| Keep the Aspidistra Flying | |
| Director: | Robert Bierman |
| Producer: | Peter Shaw |
| Screenplay: | Alan Plater |
| Based On: | Keep the Aspidistra Flying by George Orwell |
| Music: | Mike Batt |
| Cinematography: | Giles Nuttgens |
| Editing: | Bill Wright |
| Studio: | BBC Films First Independent Films |
| Distributor: | First Independent Films[1] |
| Runtime: | 101 minutes |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Language: | English |
| Gross: | $373,830[2] |
Keep the Aspidistra Flying (released in the United States, New Zealand, South Africa and Zimbabwe as A Merry War) is a 1997 British romantic comedy-drama film directed by Robert Bierman[3] and based on the 1936 novel by George Orwell. The screenplay was written by Alan Plater and was produced by Peter Shaw.[3] The film stars Richard E. Grant and Helena Bonham Carter.
Gordon Comstock (Grant) is a successful copywriter at a flourishing advertising firm in 1930s London. His girlfriend and co-worker, Rosemary (Bonham Carter), fears he may never settle down with her when he suddenly disavows his money-based lifestyle and quits his job for the artistic satisfaction of writing poetry.
The title Keep the Aspidistra Flying is a pun on the socialist anthem "Keep the Red Flag Flying" but with the aspidistra houseplant instead representing middle-class English respectability.
On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 69% based on reviews from 29 critics.[4]
Derek Elley of Variety magazine called it a terrific adaptation, and a "constant, often very funny delight to the ears". Elley praised the casting but was critical of the uncinematic direction.[5] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave it 3 out of 4 and wrote: "For me it works not only as a reasonable adaptation of an Orwell novel I like, but also as a form of escapism, since if the truth be known I would be happy as a clerk in a London used-book store. For a time."[6] Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly gave it a grade A−.[7]