The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne (1987)

She falls in love with a broken down former NYC hotel doorman, who tells Judith vaguely that he was in the hotel business.

Director:

Jack Clayton

Writers:

Brian Moore (novel), Peter Nelson (screenplay)

Stars:

Maggie Smith, Bob Hoskins, Wendy Hiller

Won 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Maggie Smith	...	Judith Hearne
Bob Hoskins	...	James Madden
Wendy Hiller	...	Aunt D'Arcy
Marie Kean	...	Mrs. Rice
Ian McNeice	...	Bernard Rice
Alan Devlin	...	Father Quigley
Rudi Davies	...	Mary
Prunella Scales	...	Moira O'Neill
Aine Ni Mhuiri	...	Edie Marinan
Sheila Reid	...	Miss Friel
Niall Buggy	...	Mr. Lenehan
Kate Binchy	...	Sister Ignatius
Martina Stanley	...	Sister Mary-Paul
Veronica Quilligan	...	Mrs. Mullen
Frank Egerton	...	The Major

Storyline

A penniless middle-aged spinster scrapes by giving piano lessons in the Dublin of the 1950s. She makes a sad last bid for love with a fellow resident of her rundown boarding house, who imagines she has the money to bankroll the business he hopes to open.

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Plot Keywords:

love | hotel | money | 1950s | spinster | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

February 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Paixão Solitária de Judith Hearne

Filming Locations:

Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

Box Office

Gross:

$523,091 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

HandMade Films, United British Artists (UBA)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Last cinema feature of Marie Kean.

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Connections

References Samson and Delilah (1949)

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Soundtracks

"WHEN YOU'RE SMILING"
Mark Fisher - Joe Goodwin - Larry Shay
(c) 1928 B. Feldman & Co Ltd

User Reviews

Maggie Smith is just............................WOW!!!

I own this VHS, which I found on eBay for like $5.00... I had no idea what a treasure I was receiving. I was looking for it because I will watch anything with Maggie Smith in it, and also because she won the Best Actress British Academy Award for it.

Maggie is in the top 3 of my favorite actresses. You give her a good role and she will just knock your socks off. She has mastered comedy and drama in a way that I haven't quite seen before. She does not play the role of Judith in this film. She IS Judith Hearne in all her depressing, desperate, lonely, and passionate glory. I could've cried my eyes out at her devastation over the spilling of the whiskey....and that's all I'm giving away. She simply reaches through the screen, grabs your heart, and rips it out of your chest. There is NO WAY you can see this film and not feel SOMETHING. It is one of the best, if not THE BEST performance by a female actor recorded.....and I've seen a lot of films.

I have no idea how this was missed by the Oscars, with practically zero money-making films like "Monster", "Monster's Ball", "Vera Drake", and "Million Dollar Baby" being recognized for the performances and not the commercial success now-a-days. Maggie's performance CRUSHED the nominees that year and the winner (Cher for "Moonstruck")... Find this, buy it, or something. My GOSH if you love a great performance, you just have to see this film!! You won't be sorry.