Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
    • Television
      • TV by Decade
        • TV – 1950s
        • TV – 1960s
        • TV – 1970s
        • TV – 1980s
        • TV – 1990s
      • Comedy
      • Drama
      • Kids TV
      • Variety
      • News & Sport
      • Advertisements
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • Music – 1950s
        • Music – 1960s
        • Music – 1970s
        • Music – 1980s
        • Music – 1990s
      • Artists – A to K
        • Artists – A
        • Artists – B
        • Artists – C
        • Artists – D
        • Artists – E
        • Artists – F
        • Artists – G
        • Artists – H
        • Artists – I
        • Artists – J
        • Artists – K
      • Artists – L to Z
        • Artists – L
        • Artists – M
        • Artists – N
        • Artists – O
        • Artists – P
        • Artists – Q
        • Artists – R
        • Artists – S
        • Artists – T
        • Artists – U
        • Artists – V
        • Artists – W
        • Artists – X
        • Artists – Y
        • Artists – Z
      • Artists – 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Playlists
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • Movies – 1950s
        • Movies – 1960s
        • Movies – 1970s
        • Movies – 1980s
        • Movies – 1990s
      • Movies – 0 to 9
      • Movies – A to K
        • Movies – A
        • Movies – B
        • Movies – C
        • Movies – D
        • Movies – E
        • Movies – F
        • Movies – G
        • Movies – H
        • Movies – I
        • Movies – J
        • Movies – K
      • Movies – L to Z
        • Movies – L
        • Movies – M
        • Movies – N
        • Movies – O
        • Movies – P
        • Movies – Q
        • Movies – R
        • Movies – S
        • Movies – T
        • Movies – U
        • Movies – V
        • Movies – W
        • Movies – X
        • Movies – Y
        • Movies – Z
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Movies»Movies by Decade»Movies - 1980s
    Movies - 1980s Movies - F 2 Mins Read

    French Lieutenant’s Woman, The (1981)

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    Lyme Regis, Dorset, 1867: Charles Smithson (Jeremy Irons), a Victorian gentleman recently engaged to the daughter of a wealthy businessman, is fascinated by the lonely figure of a woman at the end of the sea wall.

    Haunted by this image, he discovers that she is Sarah Woodruff (Meryl Streep), a governess abandoned by her French lover and spurned by the locals.

    They begin a passionate affair that dramatically alters their lives.

    A second story (told in parallel) follows the relationship between the two film actors portraying the Victorian couple. The historic tale is often interrupted by the antics of the modern duo, which seem prosaic by comparison.

    Director Karel Reisz and screenwriter Harold Pinter here successfully take on the near-impossible filming of John Fowles’s complex novel.

    Irons and Streep feature in the dual roles. Streep’s impressive technical skills are on display as she transforms herself, complete with English accent, into the raven-haired pre-Raphaelite beauty of the title, the governess in Victorian England stranded between geologist Jeremy Irons and the memory of her vanished French officer lover.

    It’s a stunning visual experience, meaning it’s great to watch though you may not care in the end what happens to any of the characters.

    frenchlieutenantswoman8Sarah Woodruff/Anna
    Meryl Streep
    Charles Smithson/Mike
    Jeremy Irons
    Sam
    Hilton McRae
    Dr Grogan
    Leo McKern
    Mary
    Emily Morgan
    Mrs Tranter
    Charlotte Mitchell
    Ernestina Freeman
    Lynsey Baxter
    Cook
    Jean Faulds
    Mr Freeman
    Peter Vaughan
    Vicar
    Colin Jeavons
    Mrs Fairley
    Liz Smith
    Mrs Poulteney
    Patience Collier
    Dairyman
    John Barrett

    Director
    Karel Reisz

    Video

    Related Posts

    • Big Chill, The (1983)
      Big Chill, The (1983)
      Much imitated but never bettered, The Big Chill brought together a…
    • Far From The Madding Crowd (1967)
      Far From The Madding Crowd (1967)
      An overlong and somewhat plodding screen treatment of Thomas Hardy's…
    • Sophie's Choice (1982)
      Sophie's Choice (1982)
      Meryl Streep confirmed her status as the Queen of Accents…
    • French Connection II, The (1975)
      French Connection II, The (1975)
      John Frankenheimer's sequel to The French Connection (1971) may be less…
    • Changeling, The (1980)
      Changeling, The (1980)
      When famous classical composer John Russell takes up residence in…
    • Tootsie (1982)
      Tootsie (1982)
      Tootsie was a brilliant comedy about sexual identity, as well as…
    • Mission, The (1986)
      Mission, The (1986)
      Spanish Jesuit Father Gabriel (Jeremy Irons) travels to the South…
    • Round Midnight (1986)
      Round Midnight (1986)
      French director Bernard Tavernier's jazz odyssey set in the 1950s…

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleFrances (1982)
    Next Article Friday the 13th, Part 5: A New Beginning (1985)

    Comments are closed.

    Follow us
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    You May Also Like
    • Bakersfield PD
      1 9 9 3 – 1 9 9 4 (USA) 17 x 30 minute episodes Detective […]
    • Hole in the Wall, The
      1 9 7 2 (UK) 7 x 25 minute episodes Young Stephen Kemp was taken […]
    • 7th Voyage of Sinbad, The (1958)
      The 7th Voyage of Sinbad brought the legendary sailor into […]
    • Jimmy Smith
      Jimmy Smith single-handedly took the lumbering electric organ […]
    • Suzi Quatro
      Suzi Quatro was born Susan Quatrocchio in Detroit on 3 June 1950 […]
    • Naked Gun 2½: The Smell Of Fear (1991)
      Billed on release as the latest film from the brother of the man […]
    Twitter Feed
    Please note


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    Popular Tags
    1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 Action Figures Amicus Arcade games Australia Beach movies Beatles Blaxploitation Board games Britpop Canada Crime Disney Doo-Wop Elvis Presley Girl groups Glam Goth Hammer Heavy Metal Irwin Allen Labels Merseybeat Mod revival Motown New Romantic New Wave NWOBHM Oi! One-hit wonders Power Pop Pub rock Punk Radio Scotland Ska Soul music Surf music
    Search Nostalgia Central
    Copyright © 1998, 2022 Nostalgia Central
    • About
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.