Wednesday 9 November 2016

Shirley Valentine (1989 Lewis Gilbert)

I like the surprises in Willy Russell's screenplay - that Joanna Lumley is a hooker, that uptight neighbour Julia McKenzie gives her a dress she's never dared to wear, that Shirley doesn't fall for the Greek but for the place. It's a truly lovely performance from Pauline Collins and one that when she looks straight at the audience is quite provocative, though the scene where Lumley says goodbye and hugs her is also beautiful.

Originally a play, has some very funny lines and moments. Lewis Gilbert is 96.

I don't quite know why our DVD version is cropped to 4x3. Alan Hume shot it, Willy Russell also wrote the music. With Tom Conti, Alison Steadman, Bernard Hill, Sylvia Syms.

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