Pauline Collins died yesterday, aged 85. To us she was first the irrepressible and cheeky Sarah of Upstairs Downstairs and the long time wife of John Alderton. There was something lovably mischievous and defiant in those blue eyes.
Dickensian by Tony Jordan was one of her last roles in 2015.
In Quartet she joins a stalwart cast of acting royalty playing singers in the kind of retirement home that makes even the one in The Thursday Murder Club look cheap. In Ronald Harwood's thinly plotted film, she plays one of four... Yeah, never mind the plot. She holds herself up well and naturally against Maggie Smith, Billy Connolly and Tom Courtenay.
Perhaps for contractual reasons, Hoffman is unable to shoot anyone in close up.
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| Amazing tree, filmed at Hedsor House |
Well edited by Barney Pilling. Photographed by John de Borman.
Loved the Bette Davis line, ‘Getting old ain’t for sissies’.
Then the one she's most remembered for, at least in the news, for which she won the BAFTA.
9 November 2016:
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. Russell writes for / about women well. Originally a play (I guess somewhat oddly transposed to London), has some very funny lines and moments. Lewis Gilbert lived till 97.
I don't quite know why every DVD version is cropped to 4x3. Channel 5 managed to find a full screen print. Alan Hume shot it, Willy Russell also wrote the music. With Tom Conti, Alison Steadman, Bernard Hill. Should mention Gillian Kearney as the young Shirley (Sylvia Syms is the headmistress).
8 September 2020.
Willy Russell also wrote the music, though Marvin Hamlisch wrote Patti Austin's title song (lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman), Stravinsky's 'Firebird' gets a look in, and there's some rather lovely (but out of place) flamenco (uncredited) and a dash of Greek music besides.
Like the rather open-ended ending.
In a public statement, John said she would always be remembered for Shirley Valentine, "not only for her Oscar nomination or the film itself, but for clean-sweeping all seven awards when she portrayed her on Broadway in the stage play, in which she played every character herself".
Pauline lost the Oscar to Jessica Tandy (Driving Miss Daisy).
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