A Question of Attribution (1991)

Directed by

John Schlesinger

Genre

drama film

Country

United Kingdom

Runtime

1h 11m

Rating

6.8 of 10 from 10 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A British art expert and former Soviet spy is questioned about his past while continuing his work. The story examines how he navigates his double life and the tension between his public reputation and hidden loyalties.

wittyintelligentrestrainedcerebralcynicalsuspensefulslow-burndarkly comic

What happens

A Question of Attribution is a 1988 one-act stage play, written by Alan Bennett. It focuses on the British art expert and former Soviet agent Sir Anthony Blunt. It was premiered at the National Theatre, London, on 1 December 1988, directed by Simon Callow. The stage version of An Englishman Abroad, about Blunt's fellow agent Guy Burgess, was also performed on the same bill. The two plays are collectively called Single Spies. The play was adapted as a 1991 television film of the same name directed by John Schlesinger and broadcast as part of the BBC's Screen One series. The film was produced by Innes Lloyd, a long-time collaborator of the author in his television work, and is dedicated to Lloyd's memory in a title card at the beginning of the end credits. The New York Times called the film a "razor-sharp psychological melodrama" and it won the 1992 BAFTA TV award for Best Single Drama. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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