British TV and Film writer Ol Parker (not to be confused with American director Oliver Parker) wrote the screenplay, which is based on These Foolish Things, a novel published in 2004 by Engish writer Deborah Moggach.
His film credits include the British comedy It Was an
Accident (2000) where he worked with and went on to marry British actress Thandie Newton.
Distributor: Fox Searchlight
Released: 24 Feburary 2012
Cert: 12A (film) 12 (video)
Country: UK/USA/United Arab
Emirates
The film of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel differs from the novel in several ways, although the premise of a retirement home set in India and the majority of the characters are the same (if slightly tweaked). Most significantly the film creates a role for Graham (Tom Wilkinson) which is not present in the novel. Also in the film Sonny (Dev Patel) is younger and single (which allows the film to create his romance with Sunaina (Tena Desae).
Sunday, 14 October
2012, 7.00pm
Director: John Madden
Screenplay: Ol Parker
Based on the novel These Foolish
Things by Deborah Moggach
Producers: Graham Broadbent,
Peter Czernin
Main Cast
Judi Dench - Evelyn Greenslade
Tom Wilkinson - Graham Dashwood
Bill Nighy - Douglas Ainslie
Penelope Wilton - Jean Ainslie
Maggie Smith - Muriel Donnelly
Ronald Pickup - Norman Cousins
Celia Imrie - Madge Hardcastle
Dev Patel - Sonny Kapoor
Tena Desae - Sunaina
Lillete Dubey - Mrs. Kapoor
Liza Tarbuck - Staff Nurse
Our next scheduled screening is The Help
(12) (USA, 2011, Dir Tate
Taylor) a film adaptation of the novel by Kathryn
Stockett. It is about a young white woman,
Eugenia "Skeeter"
Phelan, and her relationship with two black maids during Civil Rights era America in the early 1960s.
Box office 01342 833 893 enquiries@lingfieldcentre.org
Follow us on Twitter @lingfieldfilms.
Locations: Jaipur, Udaipur India,
Estimated Budget: $10m
Worldwide box office September
2012: $131,429,141 (£82,563,786)
UK box office September 2012:
£20,254,498 ( $32,241,118)

Take a disparate group of British pensioners, all with unresolved issues about their lives, transport them to India to a cheap and not so cheerful guest house, whose young entrepreneurial owner has a few issues of his own and you find yourself in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.
While the film adopts a light comic tone it deals with topics relating to old age such as debt, bereavement, isolation, loneliness, health problems and holding on to emotional ties. Delving deeper the film challenges perceptions of race, status, and sexuality and for good measure there are
Indian cultural themes ranging from arranged marriages, the caste systems and obedience. Culture clashes abound especially in the scenes which show different perspectives of working in a call centre in India and the typical
British frustrations of trying to communicate with people working there.
The newly restored Marigold Hotel mirrors its guests in representing a shell of its former self. However, as attempts are made to restore the Hotel, the guests too face new challengenes to transform their lives forever and learn the value of letting go of the past and embracing new possibilities.
One of the delights of the film is the ensemble cast featuring some of the cream of British acting talent.
Judi Dench’s distinguished acting career on stage, film and television has produced many awards, honours and accolades. In film terms she won an
Academy Award for Shakespeare in Love (1998) and has also been nominated for Oscars in Mrs Brown (1997), Chocolat (2000), Iris (2001), Mrs Henderson
Presents (2005) and Notes on a Scandal (2006). Other notable film performances have included Four in the Morning (1965), A Room with a
View (1985) and A Handful of Dust (1988). Also, for a generation of Bond fans she has played M in the films since GoldenEye (1995).
Maggie Smith is another distinguished British actress of stage and film.
She has won two Academy Awards for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
(1969) and California Suite (1978) and has been nominated for Oscars in
Othello (1965), Travels with My Aunt (1972), A Room with a View (1985), and Gosford Park (2001). Other notable films include A Private Function
(1984), The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne (1987) and Tea with Mussolini
(1999). However, for a younger audience she is probably best associated with her role as Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter films.
Bill Nighy is best associated with comedy performances picking up the
Peter Sellers Award for Comedy for Still Crazy (1998)and Love Actually
(2003) where he also won a BAFTA. Since then his film roles have included The Constant Gardener (2005), two Pirates of the Caribbean films
– Dead Man's Chest (2006) and At World's End (2007), Notes on a Scandal
(2006) and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010).
Penelope Wilton is recognised through her television work, most notably her role as Ann Brycein the TV sitcom Ever Decreasing Circles. Her film credits have included The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981), Cry Freedom
(1987), Iris (2001) and Calendar Girls (2003).
Tom Wilkinson came to worldwide prominence for his role in The Full
Monty (1997). When Hollywood came knocking he obliged by turning in an Oscar winning performance for In the Bedroom (2001) followed by a nomination for Michael Clayton (2007).
Celia Imrie is best known for her many TV roles such as those in two
Victoria Woods’ TV comedies – Philippa Moorcroft in Dinnerladies and
Miss Babs in Acorn Antiques. Her film credits include many British box office hits such as Calendar Girls (2003), two Bridget Jones's films (2001 and 2004), Wimbledon (2004), Nanny McFee (2005) and the two recent St
Trinians films (2007 and 2009).
Ronald Pickup is an accomplished stage actor and character actor with a long list of TV credits starting in 1964 with an appearance on Doctor Who.
Of note was his role playing opposite Judi Dench in in the 1989 Channel 4 serial Behaving Badly. His film credits have included roles in The Day of the
Jackal (1973), Zulu Dawn (1979), The Mission (1986) and Lolita (1997).
Dev Patel’s high profile introduction to film acting came when he landed the lead role in the multi-award winning Slumdog Millionaire (2008) which earned him a BAFTA nomination. Before that he gained recognition on TV in E4’s groundbreaking youth drama Skins (2007-2008).
Tena Desae is a Bollywood actress and model. Her first movie role was in the Hindi thriller Yeh Faasley (2011).
John Madden is an English film, TV and theatre director whose film work includes Mrs Brown (1997), Shakespeare in Love (1998), which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Director, Captain Corelli’s Mandolin (2001),
Proof (2005) and The Debt (2011).