Cast: Richard E. Grant, Helena Bonham Carter, Jim Carter, Harriet Walter, Julian Wadham, Lesley
Vickerage
Director: Robert Bierman
Producer: Peter Shaw
Screenplay: Alan Plater based on the novel Keep the Aspidistra Flying by George Orwell
Cinematography: Giles Nuttgens
Music: Mike Batt
U.S. Distributor: First Look Pictures
A Merry War had its world premiere at the 1997 Toronto International Film Festival under the title of the George Orwell book from which it is adapted, Keep the Aspidistra Flying. Faced with the likelihood that audiences might not be compelled to attend a movie with such a name, and that many potential viewers might not even know what an aspidistra (a virtually-indestructible houseplant) is, the film makers changed the title. A Merry War, which is taken from a line in Orwell's text, refers to the ongoing, amiable conflict between men and women in general, and the film's two lead characters in particular.
Those individuals are Gordon Comstock (Richard E. Grant), a would-be poet who spends his days writing advertising slogans for the New Albion Publishing Company, and his graphic artist girlfriend, Rosemary (Helena Bonham Carter). One day when he's on the verge of a promotion, the impulsive and introspective Gordon rashly quits his job to become a full-time writer. No more "New Hope for the Ruptured" for him; bolstered by a favorable newspaper review, he now intends to devote his energy to serious writing despite his boss' assertion: "Poetry, advertising – it's the same words, just in a different order." While Rosemary is upset by his decision, since it damages the possibility of a marriage to and a normal life with Gordon, she agrees to support him. His publisher, Ravelston (Julian Wadham), sets him up with a job in a bookstore that will allow him to eat and pay the rent, then advises him to find a place to live that has an aspidistra in the window, since it's a sure sign of respectability. Meanwhile, Gordon continues to try to persuade Rosemary to enter into a more intimate relationship, since he believes that all cultured men are entitled to "sex in the afternoon."
A Merry War is a very British comedy that shares the tone (although not the content) of Cold Comfort Farm. Thematically, this is not a deep movie, although it does make a few satirical points about the differences between the classes and offers the obvious conclusion that happiness has little to do with wealth or social position. Ultimately, however, the primary mission of A Merry War is to offer solid, lightweight entertainment centered around a pair of engaging characters. It's the humor, not the drama, that forms the film's foundation.
Director Robert Bierman (Vampire's Kiss) and screenwriter Alan Plater have altered Orwell's 1936 text by shifting the focus from Gordon alone to the relationship between Gordon and Rosemary. The author's tongue-in-cheek commentary about class differences is retained, however. As a result of his intention to become a full-time, committed writer, Gordon is given an opportunity to taste all levels of the social spectrum. Through this, he learns that contentment has little to do with class. A Merry War highlights the simple truth that, while members of the upper social strata are not necessarily bad people, they tend to be superficial and condescending, while the working classes have a more pragmatic and earthy view of life.
Visually, A Merry War is extremely impressive, but this is not surprising, considering that most British-made period pieces are meticulous in accurately depicting the time in which they transpire. The streets of London (both the affluent portions and the poverty-stricken sections) presented here hearken back to the early decades of this century. Everything – clothing, automobiles, building facades, and people's manners – recalls a period that is only two generations past, yet, in many ways, it seems like an entirely different era.
Richard E. Grant (Withnail and I) makes Gordon a likable individual, despite his obvious flaws. Gordon's experiences in A Merry War cause him to change and grow as a person, and, although he has essentially come full circle by the end, he's not the same man. Helena Bonham Carter (The Wings of the Dove), one of England's most reliable contemporary actresses, fashions Rosemary into a more plucky heroine than her counterpart in Orwell's book (where she's basically a doormat). As Gordon and Rosemary, Grant and Bonham Carter develop a delightful relationship with plenty of verbal slashes and parries.
Keep the Aspidistra Flying is not one of Orwell's best-known works, and those familiar with his "big idea" books of Animal Farm and 1984 may be surprised at the depth of character and relationship development evident in A Merry War. Some of the details in Keep the Aspidistra Flying come from Orwell's own life (he was familiar with what it was like to be a struggling author), and that's one reason why there's a sense of verisimilitude underlying the wit and humor. Like the novel that inspired it, A Merry War is not a landmark, but that doesn't prevent it from offering an enjoyable one-hundred minutes.
© 1998 James Berardinelli