The South of France, 1954. Nigel, the Earl of Marshwood (Edward Atterton) is busy romancing the beautiful Hollywood star Miranda Frayle (Jeanne Tripplehorn), blissfully unaware of the consternation their wedding announcement causes both his mother, Felicity, the Countess of Marshwood (Julie Andrews), and Don Lucas (William Baldwin), a notorious Hollywood star and Miranda’s former lover.

Whilst Felicity, presiding with her usual dignity and grace over Marshwood, the family stately home, decides to put on a brave face and accept Miranda as her prospective, although highly unsuitable daughter-in-law, Don hits the Jack Daniels on the set of his new Hollywood movie.

However, Felicity is horrified when her personal maid, Moxie (Sophie Thompson) reveals that Miranda is actually her long lost sister.  She had run off to Hollywood twenty years ago and hadn’t been seen since, causing their mother to die of a broken heart. It simply wouldn’t do for Moxie to remain in the household in her present capacity, not with her sister set to be the future Countess, and so Felicity with the help of her nephew Peter (Colin Firth) and Crestwell (Stephen Fry) the urbane butler, set about an ingenious change of image for her.

Nigel and Miranda’s arrival at Marshwood causes huge excitement. Miranda fails to recognise her sister and foolishly concocts terrible stories about their childhood and their drunkard mother in order to appear a martyr in front of her prospective family. Moxie, unable to control her fury over Miranda’s lies, reveals who she is and exposes Miranda’s untruths.

To make matters worse, Don has pursued Miranda to England and arrives at Marshwood drunk and desperate to reclaim the love of his life.

The presence of two of Hollywood’s brightest stars at Marshwood causes bemusement, awe and shock—especially when the two screen lovers have an extended screaming match in the garden.

Nigel, now realising that he cannot possibly marry his mother’s maid’s sister, stands by exasperated wondering what he’s got himself and his family into. Chaos ensues at Marshwood as the relative values of the post-war class system are revealed.
 
 

Relative Values is director Eric Styles' second feature. The screenplay by Paul Rattigan and Michael Walker is an adaptation of Noel Coward’s classic theatrical production of the same name. Rattigan, an ex-actor, actually played the role of Nigel, the Earl of Marshwood in a West End production of the play, which was when he first realised its great potential for film. “We started work on the screenplay in 1996, once we had ascertained that the rights were still available from the Coward Estate. We then took the script down to the Cannes Film Festival 1997 and sold the idea to the Overseas Film Group.”

Whilst in Cannes they bumped into the producer of Relative Values, Christopher Milburn. Rattigan was already acquainted with Milburn having starred in one of his previous films, Caught in the Act.  Milburn loved the script and was determined to get the project off the ground. He felt that “Coward’s writing was as relevant today as the 1950s. Relative Values is funny and witty and doesn’t feel dated even though it is a period piece. There’s an awful lot of Noel Coward in this film—many of his lines are in the film, especially all the jokes and those wonderful cynicisms which come tripping out of the actors' mouths.”

He approached Eric Styles with whom he had just completed their last film Dreaming of Joseph Lees for Fox Searchlight, to direct it. “Eric is an extraordinarily talented director.  He has a great visual talent as well as being able to work with actors and make them achieve exactly what he wants.”

For Styles, directing Coward’s heightened satire of the British class system “was a voyage of discovery. Most of my previous work has been more gritty and realistic so making a film about this crazy, implausible situation happening in a country house in Kent with aristocrats in the fifties was a wonderful challenge. Once we began to attract our fantastic cast, the whole thing snowballed and became a really exciting project.”

Styles had a very naturalistic and realistic approach to the material immediately spotting its potential for comedy. “From the start I wanted to forget that this was originally a stage play, look at what the real issues were and have a lot of fun with it. So, we have a young aristocrat who's fallen head over heels in love in the South of France and is bringing home a sexy movie star.  The audience then makes certain assumptions about the film—that it is just about aggravating the snobby English upper classes. Instead, the film evolves into a story about Moxie, the Countess’s maid, who is in fact the long lost sister of the movie star. It becomes a very playful piece that doesn’t just satirise the upper classes, whom I didn’t want to portray as stereotypes.

Styles knew he could make the material relevant to a modern day audience. “The film works for a contemporary audience because the madness of the whole situation is so appealing—it doesn’t have any of the stuffiness you’d normally associate with this sort of piece.”

Relative Values has an incredible all-star cast which includes (in alphabetical order) the legendary Julie Andrews, Edward Atterton, William Baldwin, Colin Firth, Stephen Fry, Sophie Thompson and Jeanne Tripplehorn.

Styles and Milburn spent a long time in conjunction with the casting director Celestia Fox ensuring they had the perfect actors and actresses for the roles.

Styles was delighted when “Julie Andrews became one of the first actresses to commit to the project. This was entirely due to the fact that the script was very good. The writers had worked on it for nearly two years to turn what was a good play into a really rich, vibrant, playful, dynamic screenplay which all of the actors loved. Once Julie was on board it became an amazing magnet for all the other cast. The whole mystery and intrigue that surrounds Julie’s iconic status was irresistible. At first I found it a little intimidating but she is so incredibly generous and giving with an energy and enthusiasm that just knocks your socks off, that I soon forgot about my initial nerves. As a director I was blown away by the level of insight she had, not only into her character but the whole piece.”

The second member of the cast to come on board was Sophie Thompson who plays the pivotal role of Moxie, the Countess of Marshwood’s personal maid. "Relative Values" is Moxie’s story", says Styles.  "It’s about a woman who is going through a huge amount of pain because she is being forced to leave her employer and the family that she loves. Moxie plays a very central role in the film and hence finding the right actress to play her was of great importance. We needed someone who was both engaging and endearing so that the audience would feel for her predicament. When we saw Sophie Thompson we knew that she was perfect for the role.  She had all the qualities we required in addition to a lightness, sincerity and humility that just added to the character.”

For the roles of Don Lucas and Miranda Frayle, Styles chose American actors. “The Americans were very interesting casting. It’s difficult to get big American stars to work on moderate budget British films, so you have to find actors who are really committed to the project and enter into the spirit of things. We were incredibly lucky getting Jeanne Tripplehorn and William Baldwin, who had an energy and a way of working which differentiated them from the British cast and gives the piece a real edge and dynamism. They were absolutely great and not at all afraid of sending themselves up which was important with a piece about the craziness of actors, their vanity and their self-importance.”

It was not only the casting that required a great deal of time and effort. The Marshwood House location and the set and costume design had to evoke the perfect atmosphere and style of post-war Britain.

The Nunnery, an imposing mansion on the Isle of Man was chosen as Marshwood. The site was originally a nunnery in the eleventh century and the beautiful house that now stands there, was designed by the Bath architect John Pinch in the 1820’s.

Production Designer Humphrey Jaeger and Costume Designer Nick Ede were chosen for their skill and ability to make Styles' ideas reality.

Filming was completed on September 10th 1999 after a six-week shoot on the Isle of Man.
 
 

Julie Andrews (Felicity, the Countess of Marshwood)
Academy Award Winner, Julie Andrews is one of the world’s most loved stars of stage and screen.  Born in Walton-On- Thames, a riverside town a few miles out of London, her mother and stepfather were music hall performers.  By the age of twelve Andrews was already appearing on the London stage and whilst in her teens, joined Archie’s Radio Show before going across the Atlantic in 1954 to star in the Broadway production of The Boyfriend.

She went on to become a West End star appearing in My Fair Lady as Eliza Doolittle and Guinevere in Camelot. In 1963, during Camelot’s Broadway run, Disney approached Andrews to star in her first feature film Mary Poppins, a role for which she won universal acclaim and an Oscar.

Following Mary Poppins Andrews went on to star in the films The Americanisation of Emily and The Sound Of Music, which brought her a second Academy Award nomination and became the highest grossing film of all time.

In the 1960’s she starred in the films Hawaii; the Hitchcock thriller Torn Curtain; Thoroughly Modern Millie; Star and Darling Lilli, her first film for her future husband, director Blake Edwards.

It was also during the 1960’s that she filmed the first of her many television specials, Julie and Carol (Burnett) at Carnegie Hall for CBS and in subsequent shows her co-stars included Harry Belafonte, Dick Van Dyke, Jackie Gleason, Perry Como and The Muppets.  ABC TV’s The Julie Andrews’ Hour alone won eight Emmy Awards.

The next time she took to the big screen was in conjunction with her husband Blake Edwards to film The Tamarind Seed.   She then co-starred with Dudley Moore in Blake Edwards’ 10 in 1978, followed by S.O.B. and then in 1981, Victor/Victoria, for which she received her third Academy Award nomination. In 1983, she co-starred with Burt Reynolds in The Man Who Loved Women.  She then went on to star in the films That’s Life and Duet for One.

As well as Andrews’ prestigious film, stage and TV career she has had huge success as a recording artist and has released 18 albums including: Love Julie, The Sound Of Christmas, and her Grammy-nominated album Julie Andrews Broadway: The Music of Richard Rodgers.

Andrews is also a successful children’s author and works for a wide range of international charities as well as being a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Fund for Women.

She was attracted to Relative Values and the role of Felicity, the Countess of Marshwood, initially because of her connection with Noel Coward. “He was a dear friend of mine, very sweet and kind. Of course, I have sung many of his songs and always been a great admirer of his work. I was also very impressed with  Eric's debut film, Dreaming of Joseph Lees and thought he might be an interesting young man to work with. He has a certain sparkle in his eyes and a good knowledge of film. You sense that he really knows what he wants from the look of the film.”

There were also other elements to the project that appealed to her “I love the period that this film is set in. It embodies that true 50’s glamour, when Dior had just produced the new line and women had these wonderful sweeping dresses, which were a backlash against wartime austerity. Felicity was also a character I couldn’t miss playing. She is a sparkling, glamorous, witty lady who adores her son and is anxious to pass on her heritage in the right way.”

“Making this film and returning to the Isle of Man has been a real pleasure. I first came here when I was twelve years of age to perform at the Gaity Theatre with my parents. When we arrived to film Relative Values, the cast spent the first couple of days just chatting about Noel Coward and swapping stories. It was really smart of Eric to let us bond like that because we have ended up feeling just like a family. Luckily, shooting in this mansion and spending most of our time here has really made it feel like our home, which is what the film should indicate.”
 

Edward Atterton (Nigel, the Earl of Marshwood)
Edward Atterton graduated from Cambridge University with an MA in Social Anthropology before going on to train in drama at the Central School of Speech and Drama.

His film credits include Randall Wallaces’ The Man In The Iron Mask, Peter Medak’s The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, Ferdinand Fairfax’s True Blue and Mr Spielbergs Boat.

Atterton has appeared in many of Britain’s most popular TV series including Inspector Alleyn (BBC TV), Poirot (LWT), Medics (Granada TV) and Pie In The Sky (BBC TV).  He has also just finished filming three a new series for MTV/Paramount Television and ICHIGEN-SAN directed by Isao Morimoto in Japan.

His theatrical performances include the West End production of Trevor Nunn’s Arcadia, and Les Miserables at the Nottingham Playhouse.

Atterton plays the role of Nigel, the Earl of Marshwood. “Nigel is fun, glamorous, confident and charming. Even though to a degree he is cuckolded in the film he certainly never becomes emasculated. I was determined to make him a strong character. Nigel’s the type of guy who swans around the South of France, hangs out in London and New York and has strings of beautiful girlfriends.  He’s certainly not your average hunting, shooting and fishing tennis racquet wielding toff.”

“I wanted to be involved in this film because making Coward work on film is a challenge. The writers have done a fantastic job. Often with a play adaptation you will see the scaffolding of theatre around the film which was absolutely not the case with this film. Then, when I heard who the cast was, I simply had to have the role. I mean, to have Julie Andrews, the most famous governess in the world as your mother and Stephen Fry as your butler—who could ask for more?”
 

William Baldwin (Don Lucas)
William Baldwin lives in Los Angeles and is married to the singer/song writer China Phillips. A graduate in political science from the University of New York at Binghampton, he left a fledgling political career to follow his older brother Alec Baldwin into acting.

Baldwin made his big screen debut in Oliver Stone’s Born on the Fourth of July and in 1990 had his first major role playing opposite Richard Gere in Mike Figgis’ Internal Affairs. His other credits include: Joel Schumacher’s Flatliners with Julia Roberts and Keifer Sutherland, Howard’s Backdraft with Kurt Russell, Philip Noyce’s Sliver with Sharon Stone, Joshua Brand’s A Pyromaniac’s Love Story and John Bruno’s Virus with Jamie Lee Curtis.

“I play the role of Don Lucas who is a film star in America during the golden age of Hollywood in the 40’s and 50’s, the studio contract era. He’s a very appealing and loveable troublemaker who’s a bit of a mess.  He’s a big drinker, but not the type of man who is falling all over himself when he’s been drinking. In those days alcohol was a much more acceptable part of the social fabric than it is today.  Don is a tremendously passionate man. He comes all the way from Los Angeles to the Kent countryside to prove his love to a woman who has left him.”

Baldwin enjoyed working within the structure of an ensemble cast. “For me creativity is something that comes from your soul and your spirit. I enjoy taking part in a collectively creative process. It’s amazing when we’re in rehearsals and we start throwing our ideas around and putting our thoughts and feelings on the table.  We all start to inspire one another and then all of a sudden we’re brewing a stew of creativity.”

Baldwin found Director Eric Styles “very kind and sensitive. It was also very positive and brave of Eric and Chris, to have Paul Rattigan and Michael Walker, the writers, on set as it allowed us to bounce ideas off them and see what worked improvisationally. Acting with this cast was a total gift and making this film is a time I will always treasure.”
 

Sophie Thompson (Moxie)
Sophie Thompson, an award-winning actress, trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and, on graduation, joined the Bristol Old Vic theatre for two seasons.

In the West End, Thompson has starred in many critically well-received plays, including Much Ado About Nothing directed by Judi Dench, As You Like It directed by Geraldine McEwan and in Hamlet directed by Derek Jacobi.  For the RSC she played ‘Rosalind’ in As You Like It directed by John Caird and ‘Helena’ in Sir Peter Hall’s production of All’s Well That End’s Well.

She was nominated as Best Supporting Actress at the 1994 Olivier Awards for her performance in Wildest Dreams, written and directed by Alan Ayckbourn. For her performance in Company at the Albery Theatre, directed by Sam Mendes, she received a nomination as Best Supporting Actress in a Musical at the 1996 Olivier Awards and was awarded the Clarence Derwent Award for Best Supporting Performance. In 1999 Thompson won an Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in Stephen Sondheim’s Into The Woods at the Donmar Warehouse.

Her film credits include: Richard Loncraine’s The Missionary, Don Boyd’s 21, Mike Newell’s Four Weddings And A Funeral with Hugh Grant and Pat O’Conner’s Dancing at Lughnasa. She has also starred in the Jane Austen adaptation of Persuasion, directed by Roger Michell, and Emma directed by Doug McGrath with Gwyneth Paltrow.

Thompson’s TV work includes the 1991 TV film The Master Blackmailer, a feature-length episode of The Adventures of Sherlock Homes (Granada), Carlton TV’s 1993 series of Comedy Playhouse and Dennis Potter’s Message to Posterity (BBC TV).

Thompson plays the role of Moxie, the Countess of Marshwood’s personal maid. “She’s a terribly private person who, although she’s a below stairs member of staff, actually straddles the two worlds of a stately home in rather the same way that a butler would. She has a mystery about her that servants often do. Moxie is forced into a situation in which she must reveal her past and her feelings—which is a difficult transition for her.”

Relative Values was Thompson’s first experience of performing Noel Coward’s work. “I must say I have enjoyed his rather heightened British humour. You see a lot of people’s foibles in this and there’s a great earthiness to it. You perhaps imagine with Coward that it’s all a comedy of manners but there’s a great deal of humanity in this piece.”
 

Stephen Fry  (Crestwell)
Stephen Fry developed his passion for the theatre at Cambridge University where he performed in over thirty plays including Macbeth and Volpone.  Whilst still studying he also wrote and performed the lead role in Latin, Or Tobacco And Boys which was awarded The Scotsman Fringe First. He co-wrote and performed in The Cellar Tapes, which won Perrier Pick Of The Fringe Award at the Edinburgh Festival in 1981.

He went on to write and star in a string of hit TV shows including Alfresco series I and II (ITV), several series of A Bit Of Fry And Laurie (BBC TV) with his comedic partner Hugh Laurie and The Crystal Cube (BBC TV). Other TV performances include The Black Adder series (BBC TV), Filthy Rich and Catflap (BBC TV), Saturday Night Live (Channel 4) and four series of Jeeves And Wooster (Granada) once again performing alongside Hugh Laurie.

Fry’s list of film credits include Brian Gilbert’s Wilde, in which he starred with Vanessa Redgrave, A Civil Action with John Travolta, Spiceworld with the Spice Girls, Renaissance Films’ Peter’s Friends with Emma Thompson and Kenneth Branagh, A Fish Called Wanda with John Cleese, Fred Schepisi’s I.Q. and John Schlesinger’s Cold Comfort Farm.

He is a best-selling author whose novels include The Liar, The Hippopotamus and Making History. He has also published his autobiography, Moab Is My Washpot and Paperweight, a collection of his columns.

Fry plays the role of Crestwell, the urbane butler of Marshwood. “My character is a fairly typical example of the kind of butler that existed around this time. He’s presumably fought in the war so he’s not the same as a pre-war butler who would have been a gooseberry eyed terribly off-putting figure.  He is somewhere in between the two. When he’s downstairs he’s fairly relaxed and talks with a cockney accent but when he’s on show up-stairs he’s terribly grand. As far as the central action of the film goes, he’s very fond of Lady Marshwood and terrified of a new lady of the house coming to take her place. However, he’s no doubt seen a lot of strange things and could cope with anything.”

Fry is a huge fan of Noel Coward’s work and enjoyed the experience of performing Coward under Eric Styles direction. “Eric is a terribly nice chap. He’s a relaxed and very natural film maker who has a tremendous eye and is aware of everything he’s editing.  He filmed all the rehearsals on digital video not because he was trying to decide the shot beforehand but because he wanted to get a sense of how the cast relate to one another when they are rehearsing.”

The opportunity of acting alongside Julie Andrews was an experience Fry relished “having Julie Andrews here has been extraordinary.  On her first day of shooting she looked out at the fields and the trees and sang “the hills are alive with the sound of music” and everyone burst out applauding and indeed I very nearly burst out crying. It was somehow ridiculously touching.”
 

Colin Firth (Peter)
Award-winning actor, Colin Firth, is one of the UK’s most popular stars of film and TV.

His television performances include Pride And Prejudice (BBC) for which he received a BAFTA nomination for Best Actor for the role of Mr Darcy. For his performance in the harrowing television drama, Tumbledown (BBC) he won the Royal Television Society Best Actor Award and a BAFTA nomination for Best Actor.

Firth has starred in many films, including John Maddens’ hugely acclaimed Shakespeare In Love with Joseph Fiennes and Anthony Minghella’s The English Patient with Ralph Fiennes. His other film credits include: Mike Binder’s Londinium, Peter Schwabach’s Secret Laughter Of Women, Pat O’Connor’s Circle Of Friends and A Month In The Country,  Lesley Meghay’s The Hour Of The Pig, Andre Guttfreund’s Femme Fatale, Milos Forman's Valmont, David Evan’s Fever Pitch, Desmond Davis’ Camille and Hugh Brody’s 1919.

His theatrical performances include the 1991 production of The Caretaker, directed by Harold Pinter at the Comedy Theatre, and in 1999 Three Days Of Rain, directed by Robin Lefevre at the Donmar Warehouse.

Firth plays the role of Peter, the Countess of Marshwood’s witty and sophisticated nephew.  His voyeur like role is thought by some to be based on the character of Noel Coward.

“I was instantly attracted to the role because of Noel Coward’s wonderful writing. You simply cannot get better dialogue; his lines are airy, witty and beautifully constructed.  I had never performed Coward before so it was slightly like going into uncharted water which was exciting.”

“Peter basically spends his time hanging around the place. He’s a harmless mischief-maker who enjoys the crisis that’s unfolding and he treats it all as a bit of a game. I haven’t modelled my character upon Noel Coward because it is very important to appropriate a role and make it your own. After all, the delivery of a line now is certainly not going to be the same as it was forty years ago.”

Firth found Eric Styles “very calm with a quiet authority. He never adopts an obvious approach and he’s very sure-footed in his direction, so he always stops things from becoming stilted and avoids the potential pitfalls that a play adaptation can fall into.”
 

Jeanne Tripplehorn (Miranda Frayle)
Jeanne Tripplehorn was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. After one year at the Tulsa University she moved to New York to study at the Juilliard School of Drama.

In 1992 she made her feature film debut opposite Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone in Paul Verhoeven’s Basic Instinct establishing herself as one of Hollywood’s most in demand actresses.

She recently co-starred with Hugh Grant in Mickey Blue Eyes, Gwynneth Paltrow in Sliding Doors and with Christian Slater and Cameron Diaz in Very Bad Things the directorial debut of Peter Berg.

Her other film credits include Office Killer the directorial debut of acclaimed photographer Cindy Sherman, The Night We Never Met with Matthew Broderick, Sydney Pollack’s The Firm opposite Tom Cruise, Kevin Reynolds’ Waterworld opposite Kevin Costner and the romantic comedy Til There Was You.

On stage she starred in the role of ‘Masha’ in Chekov’s The Three Sisters opposite Amy Irving, Lili Taylor and Eric Stoltz. Her other theatre credits include John Patrick Shanley’s The Big Funk and Tis a Pity She’s a Whore with Val Kilmer.

Tripplehorn made her TV debut with The Perfect Tribute (ABC) co-starring with Jason Rombards. She also starred opposite Arliss Howard in the critically acclaimed telefilm Old Man (CBS) based on William Faulkner’s classic novella.

“I play Miranda Frayle who’s a very famous movie actress at the tail end of her career.  It’s a sort of ‘Grace Kelly’ story line because she’s run away from Hollywood into the arms of her English Earl with the intention of living out her days as the Countess of Marshwood. However, in the space of just one evening the past catches up with her and doesn’t allow this to happen.”

There were several elements that attracted Tripplehorn to Relative Values.  “Firstly I love Noel Coward. His work represents an era in England that has passed so it’s a way of looking back but he’s so witty and humorous that an audience today will respond to his dialogue. Then when I knew that Julie Andrews was going to accept the role of the Countess of Marshwood I was immediately on board because she’s a legend, an icon. I was so glad to find out that she’s an incredibly lovely human being as well, in fact she’s the embodiment of the word lovely. And of course Eric Styles as the director.  He’s very softly spoken but he really knows what he wants—he walks softly but he carries a big stick!”
 

Eric Styles (The Director)
In 1991, after studying at the National Film and Television School, Styles started directing film documentaries for the BBC in Cardiff.  He continued his relationship with BBC Cardiff for whom he produced and directed a string of high profile film dramas and documentary series including Last Days at Fforchwen and The Dream, for which he received a nomination for a BAFTA Cymru Best Director Award in 1995.

In 1996, he received further nominations, this time for the television feature All Mixed Up, which went on to win a host of awards, including Best TV Feature at the San Francisco International Film Festival, the Award for Best Original Score at The Royal Television Society, a Writers Guild Award and three BAFTA Cymru Awards.

His 1997 short film Birdbrain won the Kodak Award for Cinematography at the British Short Film Festival and has been screened at festivals including Toronto, Denmark, Clement Ferrond and Edinburgh. In 1997 Styles made four single film dramas for the BBC including Love In The House Of The Lord by Catherine Linstrum and Washed Up by Steve Gould.  Washed Up went on to win the Best Drama Award at the BAFTA Cyrmu Awards.

Relative Values is Stlyes’ second feature in association with Christopher Milburn after his debut Dreaming Of Joseph Lees which was released to great critical acclaim in the Autumn of 1999 by Fox Searchlight.
 

Christopher Milburn (The Producer) and Midsummer Films
For the first fourteen years of his career, Milburn worked as an actor on stage and screen, and was regularly seen as ‘Dave Inchcape’ in TV’s Rumpole of the Bailey. In January 1995, he decided to concentrate on producing and so set up Midsummer Films. His first film was Caught In the Act, which was selected for the Comedy Film Festival (UK) 1997 and won the Jury Award of Excellence at the Laguna Beach Festival in the USA. It was directed by Mark Greenstreet.

In 1997, he teamed up with director Eric Styles and the pair decided to develop a number of projects together. The first of these was Dreaming Of Joseph Lees, which was shot in 1998. It was released by Fox Searchlight in 1999 following a successful tour of international film festivals including the Cardiff International Festival, for which it was chosen as the opening night film. The film was based on an original screenplay by Catherine Linstrum and starred Samantha Morton, Rupert Graves, Lee Ross, Miriam Margolyles and Frank Finlay.

Milburn is developing a number of other projects through Midsummer Films. He has commissioned Catherine Linstrum to write a script entitled Muybridge, set in California in the nineteenth century, which will be a co-production with Industry Entertainment. It will be executive-produced by Nick Weschler and Rosalie Swedlin. Linstrum is also commissioned to adapt the novels White Crosses by Larry Watson and Joyce Carol Oates’ I Lock My Door Upon Myself, all of which Eric Styles will direct.
 

Paul Rattigan and Michael Walker (The Writers)
Paul Rattigan and Michael Walker first met in 1988 when they worked together as actors on a national tour of Macbeth playing respectively Malcolm and Macduff.

They formed Hallelujah Productions in 1997 to write, produce and direct feature films. Relative Values is their first screenplay.

Rattigan’s other writing credits include The Screentest and L for Leather. As an actor he has played leading roles in the West End including Lysander in A Midsummer Nights Dream at the Open Air Theatre Regents Park, John Whittaker in Noel Coward’s Easy Virtue at the Garrick, Carlo do Nolli alongside Richard Harris in Pirandello’s Henry IV at the Wyndams and Nigel in Relative Values at the Savoy Theatre.  In 1996 he played Hamlet in Tom Stoppard’s production of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead at the Royal National Theatre.

His film roles include Sergeant Moreau in The Young Indiana Jones for Lucas Films and Giles in Caught in The Act for Midsummer Films.

Michael Walker’s other writing credits include Killing at the Lyric, Hammersmith, a TV pilot—It’s Only Make Believe and he is also the author of several children’s books.

He has acted on Broadway and in the West End.  His television credits include The Bill (ITV), Coronation Street, (ITV) and Howards Way (BBC).
 

Nick Ede  (Costume Designer)
Nick Ede has designed the costumes for a wide range of films and television programmes. He has also worked on a number of high profile commercials.

His film credits include Castaway directed by Nic Roeg, A Foreign Field starring Jeanne Moreau and Sir Alec Guinness, Second Best starring William Hurt and Jane Horrocks and Loch Ness starring Joely Richardson and Ted Danson.  In 1996 he designed the costumes for Brian Gilbert’s Wilde starring Stephen Fry and Vanessa Redgrave and in 1997 for Resurrection Man starring Stuart Townsend, John Hannah and Brenda Fricker.

His television work includes The Borrowers (BBC) which won the BAFTA Award for Best Children’s Series 1992, Band Of Gold (Granada TV) and Far From The Maddening Crowd (Granada TV). In 1999 he designed Granada Entertainment/A&E’s two hour special television films, Murder In a Small Town starring Gene Wilder and Dash & Lilly starring Sam Shephard and Judy Davis.

Ede’s commercials include British Airways, Martini, Lloyds Bank, Dulux My Way and Glen Grant Whiskey.
 

Humphrey Jaeger (Production Designer)
In addition to Humphrey Jaeger’s film and TV drama work, he has also worked on numerous light entertainment, current affairs and sports programmes.

Jaeger’s drama credits include Eric Styles’ Dreaming Of Joseph Lees and A Wing and A Prayer a six part legal drama which received a 1998 BAFTA Award Nomination for Best Drama Series. First Born a drama serial which received a Production Design Nomination—Arts and Entertainment of America and The Life and Loves Of A She Devil (BBC) which received a BAFTA and an Ace Award.

He has also production designed the following television programmes The Fast Show (BBC) Winner of Best Comedy Series, British Comedy Awards 1997 and Best Light Entertainment Series—RTS Awards 1997 and The Two Ronnies (BBC). His current affairs work includes The General Election (BBC), The American Presidential Election (BBC) and Think Tank (BBC).

His commercials credits include British Airways, Midland Bank, British Rail, Lloyds Bank and National Westminster Bank.
 

Jimmy Dimmbling (Director Of Photography)
Jimmy Dimmbling has over 35 years of experience working in the film industry on a variety of projects including features, television dramas, promos and commercials.

His drama work includes Eric Styles’ Dreaming of Joseph Lees, Birdbrain (BBC Wales) for which he won the Kodak Award for Cinematography 1997 and All Mixed Up (Channel 4 Wales/HTV) which won seven national and international awards including a Golden Spire at the San Francisco Film Festival and Best Drama BAFTA Wales.

His documentaries include Death In Venice (Channel Four), Vietnam (Central), Burma—with John Pilger (Carlton) and Driving School (BBC Bristol).
 

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