White Mischief (1988)

This is How Movies Should Be Made

SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Charles Dance plays the greedy, suave, lying cad. He's a marvelous actor. His features are handsome in an oddly distant way and his hooded eyes are the color of that watery blue you can sometimes see deep in the interior of glaciers. God, is he rotten. He was rotten in "China Moon," too, but in the less demanding part of a drunken wife beater in a trashy movie.The point of the story is made clear in the first few minutes. It's 1940 and London is being bombed. After a roll in the hay, rich Greta Scacchi and her paramour, rich Hugh Grant, must take shelter in the underground, and they are two lovely, fashionably groomed people, amid the sweaty crowd of mothers and children. The milieu doesn't stop them from making out. The simply ignore the misery around them.Scacchi is married to Joss Ackland, older, rich, and satisfied with only looking at his wife when she's naked. (She's magnificent, with or without clothes.) But he's in financial trouble. His vast country estate is in jeopardy and he takes his wife to Kenya to see to his far-flung cattle empire.Kenya, they find, is loaded with other rich white Englanders who pride themselves on the produce they ship to England during the time of her troubles. The fact that their patriotism enables them to take baths in pound notes doesn't occur to them.What does occur to them is to get laid as frequently as possible and with diverse partners. Charles Dance, the cad, quickly seduces the stunning Scacchi and they exchange vows of love. Everyone in "the colony" knows all about it. Dance does everything but roger her on the pool table at noon. But does Dance really mean it? He's been married twice before, both times to rich women, and shrugged them off. Now he seems intent on winning Scacchi and her substantial divorce agreement away from Ackland. Ackland, now humiliated and feeling Scacchi's increasing estrangement, hints that maybe he won't honor the pre-nup that assured her of a lifetime income. Clouds of antipathy darken the savannah. The cattle grow restless.If Dance is a suave cad, we can't be sure about Scacchi either. As they lie in bed, planning to run off together, she says, "But we haven't any money." "Well, there's my Army salary." And she turns from him to flick ashes from her cigarette and replies, "Yes," in the most unenthusiastic tones ever committed to celluloid.The photography, wardrobe, and make up are unimpeachable. It's a story about Africa that takes place more than seventy years ago and there isn't a lion in it. (We get a glimpse of someone's pet leopard.) No elephants. No native uprisings. Only a colony of rich dissolutes in the foreground and impassive black Africans serving drinks and holding spears, while someone goes mad and an empire dies.

Even with the rather unimaginative script and lacklustre direction, WHITE MISCHIEF comes across as a good movie, largely because of the times and the place. But I cannot help feeling that a great opportunity was missed here to make a really memorable period piece considering the plot and setting. The fantastic location of Kenya's 'Happy Valley', the hedonistic lifestyle of the White settlers in the face of the war in Europe, the love triangle that led to Lord Erroll's murder and the subsequent dead-end investigation - all cried out for a more inspirational handling than the rather insipid effort by Michael Radford who both wrote the script and directed the film. Even Roger Deakins' cinematography was nothing to shout about.Still, the film does manage to make something of a mark, thanks largely to great performances by Joss Ackland, Sara Miles and to some extent, Greta Scacchi. I debated for a while whether or not to buy the DVD and on balance decided that it was a worthwhile investment.

Michael Radford directed and co-wrote this adaptation of James Fox's book taking place in Kenya during World War II. High society Brits evade the swarming Nazis by hiding out in Africa while money-hungry Greta Scacchi gets caught up in heated love-triangle. Languid, slowly-paced British-made drama without enough inner-fire; the handling is awfully sullen, and clichés abound, despite attractive locales and sexy Greta spicing the scenario. Terrific supporting cast includes John Hurt, Hugh Grant, and Geraldine Chaplin, yet they can't do much to infuse the film with life. Radford does pull off an amazing finale however, and his final shot is haunting. ** from ****

The only thing that keeps me from giving this a 10, is the hit and miss score. There are moments when the music is completely wrong for what is going on. That said, the storyline is not new, in fact it is based on an actual incident. What makes it so entertaining is it's cast, their lines,beautiful wardrobes and the different "mischief" they nearly all take part in. Drugs,booze,polo, parties, mate swapping (and stealing), and eventually murder, has rarely looked so delicious on screen. There are moments here that should stick in your memory for years to come. One such scene involves Sarah Miles and her special way of saying goodbye to a dear departed. It's a shame that this Michael Radford gem is evidently out of print. Should you be lucky enough to find it to rent, I strongly recommend you having on hand a fine Port and some chocolate lobster!