The actress Coral Browne travels to Moscow and meets a mysterious Englishman. It turns out that he's the notorious spy Guy Burgess.The actress Coral Browne travels to Moscow and meets a mysterious Englishman. It turns out that he's the notorious spy Guy Burgess.The actress Coral Browne travels to Moscow and meets a mysterious Englishman. It turns out that he's the notorious spy Guy Burgess.
- Won 7 BAFTA Awards
- 12 wins & 3 nominations total
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAt the same time in Moscow, Guy Burgess also met with Sir Michael Redgrave, who was playing Hamlet, and whom he had known at Cambridge University. A memo from January 9, 1959, declassified in 2014, described their going to a party together and to Burgess' flat, showing that Redgrave had been under surveillance by MI5 for his alleged Communist sympathies for many years.
- GoofsWhen Coral, in Burgess' flat, says 'The theatre's in a dreadful state', her lips are out of sync.
- Crazy credits[At end of opening credits] "Although some incidents are imaginary... this is a true story. It happened to Coral Browne in 1958."
- ConnectionsFeatured in Coral Browne: Caviar for the General (1989)
Featured review
Moscow in Scotland
One of the best films I have seen, which considering its television origins is saying something. The acting is superb, the atmosphere so rich and distinctive you can smell and taste it, even if you were never in drab, old Moscow. Typical of Alan Bennett, the action is all compressed into small spaces and the dialogue is within the context of small surroundings, whether it be the physical confines of the flat, or changing rooms, or in the spiritual confines of gossip and ideology.
The times when the characters are out in the open are the times of liberation, and comparative quiet. It is then that the character of Moscow comes out, and this is all the more striking as the character is so strong, and yet is played by 2 pretenders: the cities of Dundee and Inverness. The theatre is played by the Caird Hall, Dundee, the slightly oddly designed long hall, described by Bob Hope as the first time he ever played a tunnel, and beautifully transformed into the utterly realistic central theatre of Cold War Moscow. There are also Russian performances by the Grammar School, Clydesdale Bank, and, most lovely, the MacManus Gallery, which plays the British Embassy. There are other scenes, which were filmed in Inverness, although I did once read that Helsinki may have been used for some long shots. Not being a real film buff, I wouldn't know.
The film isn't about spies, politics, wars, cold or otherwise, but about humanity, and what drives and excites us. It has humour, great sadness, and the most amazing sense of being both a delightful confection, and a most genuine and unselfconscious tale of reality.
The times when the characters are out in the open are the times of liberation, and comparative quiet. It is then that the character of Moscow comes out, and this is all the more striking as the character is so strong, and yet is played by 2 pretenders: the cities of Dundee and Inverness. The theatre is played by the Caird Hall, Dundee, the slightly oddly designed long hall, described by Bob Hope as the first time he ever played a tunnel, and beautifully transformed into the utterly realistic central theatre of Cold War Moscow. There are also Russian performances by the Grammar School, Clydesdale Bank, and, most lovely, the MacManus Gallery, which plays the British Embassy. There are other scenes, which were filmed in Inverness, although I did once read that Helsinki may have been used for some long shots. Not being a real film buff, I wouldn't know.
The film isn't about spies, politics, wars, cold or otherwise, but about humanity, and what drives and excites us. It has humour, great sadness, and the most amazing sense of being both a delightful confection, and a most genuine and unselfconscious tale of reality.
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- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Ein Gentleman in Moskau
- Filming locations
- Whitehall Theatre, Dundee, Scotland, UK(Moscow theatre)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
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