Cold Comfort Farm (film)

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Cold Comfort Farm
Cold Comfort Farm film.jpg
US theatrical release poster
Directed by John Schlesinger
Produced by Alison Gilby
Richard Broke
Screenplay by Malcolm Bradbury
Based on Cold Comfort Farm 
by Stella Gibbons
Starring Kate Beckinsale
Joanna Lumley
Ian McKellen
Rufus Sewell
Music by Robert Lockhart
Cinematography Chris Seager
Editing by Mark Day
Studio Thames Television
Distributed by BBC (UK)
Gramercy Pictures (US)
Release dates
  • 1 January 1995 (1995-01-01) (United Kingdom TV)
  • 10 May 1996 (1996-05-10) (United States theatrical)
Running time 95 minutes
Country United Kingdom
Language English
Box office $5,682,429[1]



Flora Poste (Kate Beckinsale), an orphan in the 1920s, moves to the country with her rustic and colloquial relatives, the Starkadders. The Starkadders live in a run-down farm off the beaten track in Sussex. Flora resolves to fix their situation.

After the death of her estranged parents, Flora, an aspiring writer, decides the only way for her to live whilst researching her writing is to stay with relatives. However her city based relatives show no interest, so she sends letters to her country relatives, there are a few responses but most are unsuitable, but one is intriguing. She decides to go and stay with these relatives, the scene is complicated but Flora soon realises that she can resolve the situation once she has assessed and solved each character's problems. Whilst she is doing so, she is pursued by a most unsuitable suitor, a most obnoxious character, who she would do well to avoid. In the process of her endeavours the multitude of the complexities of the farm expose themselves and Flora excels at resolving all the issues.

All the while it seems that things are impossible, but all is resolved in the end.



Cold Comfort Farm received generally positive reviews; it currently holds an 84% 'fresh' rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[2] During its theatrical release in North America, the film grossed $5,682,429.[1]


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