The Deal (2003 film)

The Deal is a 2003 British television film directed by Stephen Frears from a script by Peter Morgan, based in part upon The Rivals by James Naughtie. The film stars David Morrissey as Gordon Brown and Michael Sheen as Tony Blair, and depicts the BlairBrown deala welldocumented pact that Blair and Brown made whereby Brown would not stand in the 1994 Labour leadership election, so that Blair could have a clear run at becoming leader of the party and Prime Minister. The film begins onJune 1983, as Blair and Brown are first elected to Parliament, and concludes in May 1994 at the Granita restaurantthe location of the supposed agreementwith a brief epilogue following the leadership contest.

In the prologue, opening in medias res, shows Gordon Brown David Morrissey taking a telephone call from Tony Blair Michael Sheen to arrange a meeting at the Granita restaurant in Islington.The narrative shifts to 1983 in the wake of the Falklands War, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her Conservative government enjoy huge public popularity as the general election approaches, while Labours radical election manifesto loses them key voters. Brown is elected as the new Member of Parliament for Dunfermline East. In London, he is shown to his office in the Houses of Parliament. John Smith Frank Kelly, a senior Labour MP, introduces Brown to Blair, his new officemate and the new MP for Sedgefield. Blair makes pleasantries with Brown and, though Brown is not initially impressed, the two become friends. Smith soon introduces the pair to Peter Mandelson Paul Rhys, Neil Kinnocks director of communications. Shortly afterwards, Kinnock appoints Blair to be an assistant Treasury spokesman. Brown turns down a promotion to the Scottish Office, hoping a better position will come along. He and Blair discuss their political futures and both agree that, of the two, Brown would make a better leader of the party. ........

Source: Wikipedia