''Fortunes of War'' is a 1987 BBC television adaptation of

Olivia Manning Olivia Mary Manning (2 March 1908 – 23 July 1980) was a British novelist, poet, writer, and reviewer. Her fiction and non-fiction, frequently detailing journeys and personal odysseys, were principally set in the United Kingdom, Euro ...

's cycle of novels '' Fortunes of War''. It stars

Kenneth Branagh Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh (; born 10 December 1960) is a British actor and filmmaker. Branagh trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and has served as its president since 2015. He has won an Academy Award, four BAFTAs (plus ...

as Guy Pringle, lecturer in English Literature in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north o ...

during the early part of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, and

Emma Thompson Dame Emma Thompson (born 15 April 1959) is a British actress. Regarded as one of the best actresses of her generation, she has received numerous accolades throughout her four-decade-long career, including two Academy Awards, two British A ...

as his wife Harriet. Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson met filming the TV series and married in real life. Other cast members included

Ronald Pickup Ronald Alfred Pickup (7 June 1940 – 24 February 2021) was an English actor. He was active in television, film, and theatre, beginning with a 1964 appearance in ''Doctor Who''. Theatre critic Michael Billington described him as "a terrific sta ...

Robert Stephens Sir Robert Graham Stephens (14 July 193112 November 1995) was a leading English actor in the early years of Britain's Royal National Theatre. He was one of the most respected actors of his generation and was at one time regarded as the nat ...

Alan Bennett Alan Bennett (born 9 May 1934) is an English actor, author, playwright and screenwriter. Over his distinguished entertainment career he has received numerous awards and honours including two BAFTA Awards, four Laurence Olivier Awards, and two ...

Philip Madoc Philip Madoc (born Philip Arvon Jones; 5 July 1934 – 5 March 2012) was a Welsh actor. He performed many stage, television, radio and film roles, and was recognised for having a "rich, sonorous voice" and often playing villains and office ...

and

Rupert Graves Rupert Simeon Graves (born 30 June 1963) is an English film, television, and theatre actor. He is known for his roles in ''A Room with a View'', '' Maurice'', '' The Madness of King George'' and '' The Forsyte Saga''. From 2010 to 2017 he star ...

Cast

as Harriet Pringle *

as Guy Pringle *

Charles Kay Charles Kay (born Charles Piff, 31 August 1930) is an English actor. Early life Kay was born in Coventry, Warwickshire, the son of Frances (née Petty) and Charles Beckingham Piff. Originally educated at Warwick School, Kay went on to study m ...

as Dobson * Mark Drewry as Dubedat *

as Prince Yakimov *

as Lord Pinkrose * Harry Burton as Sasha Drucker *

as Simon Boulderstone *

James Villiers James Michael Hyde Villiers (29 September 1933 – 18 January 1998) was an English character actor. He was particularly known for his plummy voice and ripe articulation. He was a great-grandson of the 4th Earl of Clarendon. Early life Villie ...

as Inchcape *

as Castlebar *

Esmond Knight Esmond Penington Knight (4 May 1906 – 23 February 1987) was an English actor. He had a successful stage and film career before World War II. For much of his later career Knight was half-blind. He had been badly wounded in 1941 while on active ...

as Liversage *

Michael Cochrane Michael Cochrane is an English actor. Biography Cochrane was born in Brighton, East Sussex. He was educated at Cranleigh School. He has had many television and radio roles including Oliver Sterling in the Radio 4 soap opera ''The Archers'' ...

as Clifford

Episodes

The Balkans: September 1939

Newlyweds Guy and Harriet Pringle arrive in

, as does the impoverished Prince Yakimov, who takes a temporary job as a journalist on a British paper to save himself from destitution. Harriet is introduced to her fellow expatriates (making friends with the middle-class Bella, who has married a wealthy local man) and to Guy's Romanian friend and admirer Sophie. Their happy life is interrupted by the assassination of the Romanian prime minister Călinescu and

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week af ...

. Rumours fly of a German invasion of Romania and Guy, though absorbed in his work and organising social events, takes steps to protect the family of a Jewish student of his, Sasha Drucker, from the anti-semitic Romanian regime.

Romania: January 1940

Commander Sheppey holds a clandestine meeting to plot against the authorities. Guy feels guilty about not being on active service and is determined to do something productive. When he cancels a lunch arrangement with Harriet, she is worried about his whereabouts. Clarence Lawson, a colleague of Guy, happily entertains a lonely Harriet. Concern for Sasha Drucker and his family intensifies when they go missing. Harriet takes in a stray cat. When Guy and Harriet spend a weekend in the mountains, the feckless Yakimov is left looking after their flat, with tragic consequences. Guy has ambitious plans to stage a production of ''

Troilus and Cressida ''Troilus and Cressida'' ( or ) is a play by William Shakespeare, probably written in 1602. At Troy during the Trojan War, Troilus and Cressida begin a love affair. Cressida is forced to leave Troy to join her father in the Greek camp. Me ...

'' but casting causes dissent. During the after-show celebration, the British envoy Dobson makes a disturbing announcement about the political situation. Harriet and Guy find Sasha Drucker, who is now in desperate need of their assistance.

Romania: June 1940

The fascist

Iron Guard The Iron Guard ( ro, Garda de Fier) was a Romanian militant revolutionary fascist movement and political party founded in 1927 by Corneliu Zelea Codreanu as the Legion of the Archangel Michael () or the Legionnaire Movement (). It was stron ...

increase their power and the British fall out of favour with the Romanians. Sasha remains in hiding at the Pringles' home and becomes friends with Harriet. Sophie attempts to lure Guy to her apartment and he finally sees through her. Another expatriate, Toby Lush, arrives looking for a job at the university. Yakimov puts his life at risk for the sake of a good meal and a bottle of wine. When Dobson announces that the British Legation recommends that everyone should return home, he receives a mixed reaction. As a result of Yakimov's impropriety, Guy finds himself a wanted man. Harriet attends Sasha's father's trial but has difficulty giving a true account of events. Tension mounts as the fascists take over, and the Pringles, with the help of Clarence Lawson, try to smuggle Sasha out to safety. In the midst of chaos, British academic Lord Pinkrose arrives to give a lecture on

Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and has been regarded as among the ...

. As the violence escalates, the expats plan their escape routes.

Greece: October 1940

A despondent Harriet arrives in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...

, where she is overjoyed to see Yakimov at a cafe. They find employment at the British Information Office but when Pinkrose begins to work there, the mood turns sour. Harriet meets a young soldier, Charles Warden, who is quite taken with her. She considers having an affair with him but as she is going to his hotel room on the final afternoon before he must leave she sees Sasha Drucker on the stairs. Sasha is convinced that the Pringles turned him in; Harriet assures him they did not. The delay makes her think better of her relationship with Warden. Guy applies for a lecturing post at the English School but is dismayed to find he is not the first in the queue. When Athens comes under enemy fire, Yakimov lights a cigarette outside during the blackout and is shot dead by a sentry. The remaining group leaves Athens for Cairo by sea.

Egypt: April 1941

After their unceremonious arrival in

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metr ...

, Guy and Harriet are forced to stay in an old

brothel A brothel, bordello, ranch, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in sexual activity with prostitutes. However, for legal or cultural reasons, establishments often describe themselves as massage parlors, bars, strip clubs, body rub p ...

. Guy struggles to find work when it emerges that an old adversary is in charge of the English School. When Guy has to go to

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...

, Harriet moves into 'Garden City' with Dobson. A naïve young officer, Simon Boulderstone, goes in search of his brother Hugo and befriends Harriet. Harriet is also introduced to eccentric Mr. Liversage, flirtatious Edwina and authoritative Mr. Clifford. Harriet and Simon visit the Giza and Djoser

pyramids A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilate ...

with Liversage and Clifford and climb them together. Harriet warns a naive Simon that the Egyptians dislike the British because the British have exploited them for years for control of the

Suez Canal The Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popula ...

. Simon doesn't understand until he, Harriet and Mortimer, a female soldier, visit a live sex show, at which he is disgusted. Harriet and Simon also meet the Hoopers, a rich couple whose son has just been killed by a

land mine A land mine is an explosive device concealed under or on the ground and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets, ranging from combatants to vehicles and tanks, as they pass over or near it. Such a device is typically detonated automati ...

. The Germans close in and Simon must go off to fight.

Egypt: September 1942

To help Simon recover from the death of his brother, he is taken under the wing of those at 'Garden City'. Guy is enthusiastic about two new teachers he has employed. Simon becomes a hero in a desert skirmish and is promoted to liaison officer. Angela Hooper leaves her husband and takes up with Bill Castlebar, a married man. When his wife Mona returns, Angela and Harriet go to

Luxor Luxor ( ar, الأقصر, al-ʾuqṣur, lit=the palaces) is a modern city in Upper (southern) Egypt which includes the site of the Ancient Egyptian city of ''Thebes''. Luxor has frequently been characterized as the "world's greatest open-a ...

. However, there is an outbreak of

cholera Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium '' Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting an ...

and Angela leaves. Harriet stays and sees Aiden Pratt, a young officer who was once a great actor in London. She thinks he is in love with her because he implores her and Guy to come and visit him in

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

. He also tells her a horrific story of his time on an ocean liner after he declared himself a

conscientious objector A conscientious objector (often shortened to conchie) is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, or religion. The term has also been extended to objec ...

to the war. The ship was torpedoed and all the evacuated children died. He then decided to fight. Lord Pinkrose is determined to give his lecture on Byron, and Guy arranges it. Some Egyptian nationalists confuse him with another English aristocrat and shoot him at the podium. Harriet contracts

dysentery Dysentery (UK pronunciation: , US: ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications ...

when she comes back from Luxor and has to stay in hospital for several weeks. Guy pays her little attention and continues rehearsing his newest play. Harriet decides to go back to England. Simon is being driven to his new post when the Jeep stops at a WC and his driver is killed by a hidden mine. Simon's legs are temporarily paralysed as a result of the accident. Harriet leaves Guy at the zoo to get on the boat alone, but at the last minute sees Mortimer and begs her to take her to Damascus. The episode ends with Dobson reading that the boat Harriet was supposed to be on was torpedoed and there were no survivors.

The Middle East: January 1943

As Guy struggles to cope with his presumed loss of Harriet, Simon Boulderstone starts his painful and slow road to recovery. Harriet makes a new friend and rediscovers old ones as she takes in the sights of Damascus, whilst Aiden Pratt's feelings of rejection by Guy bring about unhappy consequences; Aiden is a closet homosexual. Harriet, discovering that Guy thinks her dead, is rushed back to Egypt by Bill Castlebar. On their return, Castlebar collapses and dies later in hospital; Angela is desolate when Bill's wife takes on the funeral arrangements. Harriet and Guy are reunited and they and Simon climb the pyramids together.

Awards

Wins

* BAFTAs 1988 **Best Actress – Emma Thompson (jointly for this series and " Tutti Frutti"). **Best Costume Design – Christine Rawlins **Best Design – Tim Harvey

Nominations

*BAFTAs 1988 **Best Actor – Kenneth Branagh (For the episode "The Lady's Not for Burning".) **Best Drama Series – Betty Willingale and

James Cellan Jones Alan James Gwynne Cellan Jones (13 July 1931 – 30 August 2019) was a British television and film director. From 1963, he directed over 50 television series and films, specialising in dramas. He was particularly associated with the "Classic Ser ...

**Best Film Editor – Tariq Anwar **Best Film Sound – Terry Elms, Ken Hains, Judith Robson and Kim Houldin **Best Make Up – Elizabeth Rowell **Best Original Television Music – Richard Holmes

References

External links

British Film Institute Screen Online
* {{Alan Plater 1987 British television series debuts 1987 British television series endings BBC television dramas World War II television drama series 1980s British drama television series 1980s British television miniseries English-language television shows