History Literature / AnotherTimeAnotherPlace

A 1983 novel by Jessie Kesson set on the Black Isle in the north of Scotland in 1944, which was later adapted into a film by Michael Radford as well as a [[Creator/TheBBC BBC]] Radio 4 Classic Serial. Janie is a lonely young woman who spends her days eking out a living by doing odd jobs around her village and working with her much older and deathly dull husband on their farm. Things start to change when three Italian prisoners, Luigi, Paolo and Umberto, from the local POW camp are billeted on the farm and Janie becomes fascinated with the glimpse of a different life that they represent.

A 1983 novel by Jessie Kesson set on the Black Isle in the north of Scotland in 1944, which was later adapted into a film by Michael Radford as well [[Creator/TheBBC BBC]] Radio 4 Classic Serial. Janie is a lonely young woman who spends her days eking out a living by doing odd jobs around her village and working with her much older and deathly dull husband on their farm. Things start to change when three Italian prisoners, Luigi, Paolo and Umberto, from the local POW camp are billeted on the farm and Janie becomes fascinated with the glimpse of a different life that they represent.

* LetsHaveACeilidh: One at the start of the film, hosted in a barn.

* YourCheatingHeart: Janie [[spoiler:initially]] rejects Luigi's inept advances, [[spoiler:but gives in eventually and they start an affair. Her husband doesn't seem to notice the extent of their relationship.]]

* HairDecorations: Janie almost always sports kirby grips or a clasp to keep her hair out of her face. She even wears them in her awkward naked daydream.

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* LackOfEmpathy: Dougal's problem seems to be that he doesn't understand his wife at all: not her frustration with her work, her anger at his disregard for her welfare or her dreams for any sort of life beyond the farm. He gets huffy with her for paying more attention to the POWs than to him, [[{{Hypocrite}} whilst never having paid anything other than the bare minimum of attention to her.]] Robert in the radio play, on the other hand, seems to have been too [[TheStoic stiff]] and/or [[ShrinkingViolet shy]] to even attempt to date anyone, making finding someone who might actually have wanted to marry him impossible. Unlike Dougal, he's properly angry that Janie doesn't show any interest in him, again whilst simultaneously being completely indifferent to her.

** The lack of names turns out to be significant in the book. At the very end, Janie goes back to the bothy and sees that the POWs have left her a present with a card addressed to "Dina" since none of them ever knew her real name.

* TheScrooge: Dougal is always looking for "something to put by", and has no qualms about working his wife into the ground to get it. She tells him as much to his face in the film and he doesn't even try to deny it. He doesn't even seem to be saving for anything in particular, not even a rainy day. He shoots down Janie's suggestions that they use any of their newly disposable income from the POWs to buy anything that isn't absolutely essential.

* [[NotWearingPantsDream "Not Wearing Pants"]] [[ScottishEnglish Dwam]]: Janie worries about Luigi blabbing to the other [=POWs=] about [[spoiler:having slept with her]] ([[ParanoiaFuel made worse by the fact that she can't understand what they're saying]]) and ends up having a weird, anxiety-fuelled daydream where she imagines herself naked with all the prisoners leering at her.

* YourCheatingHeart: Janie [[spoiler:initially]] rejects Luigi's inept advances, [[spoiler:but gives in eventually and they start an affair. Her husband doesn't seem to notice the extent of their relationship.]]

* AdaptationPersonalityChange: The character who loses her man in the war was originally known as Elspeth. She and her boyfriend Callum were probably about Janie's age and were going to marry and emigrate to Canada once the war was over had he not been killed. In the book and the radio play, she listens to Janie's concerns about not fitting in or having any children. She tells that it's best not to think about it and Janie on her way, wondering about the village's undoubtedly harsh reaction if she had fallen pregnant before Callum left for Italy. In the film, she's much closer to Kirsty and Meg's age, and her husband is called Donald (he still gets killed in action). At the end of the film, Janie stops by her house to ask her about some work-related matter and [[TryingNotToCry ends up bursting into tears]], after which Jess rather reluctantly invites her in. What both characters do have in common is that they are both the closest thing Janie has to a [[OnlyFriend friend]].

* DownerEnding: By the end of the film, [[spoiler:Luigi's in jail, Janie's even more miserable than before, Else is traumatised and the unknown rapist apparently gets off scot-free.]] The novel and the radio play it a bit more [[BittersweetEnding

* MarriedToTheJob: Dougal is clearly married to his farm, with Janie forever coming a distant second despite doing

* AdaptationPersonalityChange / AdaptedOut: The character who loses her man in the war was originally known as Elspeth. She and her boyfriend Callum were probably about Janie's age and were going to marry and emigrate to Canada once the war was over had he not been killed. In the book and the radio play, she listens to Janie's concerns about not fitting in or having any children. She tells that it's best not to think about it and Janie on her way, wondering about the village's undoubtedly harsh reaction if she had fallen pregnant before Callum left for Italy. In the film, she's much closer to Kirsty and Meg's age, and her husband is called Donald (he still gets killed in action). At the end of the film, Janie stops by her house to ask her about some work-related matter and [[TryingNotToCry ends up bursting into tears]], after which Jess rather reluctantly invites her in. What both characters do have in common is that they are both the closest thing Janie has to a [[OnlyFriend friend]].

* DownerEnding: [[spoiler:Luigi's in jail, Janie's even more miserable than before, Else is traumatised and the unknown rapist apparently gets off scot-free.]]

* RomanticFalseLead: It's downplayed in the film, but in the book and the radio play, it's quite clear that Janie is initially interested in Paolo, if for no other reason than that he's good-looking. At first it seems that he and [[spoiler:Luigi]] are otherwise evenly matched but, as time goes by, they show their true colours - [[spoiler:Luigi dogs work and pressures Janie for sex whilst also pursuing Else whenever he gets the chance. Paolo, on the other hand, labours in the fields without complaint, remains cheerfully optimistic about the fate of missing wife back in Rome and spends his spare time making toys for the local kids. Janie eventually ends up starting a very brief affair with Luigi, who seems to have worn her down after a fair few months of nagging.]]

* TheScrooge: Dougal is always looking for "something to put by", and has no qualms about working his wife into the ground to get it. She tells him as much to his face and doesn't even try to deny it. He doesn't seem to be saving for anything in particular, not even a rainy day. He shoots down Janie's suggestions that they use any of their newly disposable income from the POWs to buy anything that isn't absolutely essential.

* TryingNotToCry: Janie as she tries to act like everything's fine and ask Jess about doing some work for the farm steward. She doesn't succeed.

A 1983 novel by Jessie Kesson set on the Black Isle in the north of Scotland in 1944, which was later adapted into a film by Michael Radford as well [[Creator/TheBBC BBC]] Radio 4 Classic Serial. Janie is a lonely young woman who spends her days eking out a living by doing odd jobs around her village and working with her much older and deathly dull husband, Dougal, on their farm. Things start to change when three Italian prisoners, Luigi, Paolo and Umberto, from the local POW camp are billeted on the farm and Janie becomes fascinated with the glimpse of a different life that they represent.

* ChivalrousPervert: Luigi's kind of a sleaze, but he does take Janie's [[spoiler:initial]] rejections gracefully.

* [[NotWearingPantsDream "Not Wearing Pants"]] [[ScottishEnglish Dwalm]]: Janie worries about Luigi blabbing to the other [=POWs=] about [[spoiler:having slept with her]] ([[ParanoiaFuel made worse by the fact that she can't understand what they're saying]]) and ends up having a weird, anxiety-fuelled daydream where she imagines herself naked with all the prisoners leering at her.

* SceneryPorn: The movie definitely makes the most of its setting.

A 1983 novel by Jessie Kesson set on the Black Isle in the north of Scotland in 1944, which was later adapted into a film by Michael Radford as well Creator/BBC Radio 4 Classic Serial. Janie is a lonely young woman who spends her days eking out a living by doing odd jobs around her village and working with her much older and deathly dull husband, Dougal, on their farm. Things start to change when three Italian prisoners, Luigi, Paolo and Umberto, from the local POW camp are billeted on the farm and Janie becomes fascinated with the glimpse of a different life that they represent.