Firelight (1997)

In 1838, lovely governess Elisabeth agrees to bear a child of anonymous English landowner, and he will in return pay her father's debt. At birth she, as agreed, gives up the child. Seven ... See full summary »

Director:

William Nicholson

Writer:

William Nicholson

Stars:

Sophie Marceau, Stephen Dillane, Dominique Belcourt

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sophie Marceau	...	Elisabeth Laurier
Stephen Dillane	...	Charles Godwin
Dominique Belcourt	...	Louisa Godwin
Kevin Anderson	...	John Taylor
Lia Williams	...	Constance
Joss Ackland	...	Lord Clare
Sally Dexter	...	Molly Holland
Emma Amos	...	Ellen
Maggie McCarthy	...	Mrs. Jago
Wolf Kahler	...	Sussman
Annabel Giles	...	Amy Godwin
John Flanagan	...	Robert Ames
Valerie Minifie	...	Hannah
Diana Payan	...	Mrs. Maidment
John Hodgkinson	...	Carlo

Storyline

In 1838, lovely governess Elisabeth agrees to bear a child of anonymous English landowner, and he will in return pay her father's debt. At birth she, as agreed, gives up the child. Seven years later she is hired as governess to a girl on a remote Sussex estate. The father of the girl, Charles Godwin, turns out to be that anonymous landowner. So Elisabeth has to be her own daughter's governess, and she can't reveal the secret of her tie with little Louisa.

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Plot Keywords:

comatose woman | weeping | englishman | horse drawn carriage | kissing while having sex | 

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Taglines:

Passion has no limits

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Genres:

Romance | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexuality and brief strong language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Though he had been in the film industry as a scriptwriter for many years, this was William Nicholson's first directed film.

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Goofs

After seven years, despite evolving fashions, neither hero nor heroine have made any change in hairdo or style of clothes. Nor do they look a day older.

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Quotes

Charles Godwin: [Rushing to the school room upon hearing Louisa throwing a tantrum from being locked inside the school room finding the door locked] Open the door.
Louisa: Papa! Papa!
Charles Godwin: [Pounds on the door] Miss Laurier, open this door at once!
[Elisabeth opens the door and locks it behind her]
Charles Godwin: What do you think you're doing? Open the door!
Elisabeth: No, sir.
[Charles tries to get the key from behind Elisabeth's back]
Louisa: Please, Papa! Come here, please!
Charles Godwin: I will not have you treat my daughter like this.
Elisabeth: Would you have her grow up ignorant and ...
[...]

User Reviews

Truly exceptional movie

This film really made me search the net high and low to read more about it, and to see whether other people think the same. Here, I found out that many people think the same.

Searching the web, as I said, I also ran across the director's statement that I cite here:

Inspired by Nicholson's fascination with 1940s movie love stories, Firelight is a film that awakens the romantic spirit in each of us. For his film directorial debut, Nicholson wanted to create a boundless romantic story about lovers forced apart by outside forces. To do so, he had to set his story in another place and time. "To achieve that old-fashioned level of romance," the writer/director asserts, "I had to go back to a place and time when there were forces stronger than individual desires. Contemporary love stories are relationship stories because the obstacles that prevent people from loving each other are essentially self-induced. These kind of stories can be charming, but you can't build up an enormous head of steam with them. I wanted to create a story about how love can redeem people, about how it can totally change their lives. I wanted to create that tragic feeling you have when two people are perfect for each other, love each other, but yet cannot have one another." Nicholson set out to write a film in which the focus was on people and their emotions. As he worked on the screenplay, Nicholson developed a very clear and simple visual style for the film. "I wanted people's feelings to be the central issue of the film and I wanted nothing to distract from that. The idea of firelight became central to what the film is about. The story is about light, about winter, about coldness and empty rooms where the eye goes toward the one source of heat, the fire.

To conceive a good film is one thing, but to make it, is altogether different, sometimes very hard. Nicholson succeeded fantastically but praises must be given to all the cast as well, Sophie first.

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

4 September 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Firelight

Filming Locations:

Calvados, France

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$135,401, 7 September 1998

Gross USA:

$785,482

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$785,482

Company Credits

Production Co:

Carnival Film & Television, Hollywood Pictures, Wind Dancer Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1