The Queen of Sheba's Pearls (2004)

Director:

Colin Nutley

Writer:

Colin Nutley (writer)

Release Date:

25 December 2004 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Set in post-war England, a mysterious woman arrives at the Prettys' rural family home on the eve of young Jack's 16th birthday...

Awards:

3 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Helena Bergström	...	Nancy Ackerman / Emily Bradley
Lorcan Cranitch	...	Harold Bradley
Lindsay Duncan	...	Audrey Pretty
Tim Dutton	...	Father Talbot
Rolf Lassgård	...	Deafy
Natasha Little	...	Peggy Pretty
Elizabeth Spriggs	...	Laura Pretty
Peter Vaughan	...	Edward Pretty
Rollo Weeks	...	Jack Bradley
Eileen Atkins	...	School matron
Marc Pickering	...	Dinger Bell
Simon Day	...	Rektorn
Bohdan Poraj	...	Teacher
John Joe Regan	...	Geoffrey Thicket
James Hawkins	...	Jack Bradley (young)

Runtime:

Sweden:131 min | Czech Republic:123 min (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival) | Argentina:123 min

Country:

Sweden | UK

Language:

English | Swedish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Devon, England, UK

Company:

AKA Pictures

Very engaging; enough complexity to leave you mindful that cinema doesn't have to "tie up all loose ends"

With some hesitation ('Please, not another Brit time-warp experience!') and having recently attended Ladies in Lavendar, with its near-similar historical time-frame, related West-country locale and understated realism of rural mid-20C buttoned-up Britishness - this film could have flopped for this movie buff. (There was a 'foreign' stranger in that movie also!) It didn't. I was quickly alerted at the start with the vertigo-inducing camera pans, setting the cross-nation premise. Apart from the almost-too-real gloominess of mid-century interiors I loved this movie. Fortunately we got outdoors enough to let the sunlight in.

Billed as a comedy-drama, the funny bits were often subtle, sometimes laugh-out-loud, usually juxtaposed skilfully against parallel action. There was enough darkness and complexity throughout that a viewer knew some surreal touches would endure. Cheesiness was not going to rule. Terrific writing, including great cameos of English boyhood-girlhood; wonderfully acted by a stellar cast; brilliant slice-of-history realism and a leading lady who is remarkably reminiscent of the late great Ingrid Bergman...identical smile and eyes, and that same voice! TQOSP kept me musing and reflecting for some hours after. Strongly recommended.