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ERA
Did you know
42 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
MoodPlayr · trivia#01
Success Is the Best Revenge
"John Hurt and Michael York - Together for the first time!"
1984 1h 31m EN
👍
6.5
SOLID
★6.5TMDB · 6
Drama
Synopsis
Spoiler shield
Poland is under Communist rule. An exiled Polish theater director is in England, enthusiastically preparing an abstract play which will criticize the authoritarian Polish government. His sons might not share his political views, though.
“John Hurt and Michael York - Together for the first time!”
Cast
Michael York
Alex Rodak
John Hurt
Dino Montecurva
Anouk Aimée
Monique des Fontaines
Michel Piccoli
French Official
Michał Skolimowski
Adam Rodak
Józef Skolimowski
Tony Rodak
Jane Asher
Bank Manager
Joanna Szczerbic
Alicia Rodak
Credits
Behind the camera
- Director
- Jerzy Skolimowski
- Writers
- Jerzy Skolimowski, Michał Skolimowski, Harriet Pacaud
- Languages
- English
- Countries
- France, United Kingdom
Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.
Did you know?
Fun facts 🍿
2 / 8
WORLD
Did you know
International production across 2 countries: France, United Kingdom.
MoodPlayr · trivia#02
3 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Directed by Jerzy Skolimowski, shot by Mike Fash. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
MoodPlayr · trivia#03
4 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Original score by Hans Zimmer. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
MoodPlayr · trivia#04
5 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Editor Barrie Vince shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
MoodPlayr · trivia#05
6 / 8
CAST
Did you know
Michael York and John Hurt and Anouk Aimée carry the top of the cast.
MoodPlayr · trivia#06
7 / 8
FACT
Did you know
Marketing tagline: "John Hurt and Michael York - Together for the first time!".
MoodPlayr · trivia#07
8 / 8
WILD
Did you know
IMDB entry: tt0088200 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
MoodPlayr · trivia#08
Cinephile deep dive
The take
Jerzy Skolimowski directs. Mike Fash behind the camera. Hans Zimmer scores. Barrie Vince cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France, United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.
Trivia
Things worth knowing
- 142 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
- 2International production across 2 countries: France, United Kingdom.
- 3Directed by Jerzy Skolimowski, shot by Mike Fash. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
- 4Original score by Hans Zimmer. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
- 5Editor Barrie Vince shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
- 6Michael York and John Hurt and Anouk Aimée carry the top of the cast.
- 7Marketing tagline: "John Hurt and Michael York - Together for the first time!".
- 8IMDB entry: tt0088200 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
- 9Only 6 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
The technical file
- Cinematography
- Mike Fash
- Original score
- Hans Zimmer
- Editing
- Barrie Vince
- Production design
- Voytek
- Runtime
- 91 min · 1h 31m
- Status
- Released
- Original language
- EN
Also by
Jerzy Skolimowski
Production companies
Who made it
Gaumont
FR
- EM
Emerald
Key crew
- Production DesignVoytek
- ProducerJerzy Skolimowski
- MusicStanley Myers
- EditorBarrie Vince
- EditorAndrzej Kostenko
- Second Unit DirectorAndrzej Kostenko
Release history · US
When it landed
- Premiere1984-05-23· Cannes Film Festival
Also known as
International titles
- Le succès à tout prixFR
- Η επιτυχία είναι η καλύτερη εκδίκησηGR
