1981
R
United Artists
2 h 4 m

1981
R
United Artists
2 h 4 m

Summary A film is being made of a story, set in 19th century England, about Charles, a biologist who's engaged to be married, but who falls in love with outcast Sarah, whose melancholy makes her leave him after a short, but passionate affair. Anna and Mike, who play the characters of Sarah and Charles, go, during the shooting of the film, throug...

Directed By: Karel Reisz

Written By: John Fowles, Harold Pinter, Karel Reisz

1981
R
United Artists
2 h 4 m

1981
R
United Artists
2 h 4 m

The French Lieutenant's Woman

Name: The French Lieutenant's Woman
Genre: Drama, Romance
Released: 1981-10-16
Duration: 2 min 4 s
Rating: 64
Cast: Meryl Streep, Jeremy Irons, Hilton McRae, Emily Morgan, Charlotte Mitchell

Metascore Generally Favorable Based on 10 Critic Reviews

User Score Generally Favorable Based on 10 User Ratings

7.1

My Score

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Where to Watch

Directed By: Karel Reisz

Written By: John Fowles, Harold Pinter, Karel Reisz

Where to Watch

Critic Reviews

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Metascore

Generally Favorable Based on 10 Critic Reviews

50% Positive
5 Reviews

50% Mixed
5 Reviews

0% Negative
0 Reviews

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Mixed Reviews
Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

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Metascore

Generally Favorable Based on 10 Critic Reviews

50% Positive
5 Reviews

50% Mixed
5 Reviews

0% Negative
0 Reviews

All Reviews
Positive Reviews
Mixed Reviews
Negative Reviews

Chicago Sun-Times

The French Lieutenant’s Woman is a beautiful film to look at, and remarkably well-acted.

By Roger Ebert FULL REVIEW

Newsweek

The French Lieutenant's Woman is one of the most civilized and provocative movies of the year, but it falls just short of greatness. Perhaps Reisz and Pinter are too innately reticent to wring the last drop of emotional power from Fowles's story. [21 Sep 1981, p.96]

By David Ansen FULL REVIEW

Variety

The casting of Meryl Streep as Sarah/Anna could not have been better. Sarah comes complete with unbridled passions and Anna is the cool, detached professional. There is never a false note in the sharply contrasting characters.

FULL REVIEW

The New Yorker

Meryl Streep gives an immaculate, technically accomplished performance as Sarah Woodruff, the romantic mystery woman of John Fowles' novel, but she isn't mysterious. We're not fascinated by Sarah; she's so distanced from us that all we can do is observe how meticulous Streep -- and everything else about the movie -- is.

By Pauline Kael FULL REVIEW

Washington Post

Sufficiently attractive and absorbing to sustain the fond delusion that Charles' pursuit of the mystifying Sarah might culminate in a revealing, conclusive confrontation. [02 Oct 1981, p.C1]

By Gary Arnold FULL REVIEW

The Globe and Mail (Toronto)

Two great beginnings disappoint in the end. If the novel is a dying form, film treatments are the poison. [21 Sep 1981]

By Jay Scott FULL REVIEW

Washington Post

A rather poetic costume drama jarringly interrupted by bits of modern banality. [02 Oct 1981, p.17]

FULL REVIEW

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User Reviews

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User Score

Generally Favorable Based on 10 User Ratings

7.1

70% Positive
7 Ratings

30% Mixed
3 Ratings

0% Negative
0 Ratings

User Reviews

View All

User Score

Generally Favorable Based on 10 User Ratings

7.1

70% Positive
7 Ratings

30% Mixed
3 Ratings

0% Negative
0 Ratings

There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.

Details

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Production Company Juniper Films

Release Date Oct 16, 1981

Duration 2 h 4 m

Rating R

Genres

Tagline She was lost from the moment she saw him.

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Awards

Academy Awards, USA

• 5 Nominations

Golden Globes, USA

• 1 Win & 3 Nominations

BAFTA Awards

• 3 Wins & 11 Nominations

The French Lieutenant's Woman

Where to Watch

Where to Watch

Top Cast

Meryl Streep

Sarah and Anna

Jeremy Irons

Charles and Mike

Hilton McRae

Sam

Emily Morgan

Mary

Charlotte Mitchell

Mrs. Tranter

Lynsey Baxter

Ernestina

Jean Faulds

Cook

Peter Vaughan

Mr. Freeman

Colin Jeavons

Vicar

Liz Smith

Mrs. Fairley

Patience Collier

Mrs. Poulteney

John Barrett

Dairyman

Leo McKern

Dr. Grogan

Arabella Weir

Girl on Undercliff

Ben Forster

Boy on Undercliff

Catherine Willmer

Dr. Grogan's Housekeeper

Anthony Langdon

Asylum Keeper

Edward Duke

Nathaniel

Richard Griffiths

Sir Tom

Graham Fletcher-Cook

Delivery Boy

Critic Reviews

Critic Reviews

Critic Reviews

Critic Reviews

User Reviews

User Reviews

User Reviews

User Reviews

Details

Details

Awards

Awards

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