dream casting

how great it is when several actors you like make a lovely film together. alan bates, julie christie, glenda jackson and ann-margret slipped into period costumes and gave us, 'the return of the soldier.' 

rebecca west was a prolific writer of non fiction as well as fiction. i have not yet read her book that this film is based on, but the story is great and the characters are interesting. alan bates plays a shell shocked soldier, brought home from the army's hospital by his loving wife, played by julie, and his devoted cousin, played by ann-margret (accent aside, she is really good). the only problem is, he does not remember julie being his wife.

way back, in all of our minds, are memories of people we have either forgotten or choose to ignore. in dealing with the aftermath of the war, the soldier of this story must find his way back to a woman he loved long ago. i can't think of a more suitable actor than alan bates to play a childlike, yet deeply wounded man, surrounded by three loving women.