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Page Eight

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Page Eight
UK DVD cover
GenrePolitical thriller,action drama
Screenplay byDavid Hare
Directed byDavid Hare
StarringBill Nighy
Rachel Weisz
Michael Gambon
Ralph Fiennes
Judy Davis
Theme music composerPaul Englishby
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
Production
Producers
CinematographyMartin Ruhe
EditorJinx Godfrey
Running time99 minutes
Production companiesCarnival Films
Runaway Fridge
BBC Films
Heyday Films
Original release
NetworkBBC Two&BBC HD
Release28 August 2011(2011-08-28)
Related
Turks & Caicos

Page Eightis a 2011 Britishpolitical thriller,written and directed for theBBCby the British dramatistDavid Hare,his first film as director since the 1989 filmStrapless.[1]The cast includesBill Nighy,Rachel Weisz,Michael Gambon,Tom Hughes,Ralph Fiennes,andJudy Davis.The film was followed byTurks & Caicos(2014) andSalting the Battlefield(2014), which were broadcast onBBC Twoin March 2014. The three films are collectively known asThe Worricker Trilogy.[2]

Plot summary

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Johnny Worricker is a long-servingMI5officer. His best friend and superior,director generalBenedict Baron, summons Johnny to a meeting with MI5 agent Jill Tankard andHome SecretaryAnthea Catcheside regarding a potentially explosive report. Worricker highlights a note at the foot of page eight alleging thatPrime MinisterAlec Beasley has knowledge ofsecret overseas prisonswhere American authorities have tortured terror suspects. If true, Beasley did not share any intelligence gained with the security services, at the possible expense of British lives.

At the same time, Johnny begins spending time with his neighbour Nancy Pierpan, aSyrian-born political activist whose brother was killed by theIsraeli military.Johnny shares his love ofmodern artandjazzwith Nancy but, wondering if she aims to exploit his connections, asks friend and covert intelligence operative Rollo to investigate her. Meanwhile, Baron dies of a heart attack at his country home before he can make the report public. Beasley orders the report to be buried and tells Johnny of his plans to replace MI5 with a US-styleHomeland Securityorganisation. Catcheside's silence is bought by naming herDeputy Prime Minister.

Johnny sells a valuableChristopher Woodpainting from his own art collection, for cash. He breaks into the studio of an acquaintance of Nancy's, seen loitering around the apartment building, and learns that the acquaintance is Tankard's son and has been paid to monitor him. Johnny realises that Beasley and Tankard are running a politicised "cowboy" intelligence operation. Johnny gives Nancy a copy of the secret file on her brother's death but points out that he would be implicated if its existence were to be revealed by her. Johnny ends up making a deal with Tankard to keep quiet about the report. In return for Johnny's silence, Tankard agrees to kill the reorganisation of the intelligence services and leak the file on Nancy's brother's murder to the BBC. The fallout forces Johnny to disappear for his safety.

Johnny gives Nancy another Christopher Wood painting from his collection and tells her she can have his car, as he is leaving the country. On seeing the leaked report of her brother's murder on the news, she realises that Johnny arranged it to allow her to pursue a legal case against the Israelis without implicating himself. AtStansted Airport,Johnny dumps the original report incriminating Beasley in a rubbish bin. As Johnny looks at the departure screen, Nancy looks closely at Johnny's painting, of a church near a beach.

Cast

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Production

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Parts were filmed inJesus College, Cambridge,in which undergraduates and Fellows were recruited as extras.[3]

The gallery scene where Worricker sells his painting is filmed inSaffron Walden;the property used as the gallery is on the corner of Church Street and Museum Street, number 26a and 28 Church Street. It is a listed building.[4]

Worricker then collects his parked car from Market Hill in that town outside the Kings Arms public house.

Release

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The film had its world premiere on 18 June 2011 at theEdinburgh International Film Festivaland closed the 36th Toronto International Film Festival on 17 September 2011.[5]It was broadcast onBBC TwoandBBC HDon 28 August 2011 in the United Kingdom, and onPBSin the United States on 6 November 2011, as part of itsMasterpiece Contemporaryanthology series.[6]It was released onDVDandBlu-rayon 5 September 2013 byUniversal Pictures.

Accolades

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At the2011 Satellite Awards,Page Eightwas nominated for Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television. Bill Nighy and Rachel Weisz were nominated for Best Actor in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television and Best Actress in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television, respectively.[7]

Bill Nighy received a nomination forBest Actor – Miniseries or Television Filmat the2012 Golden Globe Awards.[8]

Martin Ruhe, Page Eight's Director of Photography, won Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Motion Picture/Miniseries Television at the 26thAmerican Society of Cinematographers Awards.[9]

Page Eightreceived a nomination nod for Best TV Movie at the 2012Rose d’OrTV Festival.[10]

At the2012 British Academy Television Awards,Page Eightwas nominated for the Single Drama Award.[11]

Paul Englishby was nominated for Best Television Soundtrack at the 2012Ivor NovelloAwards.[12]

At the2012 Critics' Choice Television Awards,Page Eightwas nominated for Best Made for TV Movie/Mini Series, while Bill Nighy was nominated for Best Actor.[13]

At the2012 Primetime Emmy Awards,Judy Davis received a nomination nod in the category ofOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie,while Paul Englishby won forOutstanding Original Main Title Theme Music.[14][15]

References

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  1. ^Child, Ben (5 May 2011)."Edinburgh film festival announces initial lineup".The Guardian.Retrieved5 May2011.
  2. ^"Bill Nighy to reprise his role in The Worricker Trilogy".BBC Press Release.Archived fromthe originalon 6 May 2013.
  3. ^Jesuan News,Spring 2011.
  4. ^26a and 28 Church StreetinBritish Listed Buildings
  5. ^Evans, Ian (2011),"Page Eight TIFF premiere photos",DigitalHit.com,retrieved29 March2012
  6. ^Young, Bill (19 August 2011)."Page Eight, a PBS Masterpiece, Nov 6".Tellyspotting.Retrieved31 July2013.
  7. ^"2012 Winners".International Press Academy.Retrieved31 July2013.
  8. ^"Golden Globe Awards Nominations: The Complete List".The Hollywood Reporter.15 December 2011.Retrieved31 July2013.
  9. ^"THE TREE OF LIFE Earns Top Honors from Cinematographers".The American Society of Cinematographers.13 February 2012. Archived fromthe originalon 16 February 2012.Retrieved31 July2013.
  10. ^"Life's Too Short up for Rose d'Or award".BBC News.28 February 2012.Retrieved31 July2013.
  11. ^"Watch Coverage of the Television Awards in 2012".BAFTA Television.24 April 2012.Retrieved31 July2013.
  12. ^"Adele leads nominations for 57th Ivor Novello awards".The Guardian.17 April 2012.Retrieved31 July2013.
  13. ^Andreeva, Nellie (5 June 2012)."Critics' Choice TV Awards Noms: 'Community' At Top Of List".Deadline Hollywood.Archived fromthe originalon 14 August 2012.Retrieved31 July2013.
  14. ^"Emmy winners and nominations 2012: The complete list".Los Angeles times.23 September 2012.Retrieved31 July2013.
  15. ^"HBO Leads With 17 Creative Arts Emmys, CBS 13, PBS 11; 'Undercover Boss' Wins Reality Emmy; 'Daily Show' Writers, Jimmy Fallon, Kathy Bates, Jeremy Davies, Martha Plimpton Win Emmys; 'Wizards of Waverly Place' & 'The Penguins of Madagascar'".Deadline Hollywood.15 September 2012.Retrieved16 September2012.
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