Monk Dawson
Encyclopedia
Monk Dawson is a film
that was released in 1998
, directed
and produced
by Tom Waller
and starring John Michie
, Benedict Taylor
, Rhona Mitra
and Paula Hamilton
. It was based on the novel of the same name
written by Piers Paul Read
.
The film is about Eddie Dawson, a monk
who has led a sheltered existence at a Benedictine
monastery
, but when he is expelled from his order he has to learn to deal with the harsh realities of everyday life, including falling in love, and the betrayal of a friend.
Despite being well received by film critics, the lack of a well-known cast led to a short box office
run in the United Kingdom
, and a straight to video
release for the United States
market. The film was chosen as the closer for the Leeds International Film Festival
, and in 1999 it was also nominated for Best Film at the UK Creative Freedom Awards.
In the United States the film was released with the title 'Passion of the Priest' .
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
that was released in 1998
1998 in film
-Events:* February 14 - Sharon Stone marries Phil Bronstein.* Former child star Gary Coleman is charged with assaulting a young female bus driver at a California shopping mall.-Top grossing films:...
, directed
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and produced
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
by Tom Waller
Tom Waller
Tom Waller is a film director and producer.Waller studied at Ampleforth College, Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication, and the Northern Film School in Leeds, England. Immediately upon graduating he founded production company De Warrenne Pictures Ltd...
and starring John Michie
John Michie
John Michie is a Scottish television and film actor, best known for his role as DI Robbie Ross in the STV Scottish detective television series Taggart and for playing Karl Munro in Coronation Street.-Early life:...
, Benedict Taylor
Benedict Taylor
Benedict Sean Taylor is a British actor. His adoptive sister is Femi Taylor...
, Rhona Mitra
Rhona Mitra
Rhona Natasha Mitra , sometimes credited as Rona Mitra, is an English actress, model and singer.-Early life:Mitra was born in Paddington, London, England, the daughter of Anthony Mitra, a cosmetic surgeon, and Nora Downey...
and Paula Hamilton
Paula Hamilton
Paula Hamilton is an English model, best known for her appearance in the classic 1987 Mk II Volkswagen Golf TV advert "Changes"...
. It was based on the novel of the same name
Monk Dawson (novel)
Monk Dawson, is a novel by English author Piers Paul Read, published in 1969 by Secker and Warburg in the UK and in 1970 by Lippincott in the US, the year it won both the Somerset Maugham Award and Hawthornden Prize. It was adapted into a film of the same name in 1998...
written by Piers Paul Read
Piers Paul Read
Piers Paul Read, FRSL is a British novelist and non-fiction writer.-Background:Read was born in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire...
.
The film is about Eddie Dawson, a monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
who has led a sheltered existence at a Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
, but when he is expelled from his order he has to learn to deal with the harsh realities of everyday life, including falling in love, and the betrayal of a friend.
Despite being well received by film critics, the lack of a well-known cast led to a short box office
Box office
A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall or window, or at a wicket....
run in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and a straight to video
Video
Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.- History :...
release for the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
market. The film was chosen as the closer for the Leeds International Film Festival
Leeds International Film Festival
The Leeds International Film Festival is the largest film festival in England outside London. Held in November at various venues throughout Leeds, West Yorkshire it shows over 200 films from around the world, commercial and independent....
, and in 1999 it was also nominated for Best Film at the UK Creative Freedom Awards.
In the United States the film was released with the title 'Passion of the Priest' .