''Dark River'' is a 1990 British film starring Tom Bell,

Siân Phillips Dame Jane Elizabeth Ailwên Phillips (born 14 May 1933), known professionally as Siân Phillips ( ), is a Welsh actress. She has performed the title roles in Ibsen's ''Hedda Gabler'' and George Bernard Shaw's '' Saint Joan''. Early life Phi ...

Kate Buffery Katharine Rose Buffery (born 23 July 1957) is an English actress. She is known for her numerous roles on British television, including the ITV drama series ''Wish Me Luck'' (1988–1990), BBC miniseries ''Close Relations'' (1998), Channel 5 le ...

Ian McNeice Ian McNeice (born 2 October 1950) is an English film and television actor. He found fame portraying government agent Harcourt in the 1985 television series ''Edge of Darkness'', and went on to feature in popular films such as ''The Englishman ...

and

Tony Haygarth George Anthony Haygarth (4 February 1945 – 10 March 2017) was an English television, film and theatre actor. Life and career After leaving Marlborough College, Liverpool, Haygarth worked unsuccessfully in 1963 as a lifeguard in Torquay, and a ...

. The film was an official selection at the 1990

Montreal World Film Festival The Montreal World Film Festival (WFF; french: le Festival des Films du Monde) was one of Canada's oldest international film festivals and the only competitive film festival in North America accredited by the FIAPF (although the Toronto Internat ...

and the Ghent Film Festival of the same year.

Plot summary

The film is set in a British colony on the banks of a river flowing through the lowlands of Africa. A stranger named Deacon arrives in the tight-knit community, refusing to abide by its self-serving code. He immediately enters into disputes with the locals, including: businessman K.B. Priestley, who uses his authority in the community to disguise his personal weaknesses; his daughter Lydia, who uses the men in the community as rungs in her climb out of provincialism; Yorkie, a sour, manipulative club barman; and widow and cocoa heiress Mrs Blessington, who plays puppet-master from a distance. Deacon writes and publishes a novel which draws on their weaknesses, which becomes a success back home, causing problems for its author. Before sunrise one morning, a boat sets sail upriver, carrying

First Secretary First Secretary may refer to: * First minister, a leader of a government * Secretary (title), a leader of a political party (especially Communist parties), trade union, or other organization * First Secretary (diplomatic rank), a role within an emba ...

Hugo Shrike and Deacon, who has made a rendezvous with a person he intends to kill.

External links

* British television films 1990 films {{UK-tv-film-stub