Marriage: the only institution where there can be two prisoners and two guards, bringing the sum total of staff and inmates to two.
45 Years is a cinematic tour de force which takes an unflinching look into the heart of a longstanding marriage, put to the test when the body of the husband’s former girlfriend is found – perfectly preserved in an icy crevasse – nearly half a century after a climbing accident.
Bringing the script to life are two of Britain’s finest actors, Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay, with director Andrew Haigh.
This critically acclaimed masterpiece plays out as Kate (Rampling) and Geoff (Courtenay) prepare to celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary, and secrets from the past start to be revealed. Based on David Constantine’s short story In Another Country, Haigh takes this vignette and decompresses it, freeing it from its icy fastness and allowing alpine winds to sweep through a comfortable, childless marriage. Geoff’s ineffectual attempts to deal with his wife’s silent and simmering anger only make matters worse.
Rampling and Courtenay have already won Silver Bear best acting awards at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival, and Haigh was nominated for a Golden Bear.
As well as the numerous other awards on the festival circuit, insiders are talking about BAFTAs for both leads, and the strong tip in Hollywood is that Rampling will be nominated for an Academy Award.
To celebrate the release, here’s a look at some of the best cinematic treatments about some of the more dramatic lessons to be learned from marriage.
45 Years is in cinemas February 18
Le Week-End (2013)
Nick (Jim Broadbent) and Meg (Lindsay Duncan) go to Paris for a second honeymoon (their first was 30 years earlier) and reignite their flagging passions and commitment to each other in the City of Light.
Directed by Roger Michell (Venus, Notting Hill), the movie is an unexpectedly frank look at the labours that make up the business end of a long marriage and shows that loving someone doesn’t preclude you from occasionally hating them too.
Another Year (2010)
A look into the sunset of the lives of Tom (Jim Broadbent again) and Gerri (Lesley Manville) as they negotiate four seasons of a single year in their London home and vegetable allotment.
Their unbroken, rock-solid marriage and almost saintly good humour are juxtaposed with the sad, lonely, booze-filled yet empty lives of divorcees Mary (Lesley Manville) and Ken (Peter Wight).
Away From Her (2006)
Retired professor Grant (Gordon Pinsent) and his Alzheimer’s-afflicted wife Fiona (Julie Christie) decide to deal with her decline by placing her in a nursing home. He agrees to an initial 30 days of no contact to allow her to adjust and during this time she develops feelings for a male resident and forgets her husband.
The plot is complicated by Grant’s numerous infidelities as a university professor and his growing feelings for Marian (Olympia Dukakis), as he becomes a reluctant observer of his wife’s burgeoning relationship.
Amour (2013)
A poignant exploration of the final days of retired music teachers Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant) and Anne (Emmanuelle Riva).
Anne suffers a series of strokes, leaving her catatonic. Georges refuses to break his promise to Anne to not place her in a home, despite the wishes of their daughter that she goes into care.
Georges cares for his wife until the end, proving that amour – love – is all we have.
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
Probably the most famous examination of folie à deux to make it to the screen. New England college professor George (Richard Burton) and his vituperative wife Martha (Elizabeth Taylor) basically play out their own off-screen marriage while partying with young professor Nick (George Segal) and Nick’s wife Honey (Sandy Dennis).
The couples consume an ocean of hard liquor after a faculty mixer, in director Mike Nichols’ adaptation of Edward Albee’s play.
As the night wears on, Nick and Honey are dragged into the abyss of George and Martha’s broken existence.
Hope Springs (2012)
Married for 30 years, Kay (Meryl Streep) and Arnold (Tommy Lee Jones) are sent for a week of intensive couple’s therapy with counsellor Dr Feld, played by comedy virtuoso Steve Carell.
Tough guy Jones is willing to do anything to keep his wife happy, but draws the line at actual intimacy in this rom com about the importance of keeping the fires burning for a marriage to survive the long haul.
A Woman Under the Influence (1974)
Written and directed by John Cassavetes, this film is an uncompromising look at what happens when husband Nick (Peter Falk) has his wife Mabel (Gena Rowlands) committed to a mental institution after she behaves bizarrely.
The main action happens when Mabel is released and Nick mistakenly throws a large party to celebrate her homecoming. The movie reaches a climax with a new, shocking, breakdown by Mabel.
