''White Mischief'' (1987), directed by

Michael Radford Michael James Radford (born 24 February 1946) is an English film director and screenwriter. He began his career as a documentary director and television comedy writer before transitioning into features in the early 1980s. His best-known credits ...

, dramatises the events of the Happy Valley murder case in

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

in 1941, wherein Sir Henry “Jock” Delves Broughton was tried for the murder of

Josslyn Hay, 22nd Earl of Erroll Josslyn Victor Hay, 22nd Earl of Erroll (11 May 1901 – 24 January 1941)Cokayne et al., ''The Complete Peerage'', volume I, p.1337 was a British peer, known for the unsolved case surrounding his murder and the sensation it caused during wartime ...

. The film is based upon the novel '' White Mischief: The Murder of Lord Erroll'' (1982), by

James Fox William Fox (born 19 May 1939), known professionally as James Fox, is an English actor. He appeared in several notable films of the 1960s and early 1970s, including '' King Rat'', '' The Servant'', ''Thoroughly Modern Millie'' and ''Performan ...

, which originated from a newspaper article published in 1969.''White Mischief: The Murder of Lord Erroll'', by James Fox, Vintage Books, 1998, The cast of ''White Mischief'' features

Greta Scacchi Greta Scacchi, OMRI (; born 18 February 1960) is an Italian-Australian actress. She holds dual Italian and Australian citizenship. She is best known for her roles in the films '' White Mischief'' (1987), '' Presumed Innocent'' (1990), '' The Pl ...

Charles Dance Walter Charles Dance (born 10 October 1946) is an English actor. He is known for playing strict, authoritarian characters and villains. His most notable film roles include Sardo Numspa in '' The Golden Child'' (1986), Dr. Jonathan Clemens in '' ...

, and

Joss Ackland Sidney Edmond Jocelyn Ackland CBE (born 29 February 1928) is an English retired actor who has appeared in more than 130 film and television roles. He was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for portraying Jock ...

, Sarah Miles,

Geraldine Chaplin Geraldine Leigh Chaplin (born July 31, 1944) is an American actress. She is the daughter of Charlie Chaplin, the first of eight children with his fourth wife, Oona O'Neill. After beginnings in dance and modeling, she turned her attention to act ...

, and Ray McAnally, Murray Head,

John Hurt Sir John Vincent Hurt (22 January 1940 – 25 January 2017) was an English actor whose career spanned over five decades. Hurt was regarded as one of Britain's finest actors. Director David Lynch described him as "simply the greatest actor in t ...

, and

Trevor Howard Trevor Wallace Howard-Smith (29 September 1913 – 7 January 1988) was an English stage, film, and television actor. After varied work in the theatre, he achieved star status with his role in the film ''Brief Encounter'' (1945), followed by ''T ...

Plot

During 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 ...

, dissolute British aristocrats pass the time of day by leading hedonistic lives of drink, drugs, and sexual affairs in the Happy Valley region of the

Kenya Colony The Colony and Protectorate of Kenya, commonly known as British Kenya or British East Africa, was part of the British Empire in Africa. It was established when the former East Africa Protectorate was transformed into a British Crown colony in ...

. On 24 January 1941, Josslyn Hay, the philandering Earl of Erroll, was found dead in his car, in a remote location. Despite his pedigree, the Earl of Erroll was a man of sordid reputation for sexual affairs with married women. One such married woman was Diana Delves Broughton, the beautiful wife of Sir John Henry Delves Broughton, known as "Jock", who was thirty years her senior, with whom she had a pre-nuptial understanding that, should either of them fall in love with someone else, the other party would not impede that romance. Diana has indeed succumbed to the charms of the roguish Earl of Erroll, whose other lovers include the drug-addicted American heiress

Alice de Janzé Alice de Janzé (née Silverthorne; 28 September 1899 – 30 September 1941),Reed, Frank Fremont (1982). ''History of the Silverthorn Family, Vol. 4'', p. 550. Chicago: DuBane's Print Shop. Her birth and death date can also be found at http://www ...

and the somewhat more reserved Nina Soames. The Earl is more serious about this affair than any of his earlier dalliances, and wants Diana to marry him. She is reluctant to leave what she thinks is the financial security of her marriage to formalise her relationship with Erroll (who has no funds or prospects), unaware that her husband is deep in debt. Privately humiliated but appearing to honour their agreement, Delves Broughton publicly toasts the couple's affair at the club in Nairobi, asking Erroll to bring Diana home at a specified time. Delves Broughton appears to be extremely intoxicated for the rest of the evening; once he is alone it is clear he was feigning drunkenness. After dropping off Diana, Erroll is shot dead in his car near the home of Delves Broughton, who is soon charged with the murder. Diana is distraught over losing her lover, as is Alice, who openly masturbates next to his corpse at the mortuary. A local plantation owner, Gilbert Colvile, whose only friend is Delves Broughton, quietly offers Diana advice and solace and ultimately shocks her by proposing marriage. Delves Broughton stands trial. There are no witnesses to the crime and the physical evidence that appears incriminating is also circumstantial. He obviously had the motive and means, but is found innocent, and the scandal comes to an end. De Janzé ultimately kills herself, and Diana discovers further evidence that implicates her husband in her lover's death. After menacing her with a shotgun, Broughton shoots himself in front of her. The film ends with a fleeing, bloodstained Diana discovering the remaining Happy Valley set partying around de Janzé's grave.

Cast

as Diana Broughton *

as Sir Henry "Jock" Delves Broughton, 11th Baronet *

as Josslyn Hay, Earl of Erroll * Sarah Miles as

as Nina Soames * Ray McAnally as Morris * Murray Head as Lizzie *

as Gilbert Colvile *

as Jack Soames *

Susan Fleetwood Susan Maureen Fleetwood (21 September 1944 – 29 September 1995) was a British stage, film, and television actress, who specialized in classical theatre. She received popular attention in the television series ''Chandler & Co'' and '' The Buddh ...

as Gwladys Delamere *

Catherine Neilson Catherine Neilson (born 3 October 1957) is a British stage, television and film actress, who was active from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s. Career On stage, Neilson starred as Christie in ''Traps'' by Caryl Churchill, at the Royal Court Theatre ...

as June Carbery *

Hugh Grant Hugh John Mungo Grant (born 9 September 1960) is an English actor. He established himself early in his career as both a charming, and vulnerable romantic lead and has since transitioned into a dramatic character actor. Among his numerous a ...

as Hugh Dickinson * Alan Dobie as Sir Walter Harragin * Jacqueline Pearce as Idina Soltau

Richard Attenborough Richard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough, (; 29 August 192324 August 2014) was an English actor, filmmaker, and entrepreneur. He was the president of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and the British Academy of Film and Televisi ...

was offered the lead but turned it down because he wanted to focus on his direction.

Production

In 1969 James Fox and Cyril Connolly began investigating the case for an article in ''The Sunday Times'' called "Christmas at Karen". When Connolly died in 1974 Fox inherited his notes and theories, and returned to Kenya to undertake further research. The result was the book ''White Mischief'', published in 1982."Shot in Kenya". Pym, John. ''Sight & Sound''; London Vol. 56, Iss. 3, (Summer 1987): 176. The title came from '' Black Mischief'',

Evelyn Waugh Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh (; 28 October 1903 – 10 April 1966) was an English writer of novels, biographies, and travel books; he was also a prolific journalist and book reviewer. His most famous works include the early satires '' Decl ...

's satirical novel set in the mythical African kingdom of Azania. ''The New York Times'' called it "a fascinating book." ''The Boston Globe'' said "had ‘White Mischief’ been a work of fiction it would have required the collaboration of

Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fiction ...

and P. G. Wodehouse." While researching the book Fox also collected information about

Beryl Markham Beryl Markham (née Clutterbuck; 26 October 1902 – 3 August 1986) was a Kenyan aviator born in England (one of the first bush pilots), adventurer, racehorse trainer and author. She was the first person to fly solo, non-stop across the Atlant ...

, which was turned into the film '' A Shadow on the Sun''. Film rights were optioned by Michael White, a friend of Fox's, while the book was being written. The film was directed by Michael Radford, who co-wrote the script with British playwright Jonathan Gems, who had never worked on a film before. "Films of Africa should be made by Africans," said Radford. "This is a film of melancholy about people who have everything and yet have nothing. It's about people who want to possess what they can't possess.""'WHITE MISCHIEF': In Kenya, a film crew stirs dark memories". Fitzgerald, Mary Anne. ''The Christian Science Monitor'', 25 May 1987. Obtaining funding for the film proved difficult. Money came from a chain of Canadian cinemas,

Cineplex Odeon Cineplex Inc. (formerly Cineplex Galaxy) is a Canadian movie theatre and family entertainment centre chain headquartered in Toronto. The company was formed in 2003 via the acquisition of Loews Cineplex's Canadian operations (which included ...

Goldcrest Films Goldcrest Films is an award-winning independent British distribution, production, post production, and finance company. Operating from London and New York, Goldcrest is a privately owned integrated filmed entertainment company. Goldcrest Films ov ...

and

Nelson Entertainment Nelson Entertainment was a Los Angeles-based film production and home video distribution company, a subsidiary of Nelson Holdings International Ltd., a Vancouver, Canada, holding company formed in 1985 by British film producer Barry Spikings and ...

. The balance came from Columbia Pictures, then under

David Puttnam David Terence Puttnam, Baron Puttnam, CBE, HonFRSA, HonFRPS, MRIA (born 25 February 1941) is a British film producer, educator, environmentalist and former member of the House of Lords. His productions include ''Chariots of Fire'', which w ...

as head of production. Filming took place from February to May 1987 at

Shepperton Studios Shepperton Studios is a film studio located in Shepperton, Surrey, England, with a history dating back to 1931. It is now part of the Pinewood Studios Group. During its early existence, the studio was branded as Sound City (not to be confused ...

and on location in Kenya.

Wrotham Park Wrotham Park (pronounced , ) is a neo-Palladian English country house in the parish of South Mimms, Hertfordshire. It lies south of the town of Potters Bar, from Hyde Park Corner in central London. The house was designed by Isaac Ware in 1754 ...

was used as Doddington Hall, the home of Delves Broughton.

Historical accuracy

De Janzé actually shot herself on 30 September 1941, while Delves Broughton eventually returned to England and committed suicide by

morphine Morphine is a strong opiate that is found naturally in opium, a dark brown resin in poppies ('' Papaver somniferum''). It is mainly used as a pain medication, and is also commonly used recreationally, or to make other illicit opioids. T ...

overdose in the Adelphi Hotel in Liverpool in December 1942, over a year later. "There is a difference between fact and truth," said producer Simon Perry. "You can be truthful without being factual. It's inevitable there will be people who think Kenya was and still is a paradise of remittance men and black sheep of aristocratic families. Kenya was an exaggerated microcosm of society in Britain at that time, painted in primary colours with characters larger than life." Sir Jock Broughton's son, Sir Evelyn, complained that the film depicted his father as a murderer. He said his father was too drunk that night to have committed the crime and that Diana was more likely to have done it. Diana Broughton died in 1987.

Reception

Box office

The film made a loss during its theatrical release. However, Jake Eberts reported that

invested £1,300,000 in the film, and received £1,633,000, earning them a profit of £333,000. Fox said he was "ambivalent" about the movie, based on his book.

Legacy

In 1996, Mariette Bosch murdered Ria Wolmerans in

Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label= Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kal ...

. Both women were white South Africans. The case was referred to as "Botswana's white mischief".Barrow, Greg.
South African woman to hang
" '' BBC''. Tuesday, 30 January 2001. Retrieved on 27 March 2013.

References

External links

* * *
''White Mischief'' review in cosmopolis.ch
{{Michael Radford 1987 films 1980s historical drama films British biographical drama films British historical drama films British legal films British courtroom films Columbia Pictures films Films based on British novels Films scored by George Fenton Films directed by Michael Radford Films set in 1941 Films set in Kenya Films set in the British Empire Films shot in Kenya Goldcrest Films films 1980s English-language films 1980s British films