American Friends is a 1991 British film starring Michael Palin. It was written by Palin and its director, Tristram Powell.

American Friends
Directed byTristram Powell
Written byMichael Palin
Tristram Powell
Produced bySteve Abbott
Patrick Cassavetti
Starring
CinematographyPhilip Bonham-Carter
Edited byGeorge Akers
Music byGeorges Delerue
Production
companies
Prominent Features
British Screen Productions
BBC
Distributed byPalace Pictures
Release dates
  • 22 March 1991 (1991-03-22) (UK)
  • 21 November 1991 (1991-11-21) (Australia)
  • April 1993 (1993-04) (US)
Running time
95 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget£2.5 million[1]
Box office$23,034 (US)[2]
£141,096 (UK)[1]

Plot

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Palin plays Francis Ashby, a senior Oxford professor on holiday in the Swiss Alps in 1861. There he meets the American Caroline Hartley (Connie Booth) and her 18-year-old ward Elinor (Trini Alvarado). Ashby is drawn to them both, particularly Elinor, but is rather surprised when they arrive in Oxford and rent a house. Women are not allowed in the college, nor are fellows allowed to marry, which puts him in an embarrassing situation. Ashby's rival for the post of college president, Oliver Syme (Alfred Molina), takes full advantage of this to try to discredit Ashby.

Inspiration

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The plot was based on a real-life incident involving Palin's great-grandfather, Edward Palin.

Cast

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Awards

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The film won the Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award for Best film/screenplay.

Discography

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The CD soundtrack composed by Georges Delerue is available on Music Box Records label.[3]

Reference list

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  1. ^ a b "Back to the Future: The Fall and Rise of the British Film Industry in the 1980s - An Information Briefing" (PDF). British Film Institute. 2005. p. 19.
  2. ^ "American Friends (1993) - Box Office Mojo". www.boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
  3. ^ http://www.musicbox-records.com/en/53-american-friends.html website
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