''The Return of the Soldier'' is a 1982 British drama film starring Alan Bates as Baldry and co-starring

Julie Christie Julie Frances Christie (born 14 April 1940) is a British actress. An icon of the Swinging Sixties, Christie is the recipient of numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She ...

, Ian Holm,

Glenda Jackson Glenda May Jackson (born 9 May 1936) is an English actress and former Member of Parliament (MP). She has won the Academy Award for Best Actress twice: for her role as Gudrun Brangwen in the romantic drama ''Women in Love'' (1970); and again for ...

, and

Ann-Margret Ann-Margret Olsson (born April 28, 1941) is a Swedish–American actress, singer, and dancer. As an actress and singer, she is credited as Ann-Margret. She is known for her roles in '' Pocketful of Miracles'' (1961), ''State Fair'' (1962), '' ...

about a

shell-shocked Shell shock is a term coined in World War I by the British psychologist Charles Samuel Myers to describe the type of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) many soldiers were afflicted with during the war (before PTSD was termed). It is a react ...

officer's return from the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. It was directed by Alan Bridges and written by

Hugh Whitemore Hugh John Whitemore (16 June 1936 – 17 July 2018) was an English playwright and screenwriter. Biography Whitemore studied for the stage at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, where he was taught by Peter Barkworth, then on the staff at RADA ...

based on the 1918 novel of the same name by Rebecca West. The film was entered into the

1982 Cannes Film Festival The 35th Cannes Film Festival was held from 14 to 26 May 1982. The Palme d'Or was jointly awarded to ''Missing'' by Costa Gavras and '' Yol'' by Şerif Gören and Yılmaz Güney. The festival opened with the 1916 film '' Intolerance'', directed ...

. The film was the first to be given a PG certificate by the

British Board of Film Classification The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC, previously the British Board of Film Censors) is a non-governmental organisation founded by the British film industry in 1912 and responsible for the national classification and censorship of f ...

Plot

In 1914, a group of

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

soldiers is preparing to leave England to fight in the Western Front in France, led by Captain Chris Baldry. He appears at one final farewell party thrown by his wife, Kitty, appearing withdrawn and distant throughout. The story moves on to 1916. Chris's cousin, Jenny, who lives with Kitty, is concerned because they have heard nothing from Chris's regiment, but Kitty dismisses her fears, more concerned by rising grocery prices and food rationing. Their quiet war is shattered by the unexpected visit of a Margaret Grey, who has received a telegram from Chris. She says Chris is ill and has returned to England, but does not reveal more. Kitty refuses to believe her and has her ejected. Only when she reads the telegram carefully does she realise that her husband is in a hospital in London. When they visit, Kitty and Jenny see he is being treated for shell-shock. Chris doesn't remember Kitty, and instead asks for Grey. Humiliated, his wife departs, not entirely convinced he isn't shamming. After a few days, Captain Baldry returns home, which seems alien to him. He fails to recognise former friends, despite their efforts to reach out to him. He is more amused by simple pursuits, such as walking and staring into the river. He shows little interest in Kitty, and they sleep in separate rooms. He sends for Margaret and they recall their shared past. He had been in love with her despite his parents' opposition to her due to her working-class roots. They had a quarrel, had been forcibly parted, had accidentally lost touch and had married others. Kitty is hurt and furious that he shows more interest in Margaret than in herself. A medical expert, Doctor Anderson, advises that they allow Chris and Margaret to see each other more, something agreed to by a reluctant Kitty and by Margaret's understanding husband, William. As their relationship blossoms, it becomes apparent that his attachment to her is one of a childlike nature. Kitty desperately wants him to be cured, and to return to the authoritative pre-war man she had known. Anderson is less keen to cure the Captain, noting how happy he is. To return him to the present, the horrors of the war and the memory of a son he lost to illness, would be cruel. He doesn't even remember the child. Finally they resolve to tell Chris about the child, seeing it as a spur that will "cure him." As Kitty watches from a window, Margaret tells him. His body demeanor changes visibly and he starts striding towards the house, looking as his cousin Jenny remarks "every inch a soldier." Kitty realizes that her husband has come back to her, even though he will likely now be sent back to the war.

Cast

* Alan Bates as Captain Chris Baldry *

as Kitty Baldry *

as Margaret Grey *

as Jenny Baldry * Ian Holm as Doctor Anderson * Frank Finlay as William Grey * Jeremy Kemp as Frank *

Hilary Mason Hilary Lavender Mason (4 September 1917 – 5 September 2006) was an English character actress who appeared in a wide variety of roles, mainly on UK television. Mason was born in Birmingham and trained at the London School of Dramatic Art ...

as Ward, the servant * John Sharp as Pearson

Production

In a 1982 interview with Roger Ebert, Ann-Margret recalled that Ann Skinner, who had been the "script girl" on Margret's film ''Magic'', bought the film rights to West's novel. "Halfway through production, we went broke," Ann-Margret said. "The cast and crew kept working without being paid, and finally another British production company came through with some more money. It was a labor of love." Although the film was produced in 1982, it was not released in the U.S. until 1985 due to legal complications.

Reception

Vincent Canby of the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' praised the film and wrote he "had no idea that anything depending on amnesia could still be so affecting, largely because of the splendid, perfectly integrated performances by Glenda Jackson, Julie Christie and Ann-Margret."

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Return of the Soldier, The 1982 films 1980s historical drama films 20th Century Fox films British historical drama films British drama films Films about amnesia Films based on British novels Films directed by Alan Bridges Films scored by Richard Rodney Bennett Films set on the United Kingdom home front during World War I Films set in 1914 Films set in 1916 1980s English-language films 1980s British films