Winter Solstice (2003)

Elfrida Phibbs (Sinéad Cusack) thought she was retiring from her London life to a "geriatric bolthole" in the country. She soon finds herself compassionately tending to her neighbor, Oscar ... See full summary »

Director:

Martyn Friend

Writers:

Rosamunde Pilcher (novel), William Corlett (screenplay)

Stars:

Jan Niklas, Geraldine Chaplin, Sinéad Cusack

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jan Niklas	...	Oscar Blundell
Geraldine Chaplin	...	Gloria Blundell
Sinéad Cusack	...	Elfrida Phibbs
Emilia Streets	...	Francesca 'Fran' Blundell (as Emma Streets)
Sophie Schütt	...	Carrie Marchmont
Ralf Bauer	...	Andreas Mendel
Peter Ustinov	...	Hughie McLellan (as Sir Peter Ustinov)
Jason Durr	...	Sam Howard
Jean Simmons	...	Countess Lucinda Rhives
Anna Maguire	...	Lucy Marchmont
Marsha Fitzalan	...	Didi Marchmont
John Bird	...	Barry
Maureen Lipman	...	Marcia
Gregory Finnegan	...	Giles
Alastair Bruce	...	Rory Kennedy

Storyline

Elfrida Phibbs (Sinéad Cusack) thought she was retiring from her London life to a "geriatric bolthole" in the country. She soon finds herself compassionately tending to her neighbor, Oscar (Jan Niklas), who has suffered a tragic loss. Together, they agree to depart to Scotland for the holidays, in order to avoid Christmas and the painful memories of what has been lost. They will simply skip Christmas. But Elfrida has a young relative desperate to get her own teenage niece, Lucy Marchmont (Anna Maguire), away from ugly family drama in London, and asks to join Elfrida in Scotland. Soon, Christmas of the heart creeps in, and this group of random people find a different kind of Christmas might be the best kind.

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Plot Keywords:

small town | pianist | loss of family | ex boyfriend | christmas | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Details

Country:

UK Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 December 2003 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Rosamunde Pilcher - Wintersonne

Company Credits

Production Co:

Clasart Film + TV Produktions GmbH, Own Two Feet Productions, Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF)

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was Jean Simmons' final television acting role before her death on January 22, 2010, at the age of eighty.

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Quotes

Lucy Marchmont: Why do they always treat me like a kid?
Rory Kennedy: Because you are one.
Lucy Marchmont: Oh, c'mon Rory.

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Connections

Followed by Summer Solstice (2005)

User Reviews

this film is nothing like the book

If you are a fan of Rosamunde Pilchers book The Winter Solstice then be warned that this film bares very little resemblance to it. The only things that the book and film have in common are the title and some of the characters. The book is a wonderful story about love in the winter of the main characters lives. The plot revolves around a group of tenuously linked unhappy people. They are cleverly brought together and trapped due to bad weather. Christmas is normally a time of dread for the characters but due to companionship they have the best Christmas ever. This film has changed the whole feeling of the book. The characters have changed their personalities which distorts the story that was the basis of the book. It would have been better if the writer of the film had just written this story and filmed it in its own right. My friends and family are big fans of this book and were looking forward to seeing this film. We were bitterly disappointed and in fact a friend actually wrote to the channel that played this film to complain! I think that Rosamund Pilcher needs a new agent because apparently the same desecration happened to the filming of Coming Home! I am just sorry that such a talented bunch of actors were involved in this film.