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Providence (1977)

 -  Drama  -  9 February 1977 (France)
7.7
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Ratings: 7.7/10 from 1,458 users  
Reviews: 21 user | 13 critic

Clive Langham (Sir John Gielgud) spends one tormenting night in his bed suffering from health problems and thinking up a story based on his relatives. He is a bitter man and he shows, ... See full summary »

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Title: Providence (1977)

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Cast

Complete credited cast:
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Cyril Luckham ...
Doctor Mark Eddington
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Dave Woodford (as Dennis Lawson)
...
Miss Boon
Milo Sperber ...
Mr. Jenner
Anna Wing ...
Karen
Peter Arne ...
Nils
Tanya Lopert ...
Miss Lister
Joseph Pittoors ...
An Old Man
Samson Fainsilber ...
The Old Man
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Storyline

Clive Langham (Sir John Gielgud) spends one tormenting night in his bed suffering from health problems and thinking up a story based on his relatives. He is a bitter man and he shows, through flashbacks, how spiteful, conniving and treacherous his family is. But is this how they really are or is it his own vindictive slant on things? Written by Archie Moore <ar.moore@student.qut.edu.au>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Genres:

Drama

Certificate:

R | See all certifications »
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Details

Country:

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Release Date:

9 February 1977 (France)  »

Also Known As:

Gondviselés  »

Filming Locations:

 »

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

(Eastmancolor)
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Did You Know?

Trivia

First cinema film of Denis Lawson. See more »

Quotes

Clive Langham: Don't you think to have only one bastard after sixty years of action is almost tantamount to self denial?
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Connections

Featured in Zomergasten: Episode #7.4 (1994) See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

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User Reviews

A hilarious trip
10 April 2003 | by (Zurich, Switzerland) – See all my reviews

This is one of the strangest movies I know. French intellectual aesthete meets contemporary British playwright - this should be the title of Providence. When two completely different cultures meet for a common project, the risk of failure is enormous. But in this case something interestingly and uniquely hilarious was created. Providence is a feverish dream that was successfully created for the screen.

The dream sequences of an old, dying writer, played by John Gielgud are absurd in a very British way. John Gielguds's upper class "king's English" voice-over adds effectively to its strangeness. As usual in contemporary British plays, sex and bowel movements are of the utmost importance . no, the script as a whole is neither very original nor particularly funny. I liked the incongruous, illogical situations though. Every now and then, in the most impossible situations, a strange, sickly looking football player (he seems to have fallen off Monty Python's Flying Circus) jogs limply past.

Director Alain Resnais is responsible for the dreamscapes, and they make Providence worth watching. Real settings are artfully distorted into haunting, surreal spatial sequences. Foreground and background, light and darkness, different textures and beautiful color arrangements are expertly arranged into a world of its own that is never too far from reality. One is sometimes reminded of Magritte's surrealistic paintings. Strange sounds add to the almost psychedelic effect the dream scenes have.

The acting is remarkable, especially Dirk Bogarde as the writer's slick, cynical «dream son» gives an outstanding performance.


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