''Ascendancy'' is a 1983 British

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed by Edward Bennett and starring

Julie Covington Julie Covington (born 11 September 1946) is an English singer and actress, best known for recording the original version of " Don't Cry for Me Argentina", which she sang on the 1976 concept album Evita. Early life Julie Covington was born in ...

and

Ian Charleson Ian Charleson (11 August 1949 – 6 January 1990) was a Scottish stage and film actor. He is best known internationally for his starring role as Olympic athlete and missionary Eric Liddell in the Oscar-winning 1981 film '' Chariots of Fire''. ...

. It tells the story of a woman who is a member of the British landowning ' Ascendancy' in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Gradually, she learns about the Irish independence movement, and becomes involved with it.

Cast

as Connie Wintour *

as Lt. Ryder * John Phillips as Wintour *

Susan Engel Susan Engel (born 25 March 1935) is a British actress. She was born in Vienna, Austria. Career Theatre Engel's work in theatre includes: ''Angels in America'' (1992), ''Richard III'', ''King Lear'' (1990), '' The Good Person of Sezuan'', '' W ...

as Nurse *

Philip Locke Roy James "Philip" Locke (29 March 192819 April 2004) was an English actor who had roles in film and television. He is perhaps best known for his part in the James Bond film '' Thunderball'' as Largo's personal assistant and chief henchman, Var ...

as Dr Strickland *Kieran Montague as Dr Kelson * Rynagh O'Grady as Rose *

Philomena McDonagh Philomena McDonagh (also known as Phylomena McDonagh) is an English actress and writer best known for her roles as art teacher June Summers in ''Grange Hill'' and Carol Nelson in ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale''. McDonagh acted in Phil Young's play ...

as Mary *Michael McKnight as Vesey * Jeremy Sinden as Darcy * Shay Gorman as Keir

Awards

The film was entered into the 33rd Berlin International Film Festival where it won the

Golden Bear The Golden Bear (german: Goldener Bär) is the highest prize awarded for the best film at the Berlin International Film Festival. The bear is the heraldic animal of Berlin, featured on both the coat of arms and flag of Berlin. History The win ...

References

External links

* * * 1983 films British drama films 1980s English-language films 1983 drama films Golden Bear winners Films directed by Edward Bennett 1980s British films {{1980s-UK-film-stub