My Zinc Bed is a 2008

2008 in film

This is a list of all major films made in 2008.-Highest-grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2008...

 TV Drama directed by Anthony Page

Anthony Page

Anthony Page is a British stage- and film director.-Filmography:*Male of the Species 3-episode TV special that featured Sir Laurence Olivier, Paul Scofield, Sean Connery and Michael Caine. The Scofield episode, Emlyn, won an Emmy Award...

 and based on the stage play of the same name

My Zinc Bed (play)

My Zinc Bed is a play by the British playwright David Hare. It premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in 2000 and its three characters were played in that production by Tom Wilkinson, Julia Ormond and Steven Mackintosh, with Hare himself directing. It was adapted into a television film in...

 by David Hare

David Hare (dramatist)

Sir David Hare is an English playwright and theatre and film director.-Early life:Hare was born in St Leonards-on-Sea, Hastings, East Sussex, the son of Agnes and Clifford Hare, a sailor. He was educated at Lancing, an independent school in West Sussex, and at Jesus College, Cambridge...

. It was commissioned by the BBC

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

 and produced in association with HBO Films

HBO Films

HBO Films is a division of the cable television network HBO that produces feature films and miniseries. While much of HBO Films' output is created directly for the television market, such as the film Witness Protection and the mini-series Band of Brothers, Pacific, Generation Kill and Angels in...

.

The one-off drama follows Alcoholics Anonymous

Alcoholics Anonymous

Alcoholics Anonymous is an international mutual aid movement which says its "primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety." Now claiming more than 2 million members, AA was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith in Akron, Ohio...

 member Paul Peplow (Paddy Considine

Paddy Considine

Patrick George "Paddy" Considine is an English actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, musician and frequent collaborator with Shane Meadows. Best known to audiences for his portrayals of dark, troubled, morally or mentally ambiguous characters...

) who is sent to interview wealthy businessman Victor Quinn (Jonathan Pryce

Jonathan Pryce

Jonathan Pryce, CBE is a Welsh stage and film actor and singer. After studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and meeting his longtime partner English actress Kate Fahy in 1974, he began his career as a stage actor in the 1970s...

). Victor's obsession with addiction soon makes sense when Paul meets Victor's beautiful wife Elsa (Uma Thurman

Uma Thurman

Uma Karuna Thurman is an American actress and model. She has performed in leading roles in a variety of films, ranging from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action movies. Among her best-known roles are those in the Quentin Tarantino films Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill...

) – who reveals that she herself is a recovering alcoholic.

Locations

The film is shot in many locations across London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, including the now-standard "crossing the Thames" introductory shot backdropped by St. Paul's Cathedral and the 30 St Mary Axe

30 St Mary Axe

30 St Mary Axe, the Swiss Re Building , is a skyscraper in London's main financial district, the City of London, completed in December 2003 and opened at the end of May 2004...

 Swiss Re

Swiss Re

Swiss Reinsurance Company Ltd , generally known as Swiss Re, is a Swiss reinsurance company. It is the world’s second-largest reinsurer, after having acquired GE Insurance Solutions. The company has its headquarters in Zurich...

 office building (commonly referred to as "The Gherkin"). The Quinn's new residence is shown to be in the locale of the real Regent's Park

Regent's Park

Regent's Park is one of the Royal Parks of London. It is in the north-western part of central London, partly in the City of Westminster and partly in the London Borough of Camden...

.

Reception

The drama was well-received by some critics, mostly overcoming the distraction of its high-powered cast. It was both commended and criticized for its retention of its stage-play roots.

The drama was seen by around 1 million viewers, considered poor ratings, especially given Thurman's involvement.