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When we talk about streaming culture, we’re usually enthusing about what’s new, but one of the best things about streaming is how it’s made old and obscure cult hits available to a new generation. Presenting Cult Corner: your weekly look into hidden gems and long-lost curiosities that you can find on streaming.

Today, both Colin Firth and Rupert Everett are international stars who have contributed iconic roles to film and television. You could even say that they’re both ambassadors for two specific types of British culture. But in 1984, they were just two up-and-coming British theater actors making their feature film debuts in a little film called Another Country.

Another Country was an adaptation of a play that took London by storm in the early 1980s. The story takes place at a posh British public school in the 1930s and follows the trials of a young gay student named Guy Bennett (who was based on a real-life British double agent named Guy Burgess). Guy wants nothing more than to be a prefect at the school, but his homosexuality is a serious hindrance. Not only was being gay taboo (and illegal) in the 1930s, but the school is rocked by a scandal. Another student was caught in a gay act and then hung himself. Adding to the drama is the fact that Guy’s best friend, Tommy Judd, is a Marxist who hates the British class system.

The 1984 adaptation follows the play rather closely which makes it an undeniably ground-breaking film for the time. Homophobia, suicide, and Marxism are perennially controversial topics, and the film handles them with empathy and grace. However, the real reason why you probably want to watch Another Country has nothing to do with its artistry or intrepid spirit. You want to leer at a young Colin Firth.

And chances are you also want to ogle Rupert Everett in his prime.

And, oh yeah, Cary Elwes played the object of Guy’s affection. Remember how pretty Cary Elwes was?

Let’s take a moment and talk about all these famous actors and how young (and gorgeous) they were in 1984. You get an unmistakable thrill watching these future stars in their earliest days. They are full of energy and promise. They have no idea that they are going to become some of the greatest and most important actors of their generation. There’s all this raw talent and nubile male beauty. It’s kind of intoxicating to watch them.

Even as a play, Another Country was giving audiences a sneak peek at the bright future of British acting. The original 1981 production starred Everett as Guy, and when it transferred to a bigger theater, a young actor named Kenneth Branagh stepped into the role of Tommy. After Everett left the play, Daniel Day-Lewis took over the lead part, and when he left, Colin Firth was tapped to play Guy. So, it was kind of a hot ticket.

When the time came to make the film adaptation, Mitchell brought Everett back to reprise the role of Guy and shunted Firth into the role of Tommy. This was the start of a long-standing feud between the actors. Sure, they’ve worked together since then, but they have an infamous rivalry. Everett once told the press that Firth was “a ghastly guitar-playing redbrick socialist who was going to give his first half-million away to charity.” Firth response? ‘‘I think he was probably terribly threatened because I was an awful lot better than him.” Ouch.

But Another Country is where it all started. It’s where their careers began, their rift originated, and it even provides a preview for the type of work they’d become known for in later life. Today, Everett is a gay icon both on and off screen, and Firth is best-known for playing aristocratic gentlemen with a subversive twist. You can see the roots of those public personas on full display in Another Country. It’s an interesting and classy watch that’s worth checking out on its own merits, but yes, Colin Firth is devastatingly handsome in this movie. [Watch Another Country on Shout! Factory TV]

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