Sons and Lovers (film)
| Sons and Lovers | |
|---|---|
 film poster | |
| Directed by | Jack Cardiff |
| Produced by | Jerry Wald |
| Written by |
T. E. B. Clarke Gavin Lambert |
| Starring |
Trevor Howard Dean Stockwell Wendy Hiller Mary Ure |
| Music by | Mario Nascimbene |
| Cinematography | Freddie Francis |
| Edited by | Gordon Pilkington |
| Distributed by | Twentieth Century Fox |
Release date | May 1960 |
Running time | 103 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $805,000[1] |
| Box office | $1,500,000 (US/ Canada)[2] |
Sons and Lovers is a 1960 CinemaScope British film adaptation of the D. H. Lawrence 1913 novel of the same name. It was adapted by T. E. B. Clarke and Gavin Lambert, directed by Jack Cardiff.[3] and stars Trevor Howard, Dean Stockwell, Wendy Hiller, Mary Ure, William Lucas and Donald Pleasence.
The film won an Academy Award for Best Cinematography (Freddie Francis) and received nominations in six additional categories,[4] and was entered into the 1960 Cannes Film Festival.[5]
Plot
A young man with artistic talent who lives in a close-knit, English coal-mining town during the early 20th century finds himself inhibited by his emotionally manipulative, domineering mother — a literary, psychological interpretation of the Oedipus story. Gertrude Morel, miserable in her marriage, puts her hope into her son, Paul. In her attempt to manipulate Paul's life she jealously attempts to prevent Paul from having a relationship with any woman. However, Paul goes to the city for a job and becomes enchanted with self-actualized and "liberated" feminist co-worker, Mrs. Clara Dawes, who is married. Paul and Clara become involved sexually and Clara realizes that Paul's emotional attachment, as with her own, lies with another person — in Paul's case, his mother. Gertrude learns of Paul's involvement with Clara, and she slips into a morose depression and physical sickness. Paul flees to his mother, to care for her and sit by her side. After his mother's death, Paul meets the girlfriend of his youth, Miriam, and tells her that because of his codependency with his mother he intends to live the rest of his life without any serious relationship with another woman — in essence fulfilling his mother's desire and objective. The film does not deal with a pivotal episode in the novel, wherein a distraught Paul ends his mother's suffering by giving her a massive overdose of morphia, a potent opiate analgesic drug. [6]
Cast
- Trevor Howard as Walter Morel
- Dean Stockwell as Paul Morel
- Wendy Hiller as Gertrude Morel
- Mary Ure as Clara Dawes
- Heather Sears as Miriam Leivers
- William Lucas as William Morel
- Conrad Phillips as Baxter Dawes
- Ernest Thesiger as Henry Hadlock
- Donald Pleasence as Mr. Puppleworth
- Rosalie Crutchley as Mrs. Leivers
- Sean Barrett as Arthur Morel
- Elizabeth Begley as Mrs. Radford
- Edna Morris as Mrs. Anthony
- Ruth Kettlewell as Mrs. Bonner
- Anne Sheppard as Rose
- Dorothy Gordon as Fanny
Production
The movie was filmed on location in Nottingham, England and at the Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England. The musical theme by Mario Nascimbene was popular and was arranged for both piano and orchestra.
Reception
Bosley Crowther of the New York Times said: "Sons and Lovers is sensitively felt and photographed in Jerry Wald's British-made film version of (Lawrence's novel). ... Jack Cardiff, cameraman turned director, has filled it with picture poetry. ... The drabness of a north-of-England coal town, the warmth of a poor coal miner's home, the bleakness of the wintry English country near Eastwood, where Lawrence was born — all are caught and concentrated in this film, appropriately black-and-white, which puts forth the generalized Lawrence story in a stunning pictorial style. ... (T)he most dynamic and emotional character in the film is the discarded miner-father, played brilliantly by Trevor Howard. His frequent violent flare-ups of rebellion, his pitiful complaints of chagrin and his always underflowing indications of a sense of being not wanted and alone are perhaps the most clear articulations of the theme of frustration in the tale. Through him is expressed most intensely the realization of the mortality of young love."[7]
Academy Awards
| Award | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Best Picture | Jerry Wald (producer) | Nominated |
| Best Actor in a Leading Role | Trevor Howard | Nominated |
| Best Actress in a Supporting Role | Mary Ure | Nominated |
| Best Director | Jack Cardiff | Nominated |
| Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium | T.E.B. Clarke, Gavin Lambert | Nominated |
| Best Cinematography (Black and White) | Freddie Francis | Won |
| Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White | Thomas N. Morahan, Lionel Couch | Nominated |
References
- ↑ Solomon, Aubrey. Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History (The Scarecrow Filmmakers Series). Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 1989. ISBN 978-0-8108-4244-1. p252
- ↑ "Rental Potentials of 1960", Variety, 4 January 1961 p 47. Please note figures are rentals as opposed to total gross.
- ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/1248193.stm Jack Cardiff
- 1 2 "NY Times: Sons and Lovers". NY Times. Retrieved 2008-12-23.
- ↑ "Festival de Cannes: Sons and Lovers". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2009-02-19.
- ↑ "Sons and Lovers," by D. H. Lawrence
- ↑ Bosley Crowther, "Tepid Passions: Lawrence's 'Sons and Lovers' Has Premiere" 3 August 1960 http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9503E7DD113EEF3ABC4B53DFBE66838B679EDE