The Governess (1998)

When the father of privileged Rosina da Silva violently dies, she decides to pass herself off as a gentile and finds employment with a family in faraway Scotland. Soon she and the family ... See full summary »

Director:

Sandra Goldbacher

Writer:

Sandra Goldbacher

Stars:

Minnie Driver, Tom Wilkinson, Harriet Walter

3 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Minnie Driver	...	Rosina da Silva
Tom Wilkinson	...	Mr. Charles Cavendish
Harriet Walter	...	Mrs. Cavendish
Florence Hoath	...	Clementina Cavendish
Bruce Myers	...	Rosina's Father
Jonathan Rhys Meyers	...	Henry Cavendish
Arlene Cockburn	...	Lily Milk, the Maid
Emma Bird	...	Rebecca
Adam Levy	...	Benjamin
Countess Koulinskyi	...	Aunt Sofka (as The Countess Koulinskyi)
Diana Brooks	...	Rosina's Mother
Raymond Brody	...	Litnoff
Cyril Shaps	...	Doctor
Kendal Cramer	...	Young Rosina
Ralph Riach	...	Mr. Hewlett

Storyline

When the father of privileged Rosina da Silva violently dies, she decides to pass herself off as a gentile and finds employment with a family in faraway Scotland. Soon she and the family father, Charles, start a passionate secret affair.

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Plot Keywords:

scotland | gentile | crucifix | oxford university | hard boiled egg | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexuality and nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Pictures Classics

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 July 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

A nevelőnő

Filming Locations:

Brodick Castle, Brodick, Arran, North Ayrshire, Scotland, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$57,799 (USA) (31 July 1998)

Gross:

$3,719,492 (USA) (8 January 1999)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arts Council of England, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), British Screen Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

When Mr. Cavendish takes the first photo of Miss Blackchurch, the camera is pointing toward the floor and not where Mr. Cavendish is looking.

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Quotes

Henry Cavendish: I stink. I shall bathe in scent for you.
Mary Blackchurch: Don't do it for me. Do it for yourself.

User Reviews

The driver peeks out, trying to find one face in this concrete world full of souls.

I quite enjoyed this movie. Sure, my mind wandered a lot because the story is hardly gripping. I'm also positive I won't remember much about it next week, except that Minnie Driver's talent and beauty is stunning. STUNNING. I did also feel that the leading man was poorly cast. He did not seem to me a person that a young, vibrant woman would fall for. I'm sure the script called for a older man, but age wasn't the problem. He just didn't seem to fit in with Minnie Driver. Nonetheless, the whole movie was excellently shot and wonderfully acted and extremely high quality, but conversely it's regrettably forgettable. (That's a nice phrase, no?)