The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne
(B+ or 3/4 stars)
Judith Hearne (Maggie Smith) is a sad, middle-aged, spinster piano teacher living in 1950's Dublin in 'The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne' (directed by Jack Clayton). Raised & educated in strict Catholicism, Judith spent the best yrs. of her life taking care of her old authoritarian aunt (Wendy Hiller) who was responsible for her respectful & proper upbringing. Now that her aunt has died, she's moved into a Dublin boarding house. A chronic liar, Judith has very few friends (who can only tolerate her in small doses). In her loneliest moments, Judith dreams of the day that she'll be swept off her feet by a loving man.
A man never materializes, so she drowns her sorrows in liquor. See, she only seems to be happy when she's drunk and, she gives herself every opportunity to disappoint herself - hence, an excuse to get sloshed. After having moved into this latest boarding house, she meets the widowed brother of the landlady & hotel entrepreneur, James (Bob Hoskins); who has just returned from living in America for 30 yrs. Judith thinks America is wonderful, & before long, she thinks James is wonderful, as well. I mean, hey. He seems to like her. He seems lonely. She's desperately lonely. They must be a match, right? Wrong. It eventually becomes clear that any interest James has in Judith is primarily for her $$; which he thinks she has, but she has none.
There's even talk of marriage before Judith finally sees James' true motives. And she gets morbidly drunk. We, the viewer, sense that this sort of scenario has occurred throughout Judith's adult life. But since James appears to be her last chance, the cruelty of his betrayal hits her like a freight train. And her suffering leads up to a crucial scene in which she can finally admit the truth of her life to James (and herself). If she can recover, she MAY be able to start her life anew.
Maggie Smith is astounding in this film. Normally clear-headed, witty, & controlled ... I've never seen Smith like this before. Timid, self-deprecating, vulnerable, delusional and, ultimately, shattered. There are many scenes in this movie where I was on the edge of my seat and/or welling up with tears at the sad desperation Smith's character is feeling in her darkest moments -- locked in her small room, with loneliness eating at her fragile psyche, she clutches her whiskey, & quietly (and ferociously) sobs at her lot in life. In another scene, as her whiskey takes hold, she starts singing deliriously. And her momentary joy while solitarily singing only shows how very depressed she actually is. It's just the saddest thing I've seen in a long time.
And in a late scene, we see the look on Judith's face when she realizes James' deception. In the end, I like that the Bob Hoskins character doesn't appear to be as rotten as he seems. With no money, he still likes Judith as a person; if not quite romantically. And I like that Judith may - just may - get her life together. But as we all know, it's never easy for an alcoholic to re-enter the world on stable footing. There will always be self-doubt; no matter the current clarity.
A man never materializes, so she drowns her sorrows in liquor. See, she only seems to be happy when she's drunk and, she gives herself every opportunity to disappoint herself - hence, an excuse to get sloshed. After having moved into this latest boarding house, she meets the widowed brother of the landlady & hotel entrepreneur, James (Bob Hoskins); who has just returned from living in America for 30 yrs. Judith thinks America is wonderful, & before long, she thinks James is wonderful, as well. I mean, hey. He seems to like her. He seems lonely. She's desperately lonely. They must be a match, right? Wrong. It eventually becomes clear that any interest James has in Judith is primarily for her $$; which he thinks she has, but she has none.
There's even talk of marriage before Judith finally sees James' true motives. And she gets morbidly drunk. We, the viewer, sense that this sort of scenario has occurred throughout Judith's adult life. But since James appears to be her last chance, the cruelty of his betrayal hits her like a freight train. And her suffering leads up to a crucial scene in which she can finally admit the truth of her life to James (and herself). If she can recover, she MAY be able to start her life anew.
Maggie Smith is astounding in this film. Normally clear-headed, witty, & controlled ... I've never seen Smith like this before. Timid, self-deprecating, vulnerable, delusional and, ultimately, shattered. There are many scenes in this movie where I was on the edge of my seat and/or welling up with tears at the sad desperation Smith's character is feeling in her darkest moments -- locked in her small room, with loneliness eating at her fragile psyche, she clutches her whiskey, & quietly (and ferociously) sobs at her lot in life. In another scene, as her whiskey takes hold, she starts singing deliriously. And her momentary joy while solitarily singing only shows how very depressed she actually is. It's just the saddest thing I've seen in a long time.
And in a late scene, we see the look on Judith's face when she realizes James' deception. In the end, I like that the Bob Hoskins character doesn't appear to be as rotten as he seems. With no money, he still likes Judith as a person; if not quite romantically. And I like that Judith may - just may - get her life together. But as we all know, it's never easy for an alcoholic to re-enter the world on stable footing. There will always be self-doubt; no matter the current clarity.