| England Made Me | |
| Director: | Peter Duffell |
| Producer: | Jack Levin |
| Based On: | the novel by Graham Greene |
| Starring: | Peter Finch Michael York Hildegarde Neil |
| Music: | John Scott |
| Cinematography: | Ray Parslow |
| Editing: | Malcolm Cooke |
| Studio: | Atlantic Productions Centralni Filmski Studio Two World Film |
| Distributor: | Hemdale Film Distribution (UK) |
| Runtime: | 102 minutes |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Language: | English |
England Made Me is a 1973 British drama film directed by Peter Duffell, starring Peter Finch, Michael York, Hildegarde Neil, and Michael Hordern, and based on the 1935 novel England Made Me by Graham Greene.[1] Tony Wollard's art direction was nominated for a British BAFTA Award.[2] The film changes the novel's setting from Sweden to Nazi Germany. Duffel explained that he changed the location due to his lack of knowledge of Sweden in the 1930s, the use of imagery the audience would recognise and the growing menace in Europe of the time.[3]
Anthony Farrant (York) is a naive 1930s businessman who pays a visit to Germany on the way home from a business trip, and falls under the politically dubious spell of charismatic financier Erich Krogh (Finch). While Anthony was taught to value fairness and decency, in Erich's world opportunism, corruption, and decadence hold sway.
The New York Times wrote of the film, "England Made Me might have worked, were Mr. Duffell and Mr. Cory less superficial movie makers. They've retained a surprising amount of the Greene plot, even a lot of original dialogue, but the story is no longer comic and rueful, just wildly melodramatic";[4] whereas Film 4 called it "an underrated adaptation of Graham Greene's novel ... Although it received little attention when first released, this fascinating character study is ripe for reappraisal now, with the relationship between the two men making for quietly gripping viewing."[5]