''A Feast at Midnight'' is a 1994 British comedy family film directed by Justin Hardy and starring

Christopher Lee Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee (27 May 1922 – 7 June 2015) was an English actor and singer. In a long career spanning more than 60 years, Lee often portrayed villains, and appeared as Count Dracula in seven Hammer Horror films, ultim ...

, Freddie Findlay,

Robert Hardy Timothy Sydney Robert Hardy (29 October 1925 – 3 August 2017) was an English actor who had a long career in theatre, film and television. He began his career as a classical actor and later earned widespread recognition for roles such as Sieg ...

, Samuel West, Edward Fox and

Julie Dreyfus Julie Dreyfus (born 24 January 1966) is a French actress who is well known in Japan where she made her television debut on a French language lesson program on NHK's educational channel in the late 1980s. She has appeared on the TV show ''Ryō ...

. The film is notable for being the feature film debut of future Conservative politician

Michael Gove Michael Andrew Gove (; born Graeme Andrew Logan, 26 August 1967) is a British politician serving as Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations since 2021. He has been Member of Par ...

, as the chaplain.

Plot

Dryden Park, a prep school, welcomes a new boy, Magnus (Freddie Findlay) whose father is convalescing in Paris. Magnus is immediately targeted by bullies and gets no support from his housemaster, Professor "Raptor" (Christopher Lee). Magnus seeks solace in letters from his father ( Edward Fox), with whom he shares a love of good food, but the school follows a strict diet, so Magnus organizes his new friends into a secret society who enjoy midnight feasting. Magnus and other boys also being bullied go to the school kitchen after lights out, where Magnus cooks and serves a midnight feast made up of delicious snacks. As the Midnight Feast Society grows under the nose of the housemaster, the bullies continue to dislike Magnus and his friends and set out to cause trouble for all those who are part of the Midnight Feast.

Cast

- V. E. 'Raptor' Longfellow *

- Headmaster * Edward Fox - Father * Freddie Findlay - Magnus * Stuart Hawley - Bathurst * Aled Roberts - Goff * Andrew Lusher - Tava * Samuel West - Chef *

Carol MacReady Carol MacReady is an English actress. She is perhaps best known for the role of Mrs Dribelle in Bodger and Badger. Carol is married to actor James Laurenson. Other television shows she appeared in include: *''Agatha Christie's Poirot'' - Milly ...

- Miss Plunder *

Lisa Faulkner Lisa Tamsin Faulkner (born 19 February 1972) is an actress, presenter and celebrity chef. Early life Faulkner was born in Merton, London, to David Faulkner and Julie (née Day). She lived in Esher and was educated at Tiffin Girls' School in ...

- Miss Charlotte *

- Mother *

- Chaplain * Brian Cant - Mr. Hill * Sebastian Armesto - Oberoi * Mathew Blakisto

- Merriman

Release

The film was shown at the

London Film Festival The BFI London Film Festival is an annual film festival founded in 1957 and held in the United Kingdom, running for two weeks in October with co-operation from the British Film Institute. It screens more than 300 films, documentaries and shor ...

in November 1994.

Reception

Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

'' said of the film: "Nothing about it suggests that it should have been made for the big screen, so modest is its scope."

References

External links

* 1995 films 1995 drama films British drama films Films scored by John Murphy (composer) Films directed by Justin Hardy Films set in schools Films set in boarding schools Cooking films 1990s high school films 1990s English-language films 1990s British films {{1990s-UK-film-stub