 1900, a boy serves as a messenger between a young woman from a rich family who is engaged to be married to a viscount and a neighbor farmer of lower standing, facilitating a forbidden love affair.
I think some of the contents of the film may be a bit confusing or unclear for someone who has not read the book, but otherwise it is a good adaptation.*** POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD***Throughout the film we cannot help feeling sorry for the ever-running boy Leo (Dominic Guard), especially in two scenes: first when he is scolded by Marian (Julie Christie) for initially avoiding her request; she then manipulates him, making him feel guilty to get her own way.
Second when he is caught in his lies by Mrs Maudsley we can only pity him despite his mistakes.The feeling of an imminent disaster is well present and the building of the tension announces the end of the deceit for Ted (Alan Bates) and Marian, as well as the young boy's lost innocence (after his initial ignorance about sexual matters or the details of the love affair itself).
As soon as the secret is out, the triangular links are destroyed : the days of complicity between Leo and the two illicit lovers are over, and the truth is fatal to the other triangle formed by Ted, Marian and Hugh.One of the interests of the film is in the use of a certain language ("spooning"), as well as the subtext ( Marian explaining to Leo : "I must marry him (Hugh)", implies the social pressure, the society expectation and probably the fact she must know she is pregnant at this stage).Despite the tragic denouement and Leo's trauma there is a notion of hope at the end; Now a much older man Leo is given a last mission as a "postman".
The pace of the film is, for the most part, leisurely (the English upper classes rarely do anything in a hurry, particularly during hot weather), but there is always a sense of movement, slow but inexorable, towards some fateful denouement, a sense heightened by Michel Legrand's urgent, insistent musical score.
Even Burgess is probably comparatively prosperous- Norfolk contains some of the richest agricultural land in Britain- but his lowly social origins, betrayed by his rustic accent, and his status as a tenant count against him.There are a number of excellent acting performances in the film, particularly from those two iconic sixties figures Julie Christie and Alan Bates as the doomed lovers, Margaret Leighton as Marion's obsessive mother whose prying precipitates the tragedy, Dominic Guard as young Leo and Michael Redgrave as the older Leo. The one thing I did not like was the use of the twenty-nine year old Christie to play the older Marion; even the use of make-up and low-level lighting could not make her a convincing seventy or eighty, and the film would have been improved by casting an older actress in the part.
Thus we learn at the conclusion that Leo has never married or, even, by inference, enjoyed any kind of natural relationship with a woman, thus is his trust and innocence abused for all time.The film of course also comments tellingly on snobbery, class division and heroism in between-the-wars England but in the end its most important facet is the interplay of the four main characters, Marion, Ted Burgess, Lord Trillingham and of course young Leo, as the film moves inexorably towards its predictably tragic ending.
The acting is generally very good, especially the main female parts played by Julie Christie and Margaret Leighton as errant daughter and suspicious mother respectively.
Alan Bates' farmer Ted Burgess is given no depth beyond that of horny rustic, whilst Julie Christie as Marian wears her dresses well without once betraying any real hint of what she feels beneath her corset.
This emotionless quality which hangs over the drama as heavily as the Norfolk heat in which it takes place is nowhere as perfectly captured as in the smoking room scene in which Hugh (Edward Fox) and the head of the household Mr Maudsley( Michael Gough) communicate over the head of Leo, wonderfully played by Dominic Court, with looks and pauses and words whose deeper meanings the young boy can only come to understand when he is older and able to look back on the events of that summer as an adult.
No review of this film would be complete without a mention of Margaret Leighton's commanding performance as the powerful, class obsessed matriarch, Mrs Maudsley who, ultimately, is forced to cut through the knowing acceptance of the males, and bring the relationship between Marian and Ted to an end, at the same time, unwittingly bringing Leo face to face with the disturbing truth of what goes on between men and women in the world of adults..
Margaret Leighton plays Christie's mother and she's excellent, giving what proved to be the crowning performance to a mostly overlooked film career.Losey's direction is stellar and certainly among the best of his spotty career and for once Pinter has written a screenplay that NOT a sleep-inducing bore..
It just makes the end of the film rather unsatisfactory.Nevertheless, the story set in the "foreign country" of the past is spectacularly well-told, and magnificently acted, not least by the excellent Dominic Guard as young Marcus - a great screen performance.
The Go Between is directed by Joseph Losey, has a screenplay by Harold Pinter, based on the novel by L.P Hartley and stars Alan Bates, Julie Christie, Dominic Guard, Michael Redgrave and Edward Fox.This is a superb coming of age tale focusing on a forbidden love affair.Norfolk 1900,and on one hot idyllic summer young Leo Colston(Dominic Guard)goes to stay with his wealthy friend Marcus Maudsley(Richard Gibson).He befriends and develops a crush on Marcuse's elder sister the beautiful and free spirited Marian(Julie Christie).Marian is engaged to marry kindly Boar War hero Viscount Hugh Trimmingham(Edward Fox)whom Leo befriends and looks up to.We later learn that Marian is hiding a shocking secret,she is having an affair with a nearby tenant farmer,the handsome Ted Burgess(Alan Bates).For obvious reasons not least of which their respective class difference this secret can never be revealed.Leo becomes the couples messenger(go between) delivering their love letters to each other.Intercut with scenes where the elder Leo(Michael Redgrave)revisits the various locations of this unforgettable summer.The Go Between is a beautiful and haunting coming of age tale,of innocence lost and the huge gulf between the upper and lower classes.The beautiful costumes designed by John Furniss are a highlight,effortlessly bringing to life the outfits of a bygone era and the fantastic score by Michel Legrand adds to the beauty of this superb film.With excellent performances from Julie,Dominic,Edward and Alan with fine support from Michael Gough as Marian's father and Margaret Leighton as her gentle and suspicious mother..
The central narrative is set in 1900, a 12-soon-to-be-13Leo (Guard) stays as a guest with the wealthy family of his schoolmate Marcus (Gibson) in rural Norfolk during a torrid summer, and soon becomes a go-between and delivers letters between Marcus' upscale sister Marian (Christe) and her secret inamorato Ted Burgess (Bates), a tenant farmer.