Small Wonder: 45 Years

Charleston, Firle, near Lewes, Saturday, September 26

IT isn’t often that a writer actually praises the director who turned his story into a film.

Many writers are in despair when they see the big screen version of their novel or short story and wonder why they were not invited to write the screenplay.

Not so BBC National Short Story Award and the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award winner David Constantine. His short story In Another Country has been adapted into the award winning motion picture 45 Years, starring Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtney.

And he loves it!

David didn’t even object to the fact that the story was updated, that the husband and wife were younger and the setting was moved from Wales to Norfolk.

And he particularly liked director Andrew Haigh’s decision to build the film around a party celebrating the couple’s 45th wedding anniversary. None of which appears in his story.

“I’ve seen the film twice now,” says David.

“Despite the changes I am really impressed that Andrew kept in so many key elements.”

For David the important thing was that Haigh maintained the spirit and pathos of the original and none more clearly than in the final heart-wrenching moments of the film when the camera is on Charlotte Rampling who, without speaking a word, says it all.

His story appeared in his first collection, Under The Dam, published by Comma Press in 2004.

Unknown to him, Andrew Haigh read the story and said he wanted to make a film of it, although it was a decade before he was able to achieve that ambition.

But once the two stars were on board, money for the production became a certainty.

David will be discussing the film with a guest, whose identity is being kept a closely guarded secret by Charleston.

His new novel, The Life Writer, is published later this month.

Carole Buchan

Starts 8pm, tickets £10/9. Call 01273 709709.