THE LONELY PASSION OF JUDITH HEARNE

UK, 1987, 116 minutes, Colour.
Maggie Smith, Bob Hoskins, Wendy Hiller, Marie Kean, Ian Mc Neice, Prunella Scales.
Directed by Jack Clayton.

A masterly portrait of a repressed Irish spinster of the 1950s. Maggie Smith offers one of her finest performances as the ladylike Judith, who has cared for her wilful aunt (Wendy Hiller in a grande dame role) and tries to teach music, but loses students through unreliability and secret drinking. She tries to sustain her faith and piety but experiences the hardness of Irish Catholicism, and collapses. Bob Hoskins gives a quietly effective performance as the object of her hopes and affections. Marie Keene embodies the manipulative mother and sister as the landlady.

Brian Moore's novel has been adapted well by Peter Nelson and directed perceptively by Jack Clayton (Room at the Top, The Innocents, The Great Gatsby). It is unhurried but intensely real and passionate as Judith Hearne suffers and survives. It is Maggie Smith at her best, intense and moving.

1.The impact of the drama? Quality of performance? Portrait of a woman, of Ireland, of the Catholic church?

2.The writings of Brian Moore, his portrait of Judith Hearne, sympathies, compassion? The quality of the adaptation? The perceptiveness of Jack Clayton?

3.The Irish settings, Dublin, the city, homes, institutions, the church? The 1950s, authentic? The atmospheric score?

4.The tone of the film, its pace? Judith and her experiences, memories, influences, her ability and inability to cope, her breakdown, her future?

5.The prologue with the young girl in the church, devout, her aunt, the hiccups, laughing and the other girls laughing, the severity of her aunt, squeezing her hand tightly? Symbol of what was to follow?

6.The flashbacks of Aunt (and Judith keeping her photo, talking of her)? Judith playing the piano and Aunt's delight, the elegant soirees and guests, her collapse, the passing of the years, her tantrums, wanting sweets, the possibility of her going to an institution, appealing to Judith for having taken her in as an orphan? The effect of her experience with her aunt, growing up, talent, experience of love and devotion, repression?

7.The quality of Maggie Smith's performance: her appearance, manner, speech, dress? Her arrival, seeing the room, Mrs Rice's reaction? The picture of the Sacred Heart, of her aunt, a sign of settling? Talking? Her losing the pupil and the harsh reaction of the mother? The audience wondering about her? Sympathetic to her ladylike style? Seeming a victim? The meals in the boarding house, her being late and reprimanded? Her interaction with the guests? With Mary? With Bernie? Being introduced to Jim?

8.At home in the boarding house, her interest in Jim, listening to his stories, going to the pictures, Samson and Delilah with its sexual overtones, and the advertisement? Going to Mass? The dinner, the talk about the business and the fast foods? Sharing with him? The return home, Mrs Rice offering a cup of tea, her getting rid of Jim while Judith made the tea? Judith's hurt, drinking to console herself, yet another, singing, collapsing on the floor, keeping people awake? Her being awakened, losing another pupil, the humiliation on the phone? The anger of the guests about her drinking and singing? Mrs Rice's reaction? Judith's quiet desperation, going to visit Moira and her friends, telling the stories, playing the piano and not being able to continue, the children avoiding her sometimes, listening to her? Her drinking and taking more? Drinking with Moira? The memories of drinking with Edie? Mrs Rice and her severity, Bernie and his telling lies about Jim to get rid of her? Her going to confession and pushing in before the children, the harshness of the priest? Her being ousted, going to the swank hotel, the taxi and keeping it waiting, her reliance on religion, the Sacred Heart and her prayer, going to see Edie in the institution, talking, drinking, being ousted? Going to the priest, her plea, her being drunk, the priest not answering about belief in God, her desperately going into the church, banging on the tabernacle? To the hospital, her suffering and passion, calm, treatment, the relationship with the nuns? Jim coming to see her, her refusal and change of mind, the walk, his talk once again about money? His giving her an address? Her leaving, throwing away the address? Her collapse and her rising? Passion and resurrection?

9.The significance of Judith's passion: loneliness, love, sexuality and repression, drinking? Crucified, abandoned, rising again?

10.The portrait of Jim, his American background, 30 years? The return to Ireland? With his sister, at meals? Attracted to Judy, going out, the film, talking, attentive? The meal, the business discussion, his misinterpreting her? The clash, the going to Mass - and the truth about the money? The influence of his sister, going away? His reaction to Bernie and Mary? His severity, his going into Mary's room, the rape, his trying to talk it down? His return to the house? His coming to the hospital, his further misapprehension about Judith and her money? The mixture of affection and ambition? Giving her the address?

11.Bernie, the pampered Irish son? Eating continuously? His mother? The relationship with Mary, sexuality, Jim's reaction? His attacking Judith to get rid of her? His lies?

12.Mary, the maid, the convent background, her surliness, service, her sexual relationship with Bernie, the attack by Jim? Her reaction to this?

13.The portrait of Mrs Rice, her manipulative nature, her pampering her son, giving him food, making rules, being demanding, controlling Jim's life, the cup of tea after the outing, getting rid of Jim? Wanting Judith out of the house? Her smug Catholic self-righteousness?

14.The sequences with the priest, in confession, his growling about her interrupting the children, his lack of sympathetic understanding, his avoiding the issues? Her visiting him in the presbytery, his desperation, his not answering the question about belief in God? His belated attempts to be helpful?

15.Moira and her family, pleasant, the children avoiding Judith, Moira and her husband welcoming her, the drinks, paying for her hospital room, Moira and her charity in listening to Judith say that she never liked her?

16.Edie, the past friendship, the beginnings of drinking, illness in the hospital, sharing, her being ousted? The reaction of the nuns in the hospital - friendly, nunnish?

17.The Irish background, the tight tradition, Irish manners and reticence, suppression of feelings, repression of sexuality, angers?

18.The portrait of the Catholic Church at the time, devotion and piety, rules, Mass and Communion, prayers? The role of the priest, authority, confession? The impersonal harshness of the church? Judith's anger?

19.The film taking the audience into the world of its time? Sharing the experiences with the characters? The portrait of Judith?