A Handful Of Dust cover art

A Handful Of Dust Details

1988 Certificate PG
  • Rated:
  • 60
  • from 941 members

Tony and Brenda appear to have the perfect marriage - living in the fashionable England of the 30's in a Victorian country estate. But when Tony invites the dashing, yet penniless young socialite John Beaver for a weekend stay, he unknowingly ignites a series of shattering events - passion, infidelity, death. Based on Evelyn .. Read more

Starring James Wilby, Kristin Scott-Thomas, Rupert Graves, Anjelica Huston
Director Charles Sturridge
Genres Drama

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A Handful Of Dust cover art

A Handful Of Dust

Tony and Brenda appear to have the perfect marriage - living in the fashionable England of the 30's in a Victorian country estate. But when Tony invites the dashing, yet penniless young socialite John Beaver for a weekend stay, he unknowingly ignites a series of shattering events - passion, infidelity, death. Based on Evelyn Waugh's 1937 novel. Academy Award Nominations: Best Costume Design.

Starring James Wilby, Kristin Scott-Thomas, Rupert Graves, Anjelica Huston, Judi Dench, Alec Guinness
Director Charles Sturridge
Studio SLAMDUNK
Run time DVD: 1 hr 54 mins
Certificate Certificate PG
Genres Drama
Language DVD: English
Released DVD: 25 Oct 1999
Production year: 1988
Format DVD

  • Critics' reviews (2) of A Handful Of Dust

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  • 4 stars out of 5

    In this glossily depressing adaptation of Evelyn Waugh's satire on the between-wars aristocracy, James Wilby stars as the dull, duty-bound estate owner cuckolded by his adulterous wife Kristin Scott Thomas and man-about-town Rupert Graves. Directed by Charles Sturridge with the same impeccable detail he brought to his TV adaptation of Waugh's Brideshead Revisited, the impressive performances can't lighten a cynicism which tries to persuade us that the wages of goodness are death — or, in the jungle climax, something very like it.

    • Radio Times
    • Posted 29 Jan 2006
  • 2 stars out of 4

    Glossy production, impeccably acted, although it loses some of the satire of the original.

    • Halliwell's Film Guide
    • Posted 02 Mar 2006

  • Most helpful member's review of A Handful Of Dust

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  • 12 out of 12 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 5 stars

    Heartbreaking

    This film is remarkably faithful to Evelyn Waugh's novel and is a worthy successor to Charles Sturridge's other Waugh adaptation, 'Brideshead Revisited'. As another reviewer has pointed out, this isn't a feelgood film. However, the high production values make this worth watching.

    The cast are superb, including a wonderful cameo from Alec Guinness and coupled with the film's authentic recreation of 1930's Britain and the superb soundtrack by George Fenton, this is wonderful film.

    Waugh's original story is a heartbreaking tale of love and loss that is relevant to any age.

      • A customer from Sussex
      • Posted 05 Oct 2005 19:31

  • Most recent members' review of A Handful Of Dust

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  • 1 out of 1 person found this review helpful

    Rated - 2 stars

    Customer Review

    Almost two hours of complete rubbish.

    Struggle to keep awake.

    Save your money and watch the grass grow. More interesting.

    Ted

      • A customer from UK
      • Posted 23 Jun 2008 15:22

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Rating breakdown

941 Member ratings
  • 100
66
  • 90
44
  • 80
151
  • 70
160
  • 60
237
  • 50
112
  • 40
73
  • 30
38
  • 20
41
  • 10
19

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    • A Handful Of Dust

    • A Handful Of Dust
      Tony and Brenda appear to have the perfect marriage - living in the fashionable England of the 30's in a Victorian country estate. But when Tony invites the dashing, yet penniless young socialite John Beaver for a weekend stay, he unknowingly ignites a series of shattering events - passion, ...