The Good Soldier (1981 film)

The Good Soldier is a 1981 British television drama film directed by Kevin Billington, starring Robin Ellis, Vickery Turner, Jeremy Brett and Susan Fleetwood. It tells the story of two couples that fall apart due to lies and infidelity. The film is based on the 1915 novel of the same name by Ford Madox Ford. It was produced by Granada Television.

Synopsis
John and Florence Dowells, and the aristocratically English Edward and Leonora Ashburnham, met regularly and pleasantly in a small German spa town for nine years. Then, with shocking suddenness, the even, stable and civilized pattern of their lives are broken under the impact of a series of brutal events and dramatic revelations.

Cast

 * Robin Ellis as John Dowell
 * Vickery Turner as Florence Dowell
 * Jeremy Brett as Edward Ashburnham
 * Susan Fleetwood as Leonora Ashburnham
 * Elizabeth Garvie as Nancy Rufford
 * Pauline Moran as Maisie Maidan
 * John Ratzenberger as Jimmy
 * Geoffrey Chater as Bagshawe
 * John Grillo as Herr Schontz
 * Roger Hammond as Grand Duke

Release
The Good Soldier premiered on British television in 1981. It was broadcast on the American network PBS in 1983 as an episode of the series Masterpiece Theatre.

Reception
In a contemporary review, the New York Times wrote the series was "adapted beautifully" and "it has been transposed to the television screen splendidly... This is a powerfully intelligent and insightful work." In a 2015 review of the book, Kevin T. Di Camillo called the adaptation "pretty forgettable".