White Mischief [DVD] (1987)

"White Mischief" is an elegantly kinky tale of the monied upper classes who escaped the horror of the blitz to go and live in Kenyas happy valley during WWII. The central plot revolves around the love triangle and eventual murder mystery between Josslyn Hay - The Earl of Errol (Charles Dance), Diana Delves Broughton (Greta Scacchi) and Sir Jock Delves Broughton (Joss Ackland). In this production Dance and Scacchi both hit career highs and inhabit their roles beautifully. Not only do they look the part, but the arrogance of Errol and the vampish, amoral desire of Diana are brilliantly obvious. Jocks growing anger and frustration are portrayed convincingly by Joss Ackland and the imperceptible snap moment follows a well done and gradual humiliation. Sarah Miles is very good as the morally bankrupt, drug addled Alice and the supporting cast fit into their roles with a real relish. Hugh Grant has a small supporting role in the early stages of the production. The happy valley set were never the same again after the murder of Lord Errol and this film comes to the same conclusion as James Foxes novel of the same name, that Jock was the trigger man. Indeed, the evidence against him is quite compelling and even though he was acquitted of the crime, subsequent years of investigation have only served to make him look more guilty. Jock had comitted fraud in his earlier days and managed to avoid going off to fight in WWI by coming down with an illness just before his regiment (The Irish guards) went off to be slaughtered on the Western front. The colt .32 used as the murder weapon was his but he claimed it was stolen a few days before the murder; When he was acquitted the foreman of the jury was his personal barber (and in one letter to a friend he stated that he was found not guilty by "a hairs breadth"); he commited suicide one year after Errols murder. An interesting twist that came out decades after the actual incident was that Diana was reportedly in Errols car when he was shot. The fatal bullet apparently first grazed her neck badly before it struck Errol and its a matter of record that she wore a neckerchief for the rest of her life in public. There was a theory that Errol may have been the subject of an SOE assassanation as he had fascist sympathies and the British establishment were worried about his loyalty, but it just doesnt stand up to scrutiny. Draw your own conclusions. An excellent production and certainly worth tracking down.

Very entertaining. Enjoyed this film. Arrived quickly.

This is a great film, but I'm really confused as to why it's not readily available as an English release! Its worth the effort to seek it out, as well as the few seconds it takes to remove the Dutch subtitles. it's a fascinating (true) story, putting into context the lavish lifestyle that the English enjoyed in Kenya in the 1930's. From what I understand, those who did take the leap and move to the 'colonies' were looked down upon by respectable society at the time, but they certainly made up for their lack of home-front acceptance! Sarah Miles is wonderful, deliciously decadent, and there's a scene with her in this film that will stay with you forever! A young Hugh Grant makes a brief appearance, and the marvellous Charles Dance and Greta Scacchi, not to mention Joss Ackland round off a superb cast. Only one complaint - why is this in awful 4:3 pan and scan and not 16:9, the film was not made this way. But it's a small gripe, as otherwise you simply don't get to see it. And life is full of compromise!

This film is a great achievement, makes its points with balance and subtlety, beautifully acted and directed and looks fabulous. It's like looking at an exotic aquarium as all these brightly coloured fish swim before your eyes, cold and unemotional but beautiful to look at. The acting bats right down the order with Joss Ackland magnificent as the cuckolded husband. His scenes with Charles Dance are marvellous, and his character carries so much authenticity and weight. Charles Dance is at his very best too, utterly convincing as the rakish cad, never overplaying his hand and acting with great restraint. Greta Scacchi is luminous as Ackland's adulterous bride and her acting is of the highest order when she could so easily just have been beautiful eye candy. The only character I'm unsure of is Sarah Miles but her fay portrayal of an American socialite is never intrusive, and had she played the character in a more expansive, and perhaps stereotypical way, it might have upset the balance of the film, the fulcrum of which was the central love triangle. She does however have some memorable scenes, not least the mortuary scene (a brave and bold piece of direction) and is the cause of the wonderful last scene in the cemetery as the mourners drink cocktails while floating around her grave. The closing shot of the beautiful Kenyan boy, centre frame, with the last drink left on the silver tray as he turns to the camera, is full of dramatic meaning and is marvellously prophetic. The screenplay is wonderfully written with not a word wasted, and there are some very convincing cameo roles for great acting talent such as Trevor Howard in his last role. Having played this sort of character many times in a glittering career he really brings gravitas to the part and with the rest of the supporting cast really gives the film a solid foundation. A real triumph for Michael Radford and a wonderful production team that pulled off this forgotten masterpiece. Cocktails all round.

This is a great movie with great actors. The subject matter is a tad risqué, but warranted by the great story.

Excellent movie. Idée précise dans la décadence de la classe supérieure britannique au Kenya. Basé sur une histoire vraie et présentée dans un style intéressant et divertissant.

Historisch sehr interessant

This movie certainly tells the truth how things went in Africa at one time. It no doubt is still taking place but at a lower percentage. Certainly a most informative movie and highly recommend it.

Superbe thriller qui n'a pas vieilli. la beauté de Greta Scacchi et du Kenya, décor naturel sublime... les palaces british et costumes des années 30 font vraiment rêver.

Sehr spannend mit wunderschönen Landschaftsaufnahmen, Verfilmung nach dem Roman von James Fox