writers_reign This was screened late last night on the BBC and provided another chance to see this excellent film written by and starring Michael Palin who based the story on his own great-grandfather who left Oxford to marry a woman he met whilst on holiday. Public School/Universities are, of course, something the British film industry does very well, indeed the Original (1951) The Browning Version with Michael Redgrave is one of the finest British films of all time and American Friends makes a fine addition to the ranks. The mores of 1860s Oxford are beautifully captured and full of details and the late Robert Eddison, primarily a stage actor, brings his mellifluous second-only-to-Gielgud voice fully to bear in all his scenes. Palin also captures to perfection the product of years of conditioning on the verge of becoming set in his ways and then undergoing a life-changing meeting. There is strong support all round with Connie Booth turning in a just-right reading of a maturing woman daring to hope for a bite at the cherry and hiding her disappointment and Alfred Molina more or less phoning in his standard cad about campus. Excellent.

cmyklefty Remembering watching American Friends, this is the first time I see Michael Palin at a more serious role. I completely enjoy watching this film. Palin plays an Oxford professor who falls for an American woman (Connie Booth) and her daughter (Trini Alvarado). A wonderful acted film and the scenery is breathtaking to watch. Well worth the effort to see.

Tommy-60 Michael Palin shows that he has grown beyond his Monty Python days, but he has not left them far behind. His droll portrayal of an Oxford fellow, one who must avoid marriage at all costs, is sheer delight. He meets and cannot avoid falling in love with an American woman, but it is the depth and sincerity of his love that surprises him and us. The cinematography is stunning in Switzerland, and all dark days and wooden paneling in Oxford, in both cases conveying a metaphor for Palin's interior struggle. Wonderful and gentle.

Sophie-18 This film, based on the journals of Michael Palin's great-grandfather, is of course humorous, but also teaches a valuable lesson. The script is fantastic, the camera work is beautiful, the acting is superb, and the story, while entertaining, is also quite deep. A must-see for anyone looking for a good film.