Pilborough Judi Dench ..... Marcia Pilborough Tim McInnerny ..... John Morgan Stuart Wilson ..... Mike Langdon Suzanna Hamilton ..... Karen Creasy Tom Wilkinson ..... Roger Braithwaite Marjorie Yates ..... Verity Braithwaite Joely Richardson ..... Young Jean Katy Behean ..... Young Marcia Robert Hines ..... Jim Mortimer Release The film was screened at the 35th Berlin International Film Festival in February 1985. It was released in the UK on 8 March 1985 as the first film to be shown at the Curzon West End. It grossed $18,694 in its opening week. Critical reception In her review in The New York Times, Janet Maslin observed the film was written "with a playwright's ear for elegant dialogue and a playwright's portentous sense of symmetry. While the former is certainly welcome on the screen, the latter is less at home, and it serves to make Wetherby a peculiar hybrid not entirely suited to either medium . . . the film's momentum varies unpredictably, with a rhythm that is sometimes abrupt, sometimes languid. Equally uneven is the acuteness of the dialogue, with passages that are particularly pointed interspersed with those whose bearing is at best indirect . . . However, Mr. Hare has assembled a superb cast, and its ensemble work is very fine . . . Miss Redgrave's warm, credible performance is very much the heart of the film. She brings to the character a crisp intelligence and a very deep compassion, while still managing to make every movement a surprise." Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times called it "a haunting film, because it dares to suggest that the death of the stranger is important to everyone it touches – because it forces them to decide how alive they really are." Time Out London notes, "Redgrave's performance is superb and she's ably supported by Holm, Dench, and Hamilton in particular." Awards and nominations Berlin International Film Festival Golden Bear for Best Motion Picture (winner, tie with Die Frau und der Fremde) Berlin International Film Festival C.I.C.A.E. Award (David Hare, winner) Berlin International Film Festival Interfilm Award – Honorable Mention (David Hare, winner) BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Judi Dench, nominee) National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress (Vanessa Redgrave, winner) Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor (Ian Holm, winner) References External links 1985 films 1980s mystery drama films British mystery drama films Films set