Mrs. Lowry and Son (2019)

A portrait of the artist L.S. Lowry and the relationship with his mother, who tries to dissuade him from pursuing his passion.

Director:

Adrian Noble

Writer:

Martyn Hesford

Stars:

Vanessa Redgrave, Timothy Spall, Wendy Morgan

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Vanessa Redgrave	...	Elizabeth Lowry
Timothy Spall	...	L S Lowry
Wendy Morgan	...	Mrs. Stanhope
Stephen Lord	...	Mr. Stanhope
David Schaal	...	Stanley Allcot
Joanne Pearce	...	Vera Allcot
Michael Keogh	...	Mr. Lowry
Ania Marson	...	Bearded Woman
Rose Noble	...	Young Elizabeth
Katie Marie-Carter	...	Telephone Box Lady (as Katie Marie Carter)
Jon Furlong	...	Drunk Man
Giselle Cullinane	...	Bucket Woman
Amanda Higson	...	Woman at Window
Alex Thornton	...	Young Urchin Boy
Jennifer Banks	...	Old Woman

Storyline

A portrait of the artist L.S. Lowry and the relationship with his mother, who tries to dissuade him from pursuing his passion.

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Plot Keywords:

artist | painter | manchester | mother | bedridden mother | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Timothy Spall had previously spent two years studying and learning to paint, in preparation for his role as J.M.W. Turner in Mike Leigh's 2014 biopic, Mr Turner.

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Goofs

L S Lowry is shown as having exhibited Going to Work in 1934. In reality, he didn't paint it until 1943.

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Quotes

Elizabeth Lowry: [reading from a newspaper] "An ugly painting. The painting by Mr L.S. Lowry - Coming From The Mill - is confusing and appears to have been painted by a child. The figures if we may call them figures are nothing but smudges. Ridiculous marionettes suspended in a squalid industrial scene. If this is Mr Lowry's vision of the Lancashire landscape and its people, I feel very sorry for him. It is a most unsatisfactory picture and an insult to the people of Lancashire."

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Connections

Referenced in Granada Reports: 27 August 2019: Evening Bulletin (2019)

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Soundtracks

Introduction
Taken from "Coppelia Ballet, Part 1"
Performed by Wiener Symphoniker (as Viennese Symphony Orchestra)
Written by Léo Delibes and arranged by Émile Tavan
Public Domain
Transferred from original shellacs Piccadilly No. 110
Courtesy of Eyehear Ltd

User Reviews

Acting (and painting) masterclass

As the title indicates, this is very much a film about Lowry's mother Elizabeth, a chronically ill malingerer, housebound and demanding. She despises almost every one of his early canvases, but when she warms to a picture of ships in the local canal and gives him two shillings to submit it to an exhibition in Manchester, she opens the door to his future glory. A showdown at home is the dramatic climax of this essentially domestic and un-dramatic narrative.

Timothy Spall and Vanessa Redgrave give performances which we have seen in other films, subtly shaded to fit this restrained and evocative story. Adrian Noble has directed a slow-burning movie with few "fireworks", but it offers an acting (and painting) master-class.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 November 2019 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mrs. Lowry and Son

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,905,981

Company Credits

Production Co:

Genesius Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1