Nice effects though.

Am I Missing Something?

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Although I wouldn't say this is a great movie, it is definitely an entertaining one.The film tells the mostly true story of the fairly outrageous goings on amongst upper class Britons in Kenya during WW2. If the film does anything, it captures that outrageous spirit perfectly.Aging Sir John Henry Delves Broughton (Joss Ackland) leaves war-torn England with his beautiful young wife, Diana (Greta Scacchi), to oversee his properties in British Kenya. They join other ex-pat aristocrats in the incongruously named Happy Valley community. Although cocooned from the war in Europe, the denizens of the valley are completely at the mercy of the boredom generated by their privileged lifestyles, and their overheated libidos. They joyously encourage new arrivals to cheat on their partners, and then just as joyously inform the other halves about what is going on. Broughton begins to realise that he has something more disturbing than German bombs and falling commodity prices to worry about when Diana begins an open affair with Josslyn Hay, the Earl of Erroll (Charles Dance).Eventually it all ends in tears, murder and suicide.The film was not successful at the box office, and it's hard to pick just what put people off. However there is a fair amount of nudity in the film, which I think still tends to alienate mainstream audiences. Maybe the whole thing sounded too unsavoury - Diana is irresistible to males, especially older ones with even Trevor Howard's character peeping at her in the bath. There isn't anyone in the story whose intentions are strictly honourable.But with that said, the performances are fascinating. Joss Ackland is superb; we feel his humiliation as the virile Erroll offers Diana what he can't. The 1940's probably wasn't the most flattering period for fashions, however Greta Scacchi looks stunning in them - she reminded me of Lana Turner in "The Postman Always Rings Twice".Charles Dance exudes an element of danger, much like Vincent Cassel. Tall and lithe, he wears black tie beautifully, but when he strips down you see how fit and agile he is - not a man to be trifled with."White Mischief" has a certain pace and style and glides by easily. It stays in the memory, and is a long way from being a bad movie.

Based on the book by James Fox (not the handsome English actor of a certain age) this film remains hard to pin down: it's part murder mystery, part sociological study, part history of pre-WW2 East African colonialism, part romance, part dionysian orgy (really), part Evelyn Waugh/Somerset Maughm, part romance, part.... etc. etc. And it's all true.Yes, the actors are more spectacular looking than their real life counterparts (particularly Scacchi, seldom more stunning.) Sarah Miles' strange character wafts through as most memorable of all in a rich ensemble set of louche decadents. (And yet the actress in real life admitted she may not have gotten a handle on the real woman, just an impression. Based upon my reading of Fox's and Trzebinski's books' accounts on the Alice de Janze, I'd have to agree. Nothing like her except the memorable quips and woozy flair.) Plus, most folks who didn't swim through the primo decadence of the 1960's firsthand might be appalled at what passes for entertainment in British colonial East Africa of the 1930'/40s. But what you'll get for your treasure hunt (this is a hard film to find) is the truth of a murder mystery, weird but real characters, a slice of history, all against the gorgeous panoply of Kenya, despite all its troubles one of the most beautiful spots on the entire planet, all shot on location right where the real events unfolded.

Michael Radford directed and co-wrote this adaptation of James Fox's book taking place in Kenya during World War II. High society Brits evade the swarming Nazis by hiding out in Africa while money-hungry Greta Scacchi gets caught up in heated love-triangle. Languid, slowly-paced British-made drama without enough inner-fire; the handling is awfully sullen, and clichés abound, despite attractive locales and sexy Greta spicing the scenario. Terrific supporting cast includes John Hurt, Hugh Grant, and Geraldine Chaplin, yet they can't do much to infuse the film with life. Radford does pull off an amazing finale however, and his final shot is haunting. ** from ****

The performances of Sarah Miles and John Hurt make this film worth watching; however it is disappointing that Michael Radford does not use the full storyline of the original film : "The Happy Valley" - made in 1987, nor is the source acknowledged in the credits. Other than that it is quite a good remake, but the original should not be missed, as the story continues for some length - indeed the end of "White Mischief" is about the halfway point of the story in "The Happy Valley". This is another of Radford's remakes that seemed to receive acclaim as if it were an original concept - just as his version of the tale of Pablo Neruda - "Il Postino" - was taken from the lesser known earlier film "Ardiente Pacientia" (Burning Patience) which for my money was the the better film.