The honorary consul

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Movie
German title The honorary consul
Original title The Honorary Consul
Country of production Great Britain
original language English
Publishing year 1983
length 102 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director John Mackenzie
script Christopher Hampton
production Richard F. Dalton
Norma Heyman
music Stanley Myers
camera Phil Meheux
cut Stuart Baird
occupation

The Honorary Consul (original title: The Honorary Consul ) is a literary film adaptation directed by John Mackenzie based on the novel of the same name by Graham Greene . The leading roles are played by Michael Caine and Richard Gere .

action

Dr. Eduardo Plarr moves to the city of Corrientes in northern Argentina, near the border with Paraguay, and meets there the alcoholic Charley Fortnum, who as honorary consul represents Great Britain's interests in the region. Fortnum takes Plarr to a local brothel , where an attractive prostitute attracts the doctor's attention.

Plarr's father disappeared in Paraguay two years ago. He asks the local police chief Perez to help him find his father. Leon, an old friend of Plarr's time in Paraguay, claims that a man named Aquino has information about his father's whereabouts. The doctor goes back to the brothel, but he can't find the beautiful young woman. Fortnum asks Plarr to examine his wife Clara. To Plarr's surprise, he finds out that she is the young woman from the brothel. Plarr and Clara start an affair and a short time later she is expecting a child from him. Aquino and Leon tell Plarr that his father is in a prison in Paraguay. The two required Plarr to help them kidnap the American ambassador.

A mix-up is made and Fortnum is kidnapped in place of the ambassador. Perez tells Plarr that his father was shot dead while attempting to escape a year ago. Plarr seeks out Leon and the other revolutionaries in their hiding place, where they are holding Fortnum. Leon admits lying to the doctor to get his support. The kidnappers have no intention of letting Plarr go. Fortnum learns by chance that Plarr is the father of Clara's unborn child. Security forces storm the hiding place. All of the kidnappers are killed, and Plarr is later executed by Perez. Fortnum and Clara are reconciled in the end and decide to name the child Eduardo in memory of Plarr.

Reviews

“A film adaptation of the novel by Graham Greene, carefully staged with dense images and with good actors. Although it often borders on melodrama and thematic overload, the film always remains interesting and offers exciting entertainment thanks to the character constellation and development. "

- Lexicon of International Films

“In parts this feature film is a mess. In other parts of the film the film is moving in soft tones. The Honorary Consul has one of the best endings I can remember in mediocre films, which makes up for much of what the previous sloppiness did. And throughout the film, Michael Caine shows a remarkable performance. With someone like Caine, who has appeared in so many films for so long, it's easy to forget what an amazing actor he is. "

- Roger Ebert

" The Honorary Consul dutifully advances to take up all essential aspects of the story, but at such a slow pace that the average attentive viewer is way ahead of the action."

- Vincent Canby

Remarks

  • The film was shot mostly in Veracruz and Mexico City in Mexico .
  • The honorary consul was produced with a rather low budget of around 12 million US dollars and grossed around 6 million dollars at the box office in the United States alone.
  • First performance was in the Federal Republic of Germany on January 13, 1984, in the GDR on March 14, 1986.
  • Michael Caine and Bob Hoskins were nominated for a BAFTA Award for their roles .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ See David Bishop: Starring Michael Caine. London 2003, ISBN 1-903111-57-9 , pp. 107-111
  2. ^ Catholic Institute for Media Information (KIM) and Catholic Film Commission for Germany (ed.): Lexikon des Internationale Films. The complete range in cinema, television and on video. Volume GH, Rowohlt, Hamburg 1995, ISBN 3-499-16357-8 , p. 2521
  3. ↑ https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/beyond-the-limit-1983 (last accessed: October 22, 2010)
  4. ↑ http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9B00E2D71F38F933A0575AC0A965948260 (last accessed October 22, 2010)
  5. ↑ Locations (last accessed October 22, 2010)
  6. ↑ Box office / business (last accessed October 22, 2010)
  7. ^ Lexicon of International Films. Volume GH, Hamburg 1995, p. 2521
  8. ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085236/awards (last accessed: October 22, 2010)