ABSTRACT
Leo Colston, a middle-aged Englishman, played by Michael Redgrave, returns to a Norfolk country estate, recalling the events of a summer, when he was barely in his teens. Young Leo (Dominic Guard) keenly observes the intrigues among the adults in the household, most of whom seem oblivious to his presence, except for Marian Maudsley (Julie Christie), the fiancée of a supercilious aristocrat, on whom she cheats with the farm hand Ted Burgess (Alan Bates). Leo is infatuated with both, and they, aware of his burning curiosity, enlist the boy as their go-between, with tragic consequences. As the story unfolds we come to understand why Leo has never married, and just what psychological damage the illicit passion, the secrecy, a child’s trust and the adults’ casual use of that trust has inflicted on Leo’s life.
