I caught this movie tonight and was completely enchanted, due in no small part to the acting, which was strong and believable throughout. Vanessa Redgrave is always dependable, of course, but the supporting performances--particularly Nancy, Antonia, and the young Penelope--were outstanding. I saw the ending coming yet it didn't diminish my enjoyment of this film one bit--there was just no way Penelope's scheming, greedy children were going to get those sketches, as they were meant to serve a far more worthy and noble purpose. BRAVO PENELOPE! Very good movie that made me want to read the book on which it's based, which I will. By all means, watch The Shell Seekers if you can, and enjoy!
7 Reviews
Classic novel and a beautifully handled screenplay
cstaude-373-3527226 June 2022
"The Shellseekers" has it all! Aging protagonist played by Redgrave tells the story of the daughter of an artist who lives to find herself late in life with 3 children, two of which are mainly greedy brats. The third however brings a young girl in need of care to her mother and we learn the story of the past through their relationship.
It's slower paced, Masterpiece Theater style retelling, so it won't be everyone's cup of tea. Watch it for the scenery if nothing else. I enjoyed it for its gentleness and warm themes.
It's slower paced, Masterpiece Theater style retelling, so it won't be everyone's cup of tea. Watch it for the scenery if nothing else. I enjoyed it for its gentleness and warm themes.
Really good for the first 160 minutes.
lewis-5121 June 2023
This is a well-acted, well-directed, beautifully photographed three-hour drama.
The scenes that flashback to WWII, about 40 years earlier than the main action, are especially good. Maximilian Shell is very good as the artist father. Maisie Dimbleby, who plays Penelope around age 25, is a delight to watch. All of the action between 1940 and 1945 is believable, engaging, and heart wrenching. It's a pure delight. I was thinking, wow, this is going to rate a 9 or 10.
The problem is the characters and scenes from 1982. Both male love interests are weak characters. Cosmo, Olivia's boyfriend, conveniently drops away. Later, the character of Danus is poorly developed and rather stereotyped. The son, Noel, is one-dimensional. Daughter Nancy (at age 41) is not much better.
Sadly, the last twenty minutes made me drop my rating to 7. I would do 7.5 if I could.
Still, it's a good vehicle for Vanessa Redgrave, and an appealing story. I like the symbolism of the shell.
The scenes that flashback to WWII, about 40 years earlier than the main action, are especially good. Maximilian Shell is very good as the artist father. Maisie Dimbleby, who plays Penelope around age 25, is a delight to watch. All of the action between 1940 and 1945 is believable, engaging, and heart wrenching. It's a pure delight. I was thinking, wow, this is going to rate a 9 or 10.
The problem is the characters and scenes from 1982. Both male love interests are weak characters. Cosmo, Olivia's boyfriend, conveniently drops away. Later, the character of Danus is poorly developed and rather stereotyped. The son, Noel, is one-dimensional. Daughter Nancy (at age 41) is not much better.
Sadly, the last twenty minutes made me drop my rating to 7. I would do 7.5 if I could.
Still, it's a good vehicle for Vanessa Redgrave, and an appealing story. I like the symbolism of the shell.
Shell Seekers- Seek Out this Wonderful Film ****
edwagreen9 May 2008
Warning: Spoilers
I have to admit that as much as I dislike Vanessa Redgrave for her political views, she gave a wonderful performance in this film.
The story of a painter, whose paintings are worth a fortune and are desired by two greedy children, is an absolute artistic treasure.
Flashbacks are beautifully realized to show the unhappy life of the Redgrave character during World War 11. It depicts a war-bride marriage and a tragic love affair.
When the boyfriend of Redgrave's youngest daughter's b is killed in a boating accident, his daughter goes to live with Redgrave and the two develop an important bond.
The ending will forever tug at your heart and you will know that Redgrave did right in her will.
Max Schell appears briefly as young Redgrave's artist. He is great here and shows a completely American accent.
The story of a painter, whose paintings are worth a fortune and are desired by two greedy children, is an absolute artistic treasure.
Flashbacks are beautifully realized to show the unhappy life of the Redgrave character during World War 11. It depicts a war-bride marriage and a tragic love affair.
When the boyfriend of Redgrave's youngest daughter's b is killed in a boating accident, his daughter goes to live with Redgrave and the two develop an important bond.
The ending will forever tug at your heart and you will know that Redgrave did right in her will.
Max Schell appears briefly as young Redgrave's artist. He is great here and shows a completely American accent.
If you like Vanessa Redgrave watch this film.If you like acting, don't
jacksonfk21 January 2012
This film has a split personality. The scenes, which depict 1982, are so poor that I'm amazed that they didn't end up on the cutting room floor. Vanessa Redgrave gave her usual performance of Vanessa Redgrave. After watching this film I'm even more convinced than ever that if her family hadn't had been in the theater she would have never got a part in anything, and that includes her local am/dram productions. She swans around as if she's smoked a lot of cannabis in the 60's and she still hasn't completely come back to reality. She takes being languid to its extremities. The acting of Redgrave, and the majority of the cast, could only be described as "Ham" of the first order. The part of the film depicting the war years was totally different. It held my attention, it was well acted and believable, it turned a very poor production into something rather less painful.
It's still Rosamunde Pilcher
Horst_In_Translation26 September 2017
Warning: Spoilers
"The Shell Seekers" or "Die Muschelsucher" is a co-production between Germany and the UK from 2006, so this one is already over a decade old. IMDb says it's a German language project, but looking at the title and cast, I have doubts about that. Anway, it runs for slightly under 3 hours in total, but it may very well be possible that there are shorter versions out there and that they cut some stuff from the original to fit this project into a 20:15 television movie. The two big names here are of course Oscar winners Redgrave and Schell and I genuinely wonder how they got actors of that category to appear in a film based on cheesy schmaltz romance writer Rosamunde Pilcher's work. Oh well, maybe it has to do with the fact that this work was previously adapted into a well-received film in the past, one that starred Angela Lansbury in Redgrave's role. Oh yeah Sebastian Koch is in here too, but his screen time is so tiny that I certainly would not recommend his fans to sit through almost 180 minutes for that. Maybe check out video platforms for his scene. Schell is in it longer, but also not that much really that his fans need to see it. Those who maybe want to are the fans of the talented Vanessa Redgrave. She has decent screen time and material and is basically the only aspect that keeps this from becoming a garbage movie. But only she can do so much to slightly elevate the really weak script and make up for all the extremely forgettable British cast members in here. As always with Pilcher, there are such important subjects in here like money, greed, death, marriage and most of all love and also as always with Pilcher films these subjects are handled in ways that are horrifyingly bad. I cannot say if the writer is to blame or if the filmmakers are at fault, but I can say that this film here cannot even be saved by the stars that show up on the cast list. What were you thinking Nessa? It's a thumbs-down, don't watch. Way too long too, so if you find a shorter version, go for that one, but make sure it's not just the first half or so. Or skip it altogether, may be the wisest choice actually.
Poor Adaptation
pkl6628 March 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I know that an epic novel like the Shell Seekers needs to change somewhat to be a television mini series, but that shouldn't mean you drop major characters (Sophie?!?) and change major plot points (Cosmo?!?) or change character descriptions to the point of absurdity. I loved the book, but this was completely disappointing.
Penelope was a tall dark haired, dark eyed beauty. Antonia had golden hair. Nancy was fat and blond and was never put together. Could they not find actors to match Pilcher's beautiful descriptions? Or was this just a vehicle for Redgrave, so everything else had to fall in line?
Penelope was a tall dark haired, dark eyed beauty. Antonia had golden hair. Nancy was fat and blond and was never put together. Could they not find actors to match Pilcher's beautiful descriptions? Or was this just a vehicle for Redgrave, so everything else had to fall in line?
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
