''The Countess Alice'' is a 1992BBC – Radio Times – ''ScreenPlay: The Countess Alice''
/ref>"Screenplay: The Countess Alice"
BFI Film and TV database BBC"Screenplay: The Countess Alice TV Transmission"
BFI film and TV database made for television

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. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by Moira Armstrong and features Wendy Hiller,

Zoë Wanamaker Zoë Wanamaker (born 13 May 1949) is an American-born British actress who has worked extensively with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre. Wanamaker was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2001 by Qu ...

and Duncan Bell. This was Wendy Hiller's last film role. It was made with the support of WGBH-Boston and shown on the American

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

network in 1993. It was written by Allan Cubitt as part of the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

ScreenPlay A screenplay, or script, is a written work produced for a film, television show (also known as a '' teleplay''), or video game by screenwriters (cf. ''stage play''). Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of w ...

'' anthology TV series.

Synopsis

In 1935 a young English society woman caused a stir by marrying a German aristocrat and moving to live with him in Germany. Many decades later, shortly after German reunification, her daughter decides to make a trip to the family's former estate in

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

. However, she discovers the grave of a child with her name in the family plot. Back in Britain, she forces a confession from her mother that she is not her natural daughter. The 'real' Konstanza had been shot by the invading Russians, and the Countess had been forced to take the daughter of a dying couple to save the child's life. She is unable to recall anything about Connie's real background. A breach between the two women is followed by a reconciliation.

Cast

* Wendy Hiller as Countess Alice von Holzendorf *

as Connie * Duncan Bell as Nick Black *

Patricia Quinn Patricia Quinn, Lady Stephens (born 28 May 1944) is a Northern Irish actress and singer. She is best known for her role as Magenta in the 1975 musical comedy horror film '' The Rocky Horror Picture Show,'' and the original stage play from wh ...

as Margot * Lucinda Fisher as Jane * Sylvia Barter as Tilly *

Madge Ryan Madge Winifred Ryan (8 January 1919 – 9 January 1994) was an Australian actress, known for her stage and film roles in the United Kingdom, including London stage productions of ''Entertaining Mr Sloane'' (1964), ''Philadelphia, Here I Come'' ...

as Beattie * Martin Wimbush as Jeremy * Terence Donovan as himself * Sarah Crowden as Sarah * Jan Van Hool as Vivian * Wolf Kahler as Werner * Carl Duering as German Taxi Driver

Critical reception

The ''New York Times'' described the story as "fragile and not entirely persuasive, but many of the details are skillfully observed," with praise for Hiller: "Miss Hiller has rarely failed to impress, but her recent performances have assumed an even higher level of authority. The voice is more commanding, the bearing more regal. The effect can be quite astonishing."John J. O'Connor, "Wendy Hiller as Countess With Past"
''New York Times,'' 17 October 1986, accessed 20 May 2019 Thomas Sutcliffe of ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' called the plotting "rather casual", and praised both Wanamaker and Hiller, also writing "So coercive was the direction in this respect that I was readying myself to laugh at the climactic encounter out of sheer cussedness; that I couldn't was down to Hiller's delicate persuasion and Wanamaker's compelling display of grief."''The Independent,''
2 July 1992, accessed 20 May 2019

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Countess Alice 1993 television films 1993 films BBC television dramas ScreenPlay