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Countess of Ranfurly war diaries optioned for film
LA-based production company Grandiosity Films has optioned the film rights to To War With Whitaker, the "celebrated diary" of Hermione Countess of Ranfurly.
To War With Whitaker was originally published in 1994 by William Heinemann and the film rights were acquired from Jonathan Sissons at Peters Fraser and Dunlop.
The book tells the story of Dan Ranfurly, who was dispatched to the Middle East with his faithful valet, Whitaker, when the Second World War broke out. To War With Whitaker is the diary of his young wife, Hermione, who, defying the War Office, raced off in hot pursuit of her husband. When Dan was taken prisoner, Hermione vowed never to return home until they were reunited. For six years, travelling alone from Cape Town to Palestine, and meeting such characters as Churchill, Eisenhower, and a parrot called Coco on the way, she kept her promise. As well as these adventures, Hermione worked for the special operations executive in Cairo, the high commissioner in Palestine and the supreme allied commander in the Mediterranean.
Douglas Lowell of Grandiosity Films said: “We’re thrilled to option Lady Ranfurly’s diary. It is such an extraordinary love story of romance, intrigue and adventure.”
Lady Caroline Simmonds, the Ranfurlys’ daughter, added: “We are so pleased that To War With Whitaker has been optioned."
