The Honorary Consul [DVD]

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Plarr travels to Buenos Aires in an unsuccessful attempt to persuade the British ambassador to intervene.

Fortnum spends much of his time, as he faces up to his impending death, sentimentalizing about Clara and remembering the fearsome figure of his father. Another person the doctor meets is Clara, whom he immediately falls in love with, but there is a problem: Clara is Charley's wife. Along the way he meets an array of people, including British Consul Charley Fortnum, a representative in Latin America who is trying to keep Revolution from occurring. The kidnappers' first attempt to intercept the cars fails when they get held up by a military convoy. During the Dirty War, a half-English doctor in Argentina befriends the police, the rebels and the alcoholic Honorary British Consul, whose Latino wife he seduces.

The UK embassy then relieves Fortnum of his consulship and tell him he will be appointed an OBE in the next UK honours. Starring: Michael Caine, Richard Gere, Bob Hoskins, Elpidia Carrillo, Joaquim de Almeida, A Martinez, Stephanie Cotsirilos, Domingo Ambriz, Geoffrey Palmer, Jorge Russek, Erika Carlsson, George Belanger. The movie was filmed on location in Veracruz, Mexico and Mexico City, and at the Shepperton Studios in Surrey, England.

This is a mildly interesting picture for viewers who like a hint of subtlety to spice their viewing experience. The Honorary Consul is a much more complicated, mysterious work than one might suspect from this rather literal if quite faithful condensation. Plarr's mother, once a beauty and now bloated, along with some of his previous mistresses, attends his funeral. Great performances from Michael Caine and Bob Hoskins, not so great from Richard Gere but a good supporting cast make this an enjoyable hour and three quarters entertainment.Beyond the Limit" may not be as thoughtfully developed as it should be, but it is interesting to see the film's producers try to convey the important moral message of the original novel.