A Sense of History

1992 0h 26m EN

👍

7.3

SOLID

★7.3TMDB · 36

DramaComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Jim Broadbent wrote and starred in this short film directed by none other than Mike Leigh. As a member of the landed gentry, the 23rd Earl of Leete has a duty to maintain and expand his lands. Shot in the style and manner of a BBC documentary, Broadbent tells his family history to the crew, who slowly come to realise - as do we - that things are not what they seem.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Jim Broadbent
23rd Earl of Leete
Stephen Bill
Giddy
Belinda Bradley
The Earl's daughter
Edward Bradley
The Earl's son

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Mike Leigh
Writers: Jim Broadbent
Languages: English
Countries: 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 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 26-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Mike Leigh, shot by Dick Pope. 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 Carl Davis. 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 Jon Gregory 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

Jim Broadbent and Stephen Bill and Belinda Bradley carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0105355 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Mike Leigh directs. Dick Pope behind the camera. Carl Davis scores. Jon Gregory cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 26-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
234 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Mike Leigh, shot by Dick Pope. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Carl Davis. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Jon Gregory shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Jim Broadbent and Stephen Bill and Belinda Bradley carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0105355 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 36 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Dick Pope
Original score: Carl Davis
Editing: Jon Gregory
Production design: Alison Chitty
Runtime: 26 min · 0h 26m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: A Sense of History (1992)

Also by

Mike Leigh

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-02-17
★ 7/10
There's something distinctly Churchillian about Jim Broadbent's rather engaging performance as the 23rd Earl of Leete. His rather grand exposé of their country estate (in front of an instantly recognisable Highcere) begins with the traditional "held in trust" kind of monologue, then the peer gradually drifts into a bit of familial character assassination that depicts his mother as a cough-medicine addict, his father as a rather stupid bully, and his elder brother - and the heir apparent - as a raging homosexual (even if he was 11 years old!). Anyway, with the estate in dire straits and his brother unlike to procreate, this seven year old Lord decides to dispose of his brother. Pigeon and rabbit shooting was a popular family pastime, so we now get a fairly graphic and detailed description of just what happened (think "Kind Hearts and Coronets") before continuing, seamlessly, with chat about the growth of the estate after the reformation under the 6th Earl and then a brief conversation with one of his tractor driving serfs! More family tragedies ensue and the narration becomes even more darkly humoured as we venture into his own WWII not so conscientious objections and his, qualified, support for the organisational genius that was Hitler! How to expand the estate? Well that's where marriage comes in. No sentiment, just acreage and knowing which fork to use! Finally, and this is where it comes off the rails a bit, he falls in love with a stable lass and decides that his homicidal tendencies needed honing again. Broadband's efforts and his pithy writing marries the pompous and the comedic excellently here, and his proud historical speechifying is expertly contrasted by his rants and his sense of privilege. He kept the bastards out! A must see, this.

Production companies