The Browning Version

"The greatest lessons in the life and the ones learned by heart."

1994 1h 37m EN

😐

6.4

MID

🍅

78%

FRESH

⭐

7.2

IMDB

★6.4TMDB · 66🍅78%Rotten Tomatoes★7.2IMDB · 3,840

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Andrew Crocker-Harris is an embittered and disliked teacher of Greek and Latin at a British prep school. After nearly 20 years of service, he is being forced to retire for 'health reasons', and perhaps may not even be given a pension. The boys regard him as a Hitler, with some justification. His unfaithful wife Laura tries to hurt him in any way she can. Andrew must come to terms with his failed life and at least regain his own self-esteem.

“The greatest lessons in the life and the ones learned by heart.”

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Cast

Albert Finney
Andrew Crocker-Harris
Greta Scacchi
Laura Crocker-Harris
Matthew Modine
Frank Hunter
Julian Sands
Tom Gilbert
Michael Gambon
Dr. Frobisher
Ben Silverstone
Taplow
Jim Sturgess
Bryant
Joseph Beattie
Wilson

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Mike Figgis
Writers: Ronald Harwood
Languages: Latin, French, Greek, English
Countries: United Kingdom, United States of America

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 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

32 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 4 languages: Latin, French, Greek, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Mike Figgis, shot by Jean-François Robin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Mark Isham. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Hervé Schneid shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Albert Finney and Greta Scacchi and Matthew Modine carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The greatest lessons in the life and the ones learned by heart.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Mike Figgis directs. Jean-François Robin behind the camera. Mark Isham scores. Hervé Schneid cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in Latin, French, Greek, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

132 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Dialogue crosses 4 languages: Latin, French, Greek, English.
3International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.
4Directed by Mike Figgis, shot by Jean-François Robin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Mark Isham. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Hervé Schneid shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Albert Finney and Greta Scacchi and Matthew Modine carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "The greatest lessons in the life and the ones learned by heart.".
9IMDB entry: tt0109340 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 66 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Jean-François Robin
Original score: Mark Isham
Editing: Hervé Schneid
Production design: John Beard
Runtime: 97 min · 1h 37m
Status: Released
Box office: $487,391
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Browning Version (1994)
Rotten Tomatoes: 78% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 7.2/10 · 3,840 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award. 1 win & 3 nominations total

Also by

Mike Figgis

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2025-01-18
★ 7/10
I'm not usually a fan of remakes, especially as the 1951 iteration of this story featuring Michael Redgrave is a powerful piece of drama. Who better, though, than Albert Finney to pick up the mantle and offer us his own interpretation of this curmudgeonly ancient languages master at a public school who is facing retirement? Mike Figgis has updated the Rattigan text to bring it into the 1990s, but the plot remains essentially the same. He is married to a younger women "Laura" (Greta Scacchi) who is a bit fed up with him and quite attracted to "Frank" (Matthew Modine). He's an American who is gradually settling into his new British surroundings' and is conflicted by his extra-martial enthusiast. We know that "Crocker-Harris" (Finney) is aware of his wife's peccadilloes - "Frank" is not the first, and what follows now is a gradual reassessment of his life. A life without a pension, without the respect of his peers, without the appreciation of his pupils, without the love of his wife. Also central to this story is the young "Taplow" (Ben Silverstone) who, alone amongst the student body, has a degree of respect for this teacher. Perhaps it's because he wishes to swap to science next term, or perhaps because he sees something of the vulnerable in the older, lonelier man? As that final day and it's speech gets closer, things come to an head that is poignantly inconclusive. Finney is on good form here as is Michael Gambon as the headmaster obsessed with the cricket team and with placating the snooty parents who the school afloat, and the young Silverstone. This update sexualises some of the characters in a way that's a little unnecessary, but for the most part it's a stylishly produced film that is faithful to an original story of privilege, relevance, tradition, age, change - and bicycles.

Production companies