The Browning Version

This taped live performance of Terrance Rattigan's play stars Ian Holm and Judi Dench. Ian is the unhappy professor who's put his career first at the expense of everything else. When he finds out he's being let go, he finds his life in shambles. His wife Judi is having an affair with his colleague, Michael Kitchen. A student he fought hard to help, Steven Mackintosh, was merely trying to butter him up instead of harboring real respect for him. And his home, leased in parcel with his job at the school, is being rented out from right under his nose.

If you're an Ian Holm fan, go ahead and get your hands on a copy of this performance. If you're not, really, you don't have to watch it. It's very obviously "a play" and can get more than a touch wordy and dry. It's fun to see Judi Dench young and acting flirtatious, but this is Ian's show. He has all the drama, all the heartache, and a big crying meltdown. Now you want to see it, right?