10 Things to Know about 'Another Country' (1984) Starring Rupert Everett and Colin Firth

Another Country overcame alot of hurdles to make it to the West End of London in 1982. Playwright Julian Mitchell was fascinated by the story of upper crust English boys turning on their country to become spies for Russia in the throws of the Cold War.

Why did this happen? What could have caused it? This thought became the seed of Another Country. Rather than have the strictures of a true story hold him back, Mitchell created the characters of Guy Bennett and Tommy Judd and filtered part of the The Cambridge Five, specifically Guy Burgess, Donald McKean, and Kim Philby, through Guy and Tommy.

The play became a sensation and the movie became an inevitability.

Here are 10 Things to Know About Another Country (1984)

10 Colin Firth Left the Play for the Movie and Then Returned to the play

Colin Firth was appearing in the stage version of Another Country when he landed the role of Tommy Judd in the film adaptation. After wrapping filming, Firth then returned to the stage play to finish out the play’s run on London’s West End.

9 Rupert Everett Claims he and Colin Firth Have Never Been Friends

Rupert Everett claimed in his autobiography that he and Colin Firth have never been friends despite their best friend chemistry in Another Country and their having worked together at least 6 times since Another Country, including Everett casting Firth in his directorial debut, The Happy Prince. It’s unclear if Everett is being serious or cheeky.

8 Director Marek Kanievska was reluctant to direct Another Country

By the time Marek Kanievska was approached to direct a film adaptation of Julian Mitchell’s hit stage play, he’d seen the play twice and wasn’t impressed. It had nothing to do with Mitchell’s story which is undeniably compelling. Rather, it had to do with it being stagy and the actors hamming it up, overwhelming the dialogue. Kanievska felt he couldn’t see what he’d bring to something so bound to the stage.

Even with his negative opinion on the play, especially the acting, he still hired two of the stars of the play to star in Another Country, Colin Firth and Rupert Everett.

7 Rupert Everett landed Another Country after missing out on the part of Tarzan

When shooting on Another Country was approaching, Rupert Everett was worried he might miss out on helping the play move from stage to screen. Everett was among a handful of actors being considered for the part of Tarzan in Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan King of the Apes. Once that role went to actor Christopher Lambert, Everett told the Associated Press that he was relieved, stating

“It was a crazy scene, a bunch of actors jumping around like apes. Thank God I didn’t get the part.”

6 Loosely Based on the Story of The Cambridge Five

Amid the treacherous time of the Cold War, no one expected spies to come from the upper crust of English society, but it happened. In all, five British students from Cambridge would turn their backs on their home country, spy on behalf of the Russians before defecting to Russia to avoid consequences for their treachery.

Another Country stars Rupert Everett as Guy Bennett, loosely based on real life traitor, Guy Burgess while Colin Firth’s Tommy Judd is a combination of Donald McLean and Kim Philby, government officials who’d attended Eton together before Cambridge and used their place of wealth and privilege to cover for their passing western secrets to the Russian government.

5 Kenneth Branagh Was Tommy Judd Before Colin Firth

When Another Country made its stage debut on London's prestigious West End, a young Kenneth Branagh won the role of Tommy Judd alongside Rupert Everett as Guy. Branagh's understudy? None other than Colin Firth.

Speaking to the Guardian on the anniversary of the 1982 West End debut of Another Country, Branagh recalled marveling at his co-star's magnetism and that they didn't think the play would last 6 months. The play ran for over two years.

4 Another Country Opened to Acclaim and Awards at the Cannes Film Festival

Just prior to its release in the United States, Another Country debuted at Cannes to remarkable acclaim. The film received terrific reviews from critics and Cinematographer Peter Biziou won the Award for Best Cinematography of the festival.

3 The Title May be a Reference to a Play by Christopher Marlowe

The title, Another Country, has a number of inspirations. Bluntly, it may just refer to defecting to ‘Another Country,’ in this case, Russia.

More esoterically however, it may be a reference to a Christopher Marlowe play, The Jew Of Malta, which includes this exchange:

Friar Barnadine: Thou hast committed–

Barabas: Fornication– but that was in another country; / And besides, the wench is dead.

Notably, Rupert Everett played Christopher Marlowe in the movie Shakespeare in Love which also co-starred Colin Firth.

2 Yes, Princess Diana’s Brother was an Extra in Another Country

Another Country was famously denied the opportunity to film at the famed English school, Eton. In need of a stately location, producers were able to land Althorp House to use for interior scenes. Althorp House happened to be the family home of Princess Diana and her little brother Charles Spencer, was then the Viscount of Althorp.

This cameo is confirmed by Spencer himself who has shared screenshots of himself in the background of scenes featuring both Rupert Everett and Colin Firth

1 Cary Elwes Big Break

It wasn’t Cary Elwes’ first film role, that came as an extra, credited as Disco Dancer in the 1979 film Yesterday’s Hero. But, the role of Harcourt in Another Country was his breakout role. It was the first time Cary Elwes got to show what he could reality do on screen and his sizzling chemistry with co-star Rupert Everett did not go on unnoticed.

Soon after, Elwes got his first leading man role in Oxford Blues and his career was off to the races.