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IMDb > The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981)
The French Lieutenant's Woman
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The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981) More at IMDbPro »

Videos (see all 3)
The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981) -- A film is being made of a story, set in 19th century England, about Charles, a biologist who's engaged to be married...
The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981) -- Sinematurk - Trailer (Flash)

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Overview

User Rating:
6.8/10   4,253 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 1% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
John Fowles (novel)
Harold Pinter (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for The French Lieutenant's Woman on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
August 1981 (UK) more
Genre:
Tagline:
She was lost from the moment she saw him.
Plot:
A film is being made of a story, set in 19th century England, about Charles, a biologist who's engaged to be married... more | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 9 wins & 12 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(15 articles)
Their Best Role: Meryl Streep
 (From Cinematical. 18 November 2009, 9:02 AM, PST)

Director Kenny Ortega Bails on 'Footloose' Remake
 (From Cinematical. 26 October 2009, 8:32 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
Complex yet Stunning more (42 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Meryl Streep ... Sarah / Anna

Jeremy Irons ... Charles Henry Smithson / Mike
Hilton McRae ... Sam
Emily Morgan ... Mary
Charlotte Mitchell ... Mrs. Tranter
Lynsey Baxter ... Ernestina
Jean Faulds ... Cook
Peter Vaughan ... Mr. Freeman
Colin Jeavons ... Vicar
Liz Smith ... Mrs. Fairley
Patience Collier ... Mrs. Poulteney
John Barrett ... Dairyman
Leo McKern ... Dr. Grogan
Arabella Weir ... Girl on undercliff
Ben Forster ... Boy on undercliff
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Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:
124 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Iceland:12 | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Singapore:M18 | Australia:M | Argentina:16 | Finland:S | Norway:16 | Sweden:11 | UK:12 (video re-rating) (2001) | UK:15 (video rating) (1986) | UK:AA (original rating) | USA:R (certificate #26244) | West Germany:12
Company:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
An attempt to adapt the novel was made in the 1970's, to star Vanessa Redgrave, but a satisfactory script couldn't be written, and funding was a problem. more
Goofs:
Continuity: Early in the film when Charles takes a horse-drawn carriage to visit Ernestine the horse changes between shots (confirmed by the number of "stocking" feet it has). more
Quotes:
[describing how she became the French Lieutenant's mistress]
Sarah: Soon he no longer bothered to hide the nature of his intensions towards me. Nor could I pretend surprise. My innocence was false from the moment I chose to stay. I could tell you that he overpowered me, he drugged me. But it was not so... I gave myself to him.
more
Movie Connections:

FAQ

See Jeremy Irons discuss this film
more
40 out of 47 people found the following comment useful.
Complex yet Stunning, 24 January 2002
9/10
Author: Jen_UK from England

I came to the film adaptation of 'The French Lieutnant's Woman' with initial trepidation. As anyone who has read the John Fowles novel will appreciate, this is one text for which adaptation would not be a walk in the park.

How unfounded my uncertainty was! The director, writer and actors did a fantastic job in adapting a complex novel to the screen. The film works impeccably as a metaphor for what the novel was trying to achieve, which is all we should expect from film adaptations.

Stand out features include:

The actors are perfect. I can't say anything new about Meryl Streep, who I believe to be the finest actress ever to have graced the cinema screen. Here (as ever) she is perfect - if you didn't know she was American you would believe she is English, the accent is so accurate. She embodies the character of Sarah perfectly with a multi layered performance, managing to convey Sarah's dignity, her independence and her complex mystery. My only criticism (if you can call it that) is that she is too beautiful! According to the novel, Sarah is "not beautiful by any period's standards", but with her porcelain complexion and delicate features, Meryl Streep is stunning. As Charles, Jeremy Irons gives a commanding performance, managing to convey the character's genteel veneer and the inner passion that lurks beneath. Both actors are excellent, and the chemistry between the leads is tangible.

A "Story within a story". The way in which Harold Pinter weaves the Fowles tale with the lives of Anna and Mike - the actresses who are playing the Victorian lovers, is inspired. The manner in which the film flits from Victorian age to modern day, is the filmic way of conveying Fowles's tendency in the novel to judge his Victorian characters and their era by Twentieth Century standards. Some critics have found this device jarring - I find it clever and affecting.

Overall, 'The French Lieutenant's Woman' is a beautiful, haunting tale of repressed love and social hypocrisy. Right from the opening shot, where we see the image of Sarah on the Cobb looking out to sea, the viewer is grabbed and drawn into this complex world. The actors are faultless, the screenplay ingenious and the cinematography and score, haunting. If you normally find yourself disappointed by novel adaptations, look no further than 'The French Lieutenant's Woman' to show you that when a work is adapted properly, the results can be stunning.

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Still Great After All These Years ecogar
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Can anyone explain to me Sam's motives? finnegansword
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