Rent The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne (1987)
3.6 of 5 from 63 ratings
1h 52min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- Set in Dublin in the early 1950's, Judith Hearne (Dame Maggie Smith) is a middle aged Irish spinster earning a living by giving piano lessons. Her landlady s brother (Bob Hoskins), a broken down former New York City hotel doorman, returns from America and begins to court Judith. As their friendship develops Judith slowly suspects that he's more interested in the money he mistakenly thinks she has.
- Actors:
- Maggie Smith, Bob Hoskins, Wendy Hiller, Marie Kean, Ian McNeice, Alan Devlin, Rudi Davies, Prunella Scales, Aine Ni Mhuiri, Sheila Reid, Niall Buggy, Kate Binchy, Martina Stanley, Veronica Quilligan, Frank Egerton, Leonard Maguire, Kevin Flood, Catherine Cusack, Peter Gilmore, James Holland
- Directors:
- Jack Clayton
- Producers:
- Richard Johnson, Peter Nelson
- Writers:
- Brian Moore, Peter Nelson
- Studio:
- Anchor Bay
- Genres:
- Drama, Romance
- Collections:
- Award Winners, BAFTA Nominations Competition 2023, Films & TV by topic, People of the Pictures, Remembering Maggie Smith, The Beatles in Film, Three Ps of Perfection
- Awards:
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 24/06/2019
- Run Time:
- 116 minutes
- Languages:
- English LPCM Mono
- Subtitles:
- English Hard of Hearing
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 1.75:1
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- Judith Heame Remembered (2019, 27 mins): documentary featuring interviews with actors Maggie Smith, Ian McNeice and Rudi Davies
- Selected scenes commentary with Neil Sinyard, author of British Film Makers: Jack Clayton (33 mins)
- Original trailer
- Image gallery: promotional and publicity material New and improved
- World premiere on Blu-ray
More like The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne
Reviews (1) of The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne
Single Room - The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne review by Steve
Quality tearjerker set in 1950s Dublin about a middle aged spinster (Maggie Smith) who devoted her youth to the care of a curmudgeonly aunt (Wendy Hillier). In middle age she finds herself chronically unloved, which she palliates with whiskey while drifting from one cold, impersonal guest house to another...
Until she loses her faith and identifies the Catholic Church as the main driver in her inconspicuous tragedy. This adaptation of Brian Moore's novel is foremost a medium for Smith's heartbreaking performance as the solitary woman who spent a lifetime putting her faith in god but finds she got so little in return.
Surely Dame Maggie would have been a global star but for the collapse of the UK film industry in her peak years. Bob Hoskins is well cast in support as an Irish American suitor who assumes the solitary introvert has some money set aside that he might exploit... Plus there's some Chopin and a sorrowful string score...
But this isn't heritage cinema; there is a touch of grotesque realism in the candid photography and the wilful cruelty inflicted on the lonely heart. Credit to Jack Clayton who- in the UK at least- only directed classics and channelled so many all time great performances by legendary female actors.
0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.