 It was screened at the 1968 Cannes Film Festival on the 11th, just before the festival was called off due to the events of May 1968 in France.The film made great play of its Manchester setting, contrasting the return of its eponymous lead character, played by Finney, to his home city after achieving success as a writer in London.During his return, he visits his former wife, played by Whitelaw, in Derbyshire, and watches a Manchester United match at Old Trafford (featuring footage of Bobby Charlton and Denis Law) with his son.