DramaRomanceHistory

The French Lieutenant's Woman

- She was lost from the moment she saw him.

In this story-within-a-story, Anna is an actress starring opposite Mike in a period piece about the forbidden love between their respective characters, Sarah and Charles. Both actors are involved in serious relationships, but the passionate nature of the script leads to an off-camera love affair as well. While attempting to maintain their composure and professionalism, Anna and Mike struggle to come to terms with their infidelity.

Release Date : 1981-08-28

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Juniper Films

Production Country : United Kingdom

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Sarah / Anna

Original Name : Meryl Streep

Gender : Female

Character Name : Charles Henry Smithson / Mike

Original Name : Jeremy Irons

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sam

Original Name : Hilton McRae

Gender : Male

Character Name : Ernestina

Original Name : Lynsey Baxter

Gender : Female

Character Name : Mary

Original Name : Emily Morgan

Gender : Female

Character Name : Sonia

Original Name : Penelope Wilton

Gender : Female

Character Name : Cook

Original Name : Jean Faulds

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mrs. Tranter

Original Name : Charlotte Mitchell

Gender : Female

Character Name : Mr. Freeman

Original Name : Peter Vaughan

Gender : Male

Character Name : Vicar

Original Name : Colin Jeavons

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mrs. Fairley

Original Name : Liz Smith

Gender : Female

Character Name : Mrs. Poulteney

Original Name : Patience Collier

Gender : Female

Character Name : Dairyman

Original Name : John Barrett

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dr. Grogan

Original Name : Leo McKern

Gender : Male

Character Name : Girl on Undercliff

Original Name : Arabella Weir

Gender : Female

Character Name : Boy on Undercliff

Original Name : Ben Forster

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sir Tom

Original Name : Richard Griffiths

Gender : Male

Character Name : Murphy

Original Name : David Warner

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dr. Grogan's Housekeeper

Original Name : Catherine Willmer

Gender : Male

Character Name : Asylum Keeper

Original Name : Anthony Langdon

Gender : Male

Character Name : Nathaniel

Original Name : Edward Duke

Gender : Male

Character Name : Delivery Boy

Original Name : Graham Fletcher-Cook

Gender : Male

Character Name : 3rd Assistant

Original Name : Richard Hope

Gender : Male

Character Name : Montague

Original Name : Michael Elwyn

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mrs Endicott

Original Name : Toni Palmer

Gender : Female

Character Name : Betty Anne

Original Name : Cecily Hobbs

Gender : Female

Character Name : Lady on the Train

Original Name : Doreen Mantle

Gender : Female

Character Name : Grimes

Original Name : Alun Armstrong

Gender : Male

Character Name : Davide

Original Name : Gérard Falconetti

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lizzie

Original Name : Joanna Joseph

Gender : Male

Character Name : Red Haired Prostitute

Original Name : Jude Alderson

Gender : Male

Character Name : 2nd Prostitute

Original Name : Cora Kinnaird

Gender : Male

Character Name : Tom Elliott

Original Name : Orlando Fraser

Gender : Male

Character Name : Girl

Original Name : Fredrika Morton

Gender : Male

Character Name : 2nd Girl

Original Name : Alice Maschler

Gender : Male

Reviews

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2025-01-17

Usually if there are two separate timelines featured in a story, the director tries to ensure that we cannot readily distinguish between one that might be true and one that might be artificial. It's the complete opposite that really works well here as we mingle the story of an 18th century woman living within the constraints of high Victorian society with a more profligate 1970s one. To fit out the earlier scenario, we meet the shy "Sarah" (Meryl Streep) who is rebounding from a liaison with the titular French lieutenant by having an even less suitable assignation with the altogether more decent "Charles" (Jeremy Irons). The modern day scenario has the same two actors playing "Anna" and "Mike", only both are married to others and they are the "real" life actors portraying these other characters in a film of their lives. Now we get to experience the story of both relationships undulating in parallel. It sounds way more complex than it actually is as a combination of Harold Pinter's adaptation of the original novel and the acting from both Streep and Irons manages to convince us that though we are seeing two separate stories play out before us, they have remarkable similarities in the life imitating art sort of space. I preferred the older scenario, but only because the supporting cast of characters could make much more of their rigid, sexist and downright hypocritical environment and Streep works well with her frankly quite insipid "Sarah". The more modern day story tended more to soap for my liking: their behaviour more duplicitous, selfish and that led to a disappointing degree of predicability. More relatable, if you like. I'm not really a fan of Irons, but here he works well across both iterations and gels remarkably well with a Streep who seems to morph from both of her persona effortlessly and convincingly. The pace can dawdle at times, and maybe Karel Reisz could have just tightened things up a little at the rather plodding start, but the production design across both storylines looks good and it's once the tram lines are laid down and the two become entrenched, it becomes quite a compelling story of love, lust, betrayal and lies.