Shirley Valentine (film)
Encyclopedia
Shirley Valentine is a 1989 British/American romantic
comedy-drama film
directed by Lewis Gilbert
. The screenplay by Willy Russell is based on his 1986 one-character play of the same title
.
) is a 42 year old Liverpudlian
housewife whose family pays her so little attention she frequently talks to her kitchen walls in order to keep a conversation going. When her flamboyant friend Jane (Alison Steadman
) wins a trip for two to Greece
, Shirley uncharacteristically puts herself first and accepts her invitation to join her. Upon their arrival in Mykonos
, Jane promptly abandons her companion for a romance with a man she met on the plane before it even took off. When the plane lands, Shirley sets off on her own, with Jane promising to return that night. Jane doesn't surface for several days, but Shirley is fine on her own, exploring the island. Eventually she is "rescued" by her fellow Brits Jeanette and Dougie (Anna Keaveney
and George Costigan
) at lunch one day. During lunch, another British couple begins to disparage Greece as being too Greek. Shirley can't stand more than a few insults before she blasts them all, letting them know that the Greeks are responsible for many modern accomplishments that they take for granted.
After dinner (at which she divulged what calamari is), she goes off alone and happens upon a taverna
. She then asks the owner to help her fulfill a dream she's had: drinking wine by the sea. The owner, Costas Dimitriades (Tom Conti
), willingly helps her by moving a small table and chair next to the sea. After realizing that the grass is indeed greener, Shirley is worse off than before. Costas comes by and offers to walk her back to her room. Once there, he invites her out to his brother's boat the next day. When she balks, he promises not to try to seduce her. Convinced that he only wants to cheer her up, she agrees. The next morning, as Shirley is preparing to meet Costas, Jane returns to the room, begging for forgiveness and not giving Shirley a word in edgewise. As Jane goes to change for their day together, Costas shows up and Shirley leaves with him, with Jane trailing behind in disbelief. Shirley then pawns Jane off on the uptight Brits as payback for leaving her alone. Shirley and Costas go out on the boat. Shirley goes skinny-dpping, revealing to the camera that she doesn't want Costas to keep his promise from the day before. After she kisses him, he doesn't.
Once Jane hears about what has happened, she believes that Shirley has fallen in love with Costas. However, Shirley reveals to the camera that she's fallen in love with the idea of living. Shirley spends more time with Costas, yet she is despondent about having to leave soon. Once the time comes, Shirley gets as far as the airport before turning back. Once back at the taverna, she finds Costas handing the same line to another tourist as he did with her. However, Shirley isn't upset because she didn't return for him; she wants a job. Once Jane arrives at the airport back in Britain, she drops Shirley's suitcase without a word to Joe, who is carrying an armful of flowers. He is shocked and embarrassed at being left and calls Shirley any time he can, from a variety of places. He becomes more and more desperate the longer she is away, as she becomes more content with her new life. Finally their son tells Joe to go and get her instead of insisting she come back. Hurt by his son's words, Joe sets off for Greece.
Shirley, having received a telegram about Joe's impending arrival, prepares for it. Costas is afraid of a confrontation with Joe, and begs off with a fake excuse. Once Joe arrives at the taverna, he walks by Shirley, not recognising her. She calls him by name and when he turns around, sees, as Shirley puts it, "not the wife or the mother, but Shirley Valentine". After gathering himself, she pours him a glass of wine and invites him to sit with her at the table and chairs by the sea.
in Middlesex
, Oxford Circus
, Bloomsbury
, and St. Pancras Station in London
, and on the island of Mykonos
in Greece
.
The film's theme song, "The Girl Who Used to Be Me," was written by Marvin Hamlisch
, Alan Bergman
, and Marilyn Bergman
and performed by Patti Austin
.
observed, "By adding all the characters and settings that Shirley only talks about on stage, the film reveals the weakness of Mr. Russell's script as surely as if a magician's clumsy assistant had pointed a finger at a secret trapdoor. Ms. Collins brings as much energy and warmth to the role as ever, but on screen the strength of her performance is shattered by being chopped into tiny, disconnected bits."
Roger Ebert
of the Chicago Sun-Times
rated the film one star, calling it "a realistic drama of appalling banality." He added, "There were moments during the movie when I cringed at the manipulative dialogue as the heroine recited warmed-over philosophy and inane one-liners when she should have been allowed to speak for herself . . . Many of the sentiments in this film seem recycled directly from greeting cards . . . If there is a shred of plausibility in the film, it comes from Bernard Hill's performance as Shirley Valentine's husband. He isn't a bad bloke, just a tired and indifferent one, and when he follows his wife to Greece at the end of the film there are a few moments so truthful that they show up the artifice of the rest."
Jow Brown of the Washington Post called the film "an uncommonly warm, relaxed little movie . . . without a cloying artificially-sweetened aftertaste." He continued, "The story's a bit of romantic whimsy, but it affords a great many comfortable and comforting laughs, and may even serve as a wake-up call for some."
Variety
called the film "uneven but generally delightful" and Pauline Collins "irresistible."
Radio Times
rated the film four out of five stars and added, "Lewis Gilbert manages to retain the best of Willy Russell's theatrical devices . . . while opening out the action to embrace a big-screen atmosphere. The supporting cast, particularly Bernard Hill as Collins's Neanderthal husband, is equally convincing, with only the hammy Conti (glistening teeth and appalling accent) striking a momentary false note."
Romance film
Romance films are love stories that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate involvement of the main characters and the journey that their love takes through courtship or marriage. Romance films make the love story or the search for love the main plot focus...
comedy-drama film
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
directed by Lewis Gilbert
Lewis Gilbert
Lewis Gilbert CBE is an English film director, producer and screenwriter.-Early life:He was the son of music hall performers, and spent his early years travelling with his parents, and watching the shows from the side of the stage. He first performed on-stage at the age of 5, when asked to drive a...
. The screenplay by Willy Russell is based on his 1986 one-character play of the same title
Shirley Valentine
Shirley Valentine is a one-character play by Willy Russell. Taking the form of a monologue by a middle-aged, working class Liverpool housewife, it focuses on her life before and after a transforming holiday abroad.-Plot:...
.
Plot
Shirley Valentine-Bradshaw (Pauline CollinsPauline Collins
Pauline Collins, OBE is an English actress of the stage, television, and film. She first came to prominence portraying Sarah Moffat in Upstairs, Downstairs and its spin-off Thomas & Sarah during the 1970s. She later drew acclaim for playing the title role in the play Shirley Valentine for which...
) is a 42 year old Liverpudlian
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
housewife whose family pays her so little attention she frequently talks to her kitchen walls in order to keep a conversation going. When her flamboyant friend Jane (Alison Steadman
Alison Steadman
Alison Steadman OBE is an English actress. She established her career with roles such as Beverley in Abigail's Party and Candice Marie in Nuts in May for the director Mike Leigh, to whom she was once married. In addition to her stage and radio work, she has had lead roles in The Singing Detective,...
) wins a trip for two to Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, Shirley uncharacteristically puts herself first and accepts her invitation to join her. Upon their arrival in Mykonos
Mykonos
Mykonos is a Greek island, part of the Cyclades, lying between Tinos, Syros, Paros and Naxos. The island spans an area of and rises to an elevation of at its highest point. There are 9,320 inhabitants most of whom live in the largest town, Mykonos, which lies on the west coast. The town is also...
, Jane promptly abandons her companion for a romance with a man she met on the plane before it even took off. When the plane lands, Shirley sets off on her own, with Jane promising to return that night. Jane doesn't surface for several days, but Shirley is fine on her own, exploring the island. Eventually she is "rescued" by her fellow Brits Jeanette and Dougie (Anna Keaveney
Anna Keaveney
Anna Keaveney was an English actress best known for her role as Marie Jackson in the Channel 4 soap opera Brookside....
and George Costigan
George Costigan
-Early life:Costigan was born in Portsmouth and grew up in Irlams o' th' Height and Weaste in Salford. He attended St. Augustine's C of E Primary School on Bolton Road in Pendlebury, then Wardley Grammar School on Mardale Avenue in Wardley near Swinton.-Career:...
) at lunch one day. During lunch, another British couple begins to disparage Greece as being too Greek. Shirley can't stand more than a few insults before she blasts them all, letting them know that the Greeks are responsible for many modern accomplishments that they take for granted.
After dinner (at which she divulged what calamari is), she goes off alone and happens upon a taverna
Taverna
Taverna refers to a small restaurant serving Greek cuisine, not to be confused with "tavern". The Greek word is ταβέρνα and is originally derived from the Latin word taberna...
. She then asks the owner to help her fulfill a dream she's had: drinking wine by the sea. The owner, Costas Dimitriades (Tom Conti
Tom Conti
Thomas "Tom" Conti is a Scottish actor, theatre director and novelist.-Early life:Born Thomas Conti in Paisley, Renfrewshire, he was brought up Roman Catholic, but he considers himself anti-religious...
), willingly helps her by moving a small table and chair next to the sea. After realizing that the grass is indeed greener, Shirley is worse off than before. Costas comes by and offers to walk her back to her room. Once there, he invites her out to his brother's boat the next day. When she balks, he promises not to try to seduce her. Convinced that he only wants to cheer her up, she agrees. The next morning, as Shirley is preparing to meet Costas, Jane returns to the room, begging for forgiveness and not giving Shirley a word in edgewise. As Jane goes to change for their day together, Costas shows up and Shirley leaves with him, with Jane trailing behind in disbelief. Shirley then pawns Jane off on the uptight Brits as payback for leaving her alone. Shirley and Costas go out on the boat. Shirley goes skinny-dpping, revealing to the camera that she doesn't want Costas to keep his promise from the day before. After she kisses him, he doesn't.
Once Jane hears about what has happened, she believes that Shirley has fallen in love with Costas. However, Shirley reveals to the camera that she's fallen in love with the idea of living. Shirley spends more time with Costas, yet she is despondent about having to leave soon. Once the time comes, Shirley gets as far as the airport before turning back. Once back at the taverna, she finds Costas handing the same line to another tourist as he did with her. However, Shirley isn't upset because she didn't return for him; she wants a job. Once Jane arrives at the airport back in Britain, she drops Shirley's suitcase without a word to Joe, who is carrying an armful of flowers. He is shocked and embarrassed at being left and calls Shirley any time he can, from a variety of places. He becomes more and more desperate the longer she is away, as she becomes more content with her new life. Finally their son tells Joe to go and get her instead of insisting she come back. Hurt by his son's words, Joe sets off for Greece.
Shirley, having received a telegram about Joe's impending arrival, prepares for it. Costas is afraid of a confrontation with Joe, and begs off with a fake excuse. Once Joe arrives at the taverna, he walks by Shirley, not recognising her. She calls him by name and when he turns around, sees, as Shirley puts it, "not the wife or the mother, but Shirley Valentine". After gathering himself, she pours him a glass of wine and invites him to sit with her at the table and chairs by the sea.
Cast
- Pauline CollinsPauline CollinsPauline Collins, OBE is an English actress of the stage, television, and film. She first came to prominence portraying Sarah Moffat in Upstairs, Downstairs and its spin-off Thomas & Sarah during the 1970s. She later drew acclaim for playing the title role in the play Shirley Valentine for which...
(Gillian KearneyGillian KearneyGillian Louise Kearney is an English actress best known for playing Jessica Harrison in the long-running BBC television medical drama series Casualty, and her early role as Debbie McGrath in Channel 4's Liverpool-based soap opera Brookside and the spin-off mini-series Damon and Debbie.-Early...
, young) as Shirley Valentine-Bradshaw - Tom ContiTom ContiThomas "Tom" Conti is a Scottish actor, theatre director and novelist.-Early life:Born Thomas Conti in Paisley, Renfrewshire, he was brought up Roman Catholic, but he considers himself anti-religious...
as Costas Dimitriades - Alison SteadmanAlison SteadmanAlison Steadman OBE is an English actress. She established her career with roles such as Beverley in Abigail's Party and Candice Marie in Nuts in May for the director Mike Leigh, to whom she was once married. In addition to her stage and radio work, she has had lead roles in The Singing Detective,...
as Jane - Julia McKenzieJulia McKenzieJulia McKenzie is an English actress, singer, and theatre director. She is best-known for her performance in Fresh Fields, but to current television audiences, she is best known for her role as Miss Marple in Agatha Christie's Marple...
as Gillian - Joanna LumleyJoanna LumleyJoanna Lamond Lumley, OBE, FRGS is a British actress, voice-over artist, former-model and author, best known for her roles in British television series Absolutely Fabulous portraying Edina Monsoon's best friend, Patsy Stone, as well as parts in The New Avengers, Sapphire & Steel, and Sensitive...
as Marjorie - Anna KeaveneyAnna KeaveneyAnna Keaveney was an English actress best known for her role as Marie Jackson in the Channel 4 soap opera Brookside....
as Jeanette - George CostiganGeorge Costigan-Early life:Costigan was born in Portsmouth and grew up in Irlams o' th' Height and Weaste in Salford. He attended St. Augustine's C of E Primary School on Bolton Road in Pendlebury, then Wardley Grammar School on Mardale Avenue in Wardley near Swinton.-Career:...
as Dougie - Bernard HillBernard HillBernard Hill is a British actor of film, stage and television. In a career spanning thirty years, he is best known for playing Yosser Hughes, the troubled 'hard man' whose life is falling apart in Alan Bleasdale's groundbreaking 1980s TV drama, Boys from the Blackstuff...
as Joe Bradshaw - Sylvia SymsSylvia SymsSylvia M. L. Syms OBE is a British actress. She is probably best known for her roles in the films Woman in a Dressing Gown , Ice-Cold in Alex , No Trees in the Street , Victim and The Tamarind Seed...
as Headmistress
Production
The film was shot on location in Liverpool, TwickenhamTwickenham
Twickenham is a large suburban town southwest of central London. It is the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and one of the locally important district centres identified in the London Plan...
in Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
, Oxford Circus
Oxford Circus
Oxford Circus is the area of London at the busy intersection of Regent Street and Oxford Street, in the West End. It is served by Oxford Circus tube station, which is directly beneath the junction itself.- History :...
, Bloomsbury
Bloomsbury
-Places:* Bloomsbury is an area in central London.* Bloomsbury , related local government unit* Bloomsbury, New Jersey, New Jersey, USA* Bloomsbury , listed on the NRHP in Maryland...
, and St. Pancras Station in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and on the island of Mykonos
Mykonos
Mykonos is a Greek island, part of the Cyclades, lying between Tinos, Syros, Paros and Naxos. The island spans an area of and rises to an elevation of at its highest point. There are 9,320 inhabitants most of whom live in the largest town, Mykonos, which lies on the west coast. The town is also...
in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
.
The film's theme song, "The Girl Who Used to Be Me," was written by Marvin Hamlisch
Marvin Hamlisch
Marvin Frederick Hamlisch is an American composer. He is one of only thirteen people to have been awarded Emmys, Grammys, Oscars, and a Tony . He is also one of only two people to EGOT and also win a Pulitzer Prize...
, Alan Bergman
Alan Bergman
Alan Bergman is an American lyricist and songwriter.-Life & career:Born in Brooklyn, New York, he studied at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UCLA. His involvement in the entertainment industry began in the early 1950s as a director of children's television shows...
, and Marilyn Bergman
Marilyn Bergman
Marilyn Bergman is a composer, songwriter and author.She was born Marilyn Keith in Brooklyn, New York and studied psychology and English at New York University...
and performed by Patti Austin
Patti Austin
-Life and career:Austin was born in Harlem, New York. She made her debut at the Apollo Theater at age four and had a contract with RCA Records when she was only five. Quincy Jones and Dinah Washington have proclaimed themselves as her godparents....
.
Critical reception
Caryn James of The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
observed, "By adding all the characters and settings that Shirley only talks about on stage, the film reveals the weakness of Mr. Russell's script as surely as if a magician's clumsy assistant had pointed a finger at a secret trapdoor. Ms. Collins brings as much energy and warmth to the role as ever, but on screen the strength of her performance is shattered by being chopped into tiny, disconnected bits."
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
of the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
rated the film one star, calling it "a realistic drama of appalling banality." He added, "There were moments during the movie when I cringed at the manipulative dialogue as the heroine recited warmed-over philosophy and inane one-liners when she should have been allowed to speak for herself . . . Many of the sentiments in this film seem recycled directly from greeting cards . . . If there is a shred of plausibility in the film, it comes from Bernard Hill's performance as Shirley Valentine's husband. He isn't a bad bloke, just a tired and indifferent one, and when he follows his wife to Greece at the end of the film there are a few moments so truthful that they show up the artifice of the rest."
Jow Brown of the Washington Post called the film "an uncommonly warm, relaxed little movie . . . without a cloying artificially-sweetened aftertaste." He continued, "The story's a bit of romantic whimsy, but it affords a great many comfortable and comforting laughs, and may even serve as a wake-up call for some."
Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
called the film "uneven but generally delightful" and Pauline Collins "irresistible."
Radio Times
Radio Times
Radio Times is a UK weekly television and radio programme listings magazine, owned by the BBC. It has been published since 1923 by BBC Magazines, which also provides an on-line listings service under the same title...
rated the film four out of five stars and added, "Lewis Gilbert manages to retain the best of Willy Russell's theatrical devices . . . while opening out the action to embrace a big-screen atmosphere. The supporting cast, particularly Bernard Hill as Collins's Neanderthal husband, is equally convincing, with only the hammy Conti (glistening teeth and appalling accent) striking a momentary false note."
Awards and nominations
- Academy Award for Best ActressAcademy Award for Best ActressPerformance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...
(Pauline Collins, nominee) - Academy Award for Best Original SongAcademy Award for Best Original SongThe Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . It is presented to the songwriters who have composed the best original song written specifically for a film...
(nominee) - BAFTA Award for Best FilmBAFTA Award for Best FilmThis page lists the winners and nominees for the BAFTA Award for Best Film, BAFTA Award for Best Film not in the English Language and Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film for each year, in addition to the retired earlier versions of those awards...
(nominee) - BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading RoleBAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading RoleBest Actress in a Leading Role is a British Academy Film award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts to recognise an actress who has delivered an outstanding leading performance in a film.- Winners and nominees :...
(Pauline Collins, winner) - BAFTA Award for Best Adapted ScreenplayBAFTA Award for Best Adapted ScreenplayThe British Academy of Film and Television Arts Award for Best Adapted Screenplay has been presented to its winners since 1968:-1980s:1983: Heat and Dust – Ruth Prawer Jhabvala*Betrayal – Harold Pinter...
(nominee) - Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy (nominee)
- Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (Pauline Collins, nominee)
- Golden Globe Award for Best Original SongGolden Globe Award for Best Original SongGolden Globe Award for Best Original Song was awarded for the first time in 1962 and has been awarded annually since 1965 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.-1960s:...
(nominee) - British Comedy Award for Top Comedy Film (winner)
- Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Actress (Pauline Collins, winner)
- Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (winner)
- Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual MediaGrammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual MediaThe Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media has been awarded since 1988 and is awarded to songs written for films, television, video games or other visual media...
(nominee)