The Go-Between (1971) – the role of twelve-year-old Leo in delivering secret love letters

Description

Twelve-year-old Leo Colton spends the summer at the country house of his wealthy school friend’s family in Great Britain around the year 1900. When his friend Marcus falls ill, Leo becomes captivated by Marcus's older sister Marian, who begins to take care of him. Marian is very beautiful, and Leo quickly starts to admire her. In order to help her, he agrees to deliver letters that Marian writes to her secret lover Ted Burgess. Leo becomes the go-between for Marian and Ted, delivering their love letters. However, soon his role is revealed, and Marian's mother learns about this secret connection. Such romantic relationships were unacceptable in high society at the time, so Leo faces not only moral but also social challenges that shatter his summer idyll and childhood world. In this drama and romance genre piece, director Joseph Losey conveys the complex social relationships and forbidden love. The film stars Julie Christie as Lady Marian Trimingham, Alan Bates as Ted Burgess, and Dominic Guard as young Leo Colton. The story reveals the role of a young boy as a courier of secret feelings between representatives of different social classes.