''Tumbledown'' is a 1988

BBC Television BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1 January 1927. It p ...

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 ...

set during the

Falklands War The Falklands War () was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British Overseas Territories, British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and Falkland Islands Dependenci ...

. Directed by

Richard Eyre Sir Richard Charles Hastings Eyre (born 28 March 1943) is an English film, theatre, television and opera director. Eyre has received numerous accolades including three Laurence Olivier Awards as well as nominations for six BAFTA Awards and two ...

, it stars

Colin Firth Colin Andrew Firth (born 10 September 1960) is an English actor and producer. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Colin Firth, several accolades, including an Academy Award, two British Academy Film Awards, BAFTA Aw ...

Paul Rhys Paul Rhys (born 19 December 1963) is a Welsh actor with an extensive career in theatre, radio, television and film. Early life Rhys was born in Neath to working-class Catholic parents, Kathryn Ivory and Richard Charles Rhys, a labourer. He is of ...

, and David Calder.

Synopsis

The film centres on the experiences of Robert Lawrence MC (played by

), an officer of the

Scots Guards The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot guards#United Kingdom, Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642 in the Ki ...

during the Falklands War of 1982. While fighting at the

Battle of Mount Tumbledown Mount Tumbledown, Mount William, and Sapper Hill are located to the west of Port Stanley, the capital of the Falkland Islands. Due to their proximity to the capital, these positions held strategic importance during the 1982 Falklands War. On ...

, Lawrence is shot in the head by an Argentine sniper, and left paralysed on his left side. He then must learn to adjust to his new disability.

Cast

as Robert Lawrence *

as Hugh MacKessac * David Calder as John Lawrence *

Barbara Leigh-Hunt Barbara Leigh-Hunt (14 December 1935 – 16 September 2024) was an English actress. Her numerous theatre credits included Broadway productions of ''Hamlet'' (1958), ''Sherlock Holmes'' (1973) and ''Justice'' (1974), and she won the 1993 Olivi ...

as Jean Lawrence *Emma Bowe as Sophie Martin-Wells (as Emma Harbour) *Rupert Baker as Nick Lawrence *Jack Fortune as Christopher Lawrence *

Roddy Maude-Roxby Roderick A. Maude-Roxby (born 2 April 1930) is an English actor. He has appeared in numerous films, such as Walt Disney's ''The Aristocats'', where he voiced the greedy butler Edgar Balthazar (his only voice role); '' Unconditional Love''; and C ...

as George Stubbs *

Ann Bell Ann Forrest Bell (born 29 April 1938) is a British actress, best known for playing war internee Marion Jefferson in the BBC Second World War drama series '' Tenko'' (1981– 84). Life and career Ann Forrest Bell was born in Wallasey, Cheshire o ...

as Helen Stubbs *

Sophie Thompson Sophie Thompson (born 20 January 1962) is a British actress. She has worked in film, television and theatre and she won the 1999 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for the London revival of ''Into the Woods''. She has been nominated for ...

as Louise Stubbs *

Dan Hildebrand Dan Hildebrand is a British stage, TV, and film actor. Career He was educated at Highgate School in north London. He has appeared in TV shows such as ''Sons of Anarchy'', '' Lost'', ''NYPD Blue'' and '' Longmire'' as well as playing two separat ...

as Prothero *

Tam Dean Burn Tam Dean Burn (born 1958 in Leith, Scotland) is a Scottish actor who has played a wide range of roles on stage and screen. On television this includes multiple roles on long-running detective series ''Taggart'', youth sci-fi thriller ''Life Forc ...

as Sergeant Brodick * Mark Williams as Lumpy *Ian Michie as Fraser * Paul Higgins as Saltemarsh *Stewart Porter as O'Rourke *

Timothy Carlton Timothy Carlton Congdon Cumberbatch (born 4 October 1939) is an English actor. Early years Carlton was born in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, the son of Pauline Ellen Laing (née Congdon), who died on 11 October 2007, and Henry Carlton Cumberb ...

as Lt. Colonel Bill Kirke *

Mark Wing-Davey Mark Wing-Davey (born 30 November 1948) is a British actor and director. He portrayed Zaphod Beeblebrox in the radio and television versions of ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy''. Early life The son of actor Peter Davey and actress Anna ...

as Adjutant Stewart Inglis *Robin Daglish as Major Peter Walsh * Andrew McCulloch as Padre Major Alistair Tolly *Edward Rawle-Hicks as Lt. Peter Fyshe *Charles Millham as The Noble Lord *Ben Cole as Harry Hebers *

Clive Russell Clive Russell (born 7 December 1945) is a British actor. He is known for his roles as Chief Inspector Frederick Abberline in '' Ripper Street'', Angus O'Connor in ''Happiness'', Lord Lovat in '' Outlander'', and Brynden Tully in the HBO series ...

as Terry Knapp *James Griffiths as Surgeon *

David Conville David Henry Conville OBE (4 June 1929 – 24 November 2018) was a British actor and director at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre. He was the son of Lt. Col. Leopold Conville who farmed in Sahiwal Punjab on land that is now in Pakistan ...

as Brigade Officer *

Edwin Richfield Edwin Richfield (11 September 1921 – 2 August 1990) was an English actor. Career Richfield starred in the television series '' Interpol Calling'' (1959). He was '' The Odd Man'' in Granada Television's series of the same name in the early 19 ...

as Group Captain * Brian Hall as Squadron Leader Wentworth *

Pete Postlethwaite Peter William Postlethwaite (7 February 1946 – 2 January 2011) was an English character actor. After various stage and minor television appearances, Postlethwaite's first major success arose through the film '' Distant Voices, Still Lives'' ...

as Major - Rehabilitation Centre *Charles Lamb as Elderly Man *Richard Owens as RAF Officer *Arbel Jones as Welsh Lady *

Sean Scanlan Sean Scanlan (18 August 1948 – 17 April 2017) was a Scottish actor. He is known primarily for his many television and stage roles. Career Scanlan appeared in a large number of plays and television programmes, including as Dougie the shi ...

as Welsh Man *

Tony Caunter Anthony Patrick Caunter (born 22 September 1937) is a retired English actor best known for his roles as Jack Shepherd in the Yorkshire Television sitcom '' Queenie's Castle'' (1970–72), DCI Jim Logan in the first three seasons of ''Juliet Bra ...

as Air Commodore *

Iain McColl Iain McColl (27 January 1954 – 4 July 2013) was a Scottish film and television actor, best known for his roles on British television series. McColl starred on ''City Lights'', a BBC Scotland sitcom, from 1984 to 1991. He then co-starred on th ...

as Colour Sergeant *Edward Lyon as Lt. Colonel RAMC *Victoria Hasted as Nurse Wendy *

Angela Morant Angela Morant (born 15 January 1941) is an English actress best known for playing Octavia Minor in the 1976 BBC television adaptation of '' I, Claudius'', and Barbara Harrison in the soap opera ''Brookside''. Career Other TV credits include '' A ...

as Major Newman *Murray Ewan as CSM Brown *Wendy Nottingham as Mrs Prothero *Andrew Livingston as Young Doctor *Maggie McCarthy as Nurse Mary * Sharon D. Clarke as 1st Night Nurse (as Sharon Clarke) *Leila Bertrand as 2nd Night Nurse *

Liza Tarbuck Liza Tarbuck ( ; born 21 November 1964) is an English actress, comedian, and television and radio presenter. Early life Liza Tarbuck was born in Liverpool and grew up near Kingston upon Thames. She is the daughter of comedian Jimmy Tarbuck an ...

as Angie (as Lisa Tarbuck) *

Felicity Montagu Felicity Jane Montagu (born 12 September 1960) is an English actress. She is best known for playing Lynn Benfield, the long-suffering assistant of Alan Partridge. Early life Montagu was born in Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire. She attended Lou ...

as Tricia * Roy Spencer as Hospital Chaplain *Winston Crooke as Benny *Steven Law as Cabby *Alan White as Yeoman Warder * George Irving as Tug *

Marian McLoughlin Marian McLoughlin is a British actress, known for her role as Marina Bonnaire in the BBC soap opera '' Doctors''. She also played the role of Brenda Jacks in the BBC series '' Home Time'' in 2009 and Julia in '' Fast Freddie, The Widow and Me' ...

as Mandy *

Serena Gordon Serena Mary Strathearn Gordon (born 3 September 1963) is an English actress. Her roles include Amanda Prosser in police drama ''The Bill'' and MI6 evaluator Caroline in 1995 James Bond film ''GoldenEye''. Life and career Born in London, she i ...

as Phyllida *Francisco Morales as Argentinian Soldier *Martin Garfield as Argentinian Soldier

Awards

BAFTA TV Awards The BAFTA TV Awards, or British Academy Television Awards, are presented in an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. They have been awarded annually since 1955. Background The first-ever Awards, given in ...

1989 **Won: Best Film Cameraman: Andrew Dunn **Won: Best Make Up: Shaunna Harrison **Won: Best Single Drama: Richard Broke, Richard Eyre & Charles Wood **Nominated: Best Actor: Colin Firth **Nominated: Best Costume Design: Michael Burdle **Nominated: Best Design: Geoff Powell **Nominated: Best Film Editor: Ken Pearce **Nominated: Best Film Sound: Graham Ross, Ken Hams & Christopher Swanton **Nominated: Best Original Television Music: Richard Hartley *

RTS Television Award The Royal Television Society (RTS) is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present, and future. It is the oldest television society in the world. It currently has fourteen r ...

1989 **Won: Best Actor (Male): Colin Firth **Won: Best Make Up Design: Shaunna Harrison **Won: Best Single Play: Charles Wood *

Prix Italia The Prix Italia is an international television, radio-broadcasting and web award. It was established in 1948 by RAI – Radiotelevisione Italiana (in 1948, RAI had the denomination RAI – Radio Audizioni Italiane) in Capri and is honoured with th ...

198
Prix Italia, Winners 1949 - 2010, RAI

Reception

The film sparked enormous controversy when first broadcast in 1988, in part because it conveyed the flat indifference shown by government, society and public to the returning wounded from the Falklands War; this content forms much of the story, as Lawrence struggles to come to terms with his terrible injuries, and to face a life in which he cannot do the thing he is trained to do, the thing he loves: soldiering. The film also triggered controversy by presenting an unvarnished portrait of the protagonist: for example, his joy in the brutalities of war and a flashback scene toward the end which shows him exulting at the top of Mount Tumbledown. The film portrays Lawrence's love of the military life as much as it portrays his feelings of abandonment and bitterness as he tries to cope with his wounds, with little help from the government that sent him into battle. Lead actor Colin Firth is reported to have said that the political left and right hated the film because it did not conform to any fixed ideology.

Media information

DVD release

*Released on Region 2 DVD by BBC Video on 2007-03-26. *The series was included in ''The Falklands 25th Commemorative Box Set'' with ''

The Falklands Play ''The Falklands Play'' is a dramatic account of the political events leading up to, and including, the 1982 Falklands War. The play was written by Ian Curteis, an experienced writer who had started his television career in drama, but had incre ...

''.

Script book

* Paperback edition (28 April 1988). Penguin Books.

References

External links

*
Battle for Life
by Robert Fox from

Radio Times ''Radio Times'' is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in September 1923 by John Reith, then general manage ...

(28 May - 3 June 1988) * {{Richard Eyre 1988 television films 1988 films British television films 1980s English-language films Falklands War films Anti-war films Prix Italia winners Films directed by Richard Eyre 1988 in British television 1980s political films 1980s war films English-language war films