| Shirley Valentine | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Lewis Gilbert |
| Screenplay by | Willy Russell |
| Based on | Shirley Valentine (play) by Willy Russell |
| Produced by | Lewis Gilbert |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Alan Hume |
| Edited by | Lesley Walker |
| Music by | Marvin Hamlisch |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 108 minutes |
| Country | England |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $38 million |
Shirley Valentine is a 1989 Englishromanticcomedy-drama film directed byLewis Gilbert. The screenplay byWilly Russell is based on his 1986 one-characterplay of the same title, which follows middle-aged Shirley Valentine in an unexpected discovery of herself and the rekindling of her childhood dreams and youthful love of life.
Pauline Collins reprises the title role asmiddle-agedhousewife Shirley, which she had previously played in the stage production in London'sWest End and onBroadway, andTom Conti plays Costas Dimitriades, the owner of a Greektavern with whom she has aholiday romance.
Shirley Valentine is a bored 42-year-old working classLiverpudlian housewife[2] whose life and initially enriching marriage has settled into a narrow and unsatisfying rut, leaving few genuine friends and her childhood dreams unaccomplished, and she feels as if her husband and children treat her more like a servant. When her flamboyant friend Jane wins a trip for two toGreece, Shirley uncharacteristically puts herself first and accepts Jane's invitation.
Shirley feels considerable self-doubt and ultimately only goes because of unexpected encouragement from her neighbour Gillian, who drops her air of superiority to reveal her respect and emotional support of Shirley's plans, and former school enemy Marjorie Majors, who admits she had, in fact, been envious of Shirley's rebellious role at school, and had become a high-class prostitute rather than a prestigious air hostess.
Upon arrival, Jane immediately abandons Shirley for a holiday romance with a fellow passenger from their flight, leaving Shirley to set out on her own. She begins to see her fellow holidaymakers through new eyes, as she genuinely enjoys Greece while they wantBritish food and stereotypical entertainment. She remains contentedly alone until she meets Costas Dimitriades, the owner of a nearby tavern, who helps her fulfil a dream of drinking wine by the seashore in the country where thegrapes were grown and later invites her to travel around the nearby islands for a day on his brother's boat. Costas promises not to try to seduce her while bolstering her self-confidence in her attractiveness.
As Shirley prepares for the trip, Jane returns and begs for forgiveness for abandoning her; Jane is then stunned to find that Shirley has made plans on her own and will be going out with Costas imminently. Enjoying the day out, Shirley decides to swim in the sea; lacking a swimsuit, she swims naked instead, with Costas joining her in the water. She realises that she does not want Costas to keep his promise. They kiss and, later on the boat, have very intense sex.
On her return, Jane believes Shirley has fallen in love with Costas, but Shirley reveals to the audience that she has fallen in love with the idea of living. She spends more time with Costas, and at the airport, she turns back and walks to Costas's tavern to find him attempting to seduce another tourist the same way. Costas is shocked to see Shirley after her departure, but she says she wants a job and is not upset at catching him in the act.
Initially angry and confused at her departure, Shirley's husband, Joe, waits for her return with a large armful of flowers. He is shocked and embarrassed to find Shirley chose to stay and is not on the plane, and repeatedly calls her, pleading and arguing for her to return, saying that it is her place and she is embarrassing him, or telling her that her actions result from a midlife crisis or menopause.
Shirley becomes more content with her new life. She also succeeds greatly with narrow-minded holidaymakers who want the same food as in Britain. Finally, their son tells Joe to go and get her instead of just phoning. Receiving a telegram about Joe's arrival, Costas makes excuses and leaves for the day, while Shirley is unperturbed. Joe walks from the airport. Shirley, wearing sunglasses and feeling like a different person, is sipping wine by the sea at sunset. Joe does not recognise her and walks past until she calls him back. The film ends with the two drinking wine by the sea.
The film was shot on location inLiverpool,Twickenham,Oxford Circus,Bloomsbury, andSt Pancras railway station in England, and on the island ofMykonos in Greece.
The film'stheme song, "The Girl Who Used to Be Me", was written byMarvin Hamlisch andAlan and Marilyn Bergman and performed byPatti Austin.
The film opened theMontreal World Film Festival at theThéâtre Maisonneuve on 24 August 1989.[1] Unlike most openers of the festival in French-speakingQuebec, it was shown without French subtitles.[1] The film opened in the United States and Canada on 30 August,[1] in London on 13 October[3] and in the UK on 27 October 1989.
Joe Brown ofThe 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."[4]Variety called the film "uneven but generally delightful" and Pauline Collins "irresistible."[5] OnRotten Tomatoes, the film holds a rating of 72% from 18 reviews.[6]
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."[7] Among reviewers who found the film banal and hollow, Caryn James, ofThe New York Times 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."[8]
Roger Ebert of theChicago Sun-Times likewise 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."[9]
In the UK, after opening nationwide, it wasnumber one for three consecutive weeks[10][11] and was the highest-grossing independent British film of the year, with a gross of £11.5 million.[12][13] The film grossed $6.1 million in the United States and Canada.[14] Worldwide, it grossed $38 million.[15]
UIP gross $31,859,000