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The French Lieutenant's Woman
Original film poster
Directed by	Karel Reisz
Produced by	Leon Clore
Written by	Harold Pinter John Fowles(novel)
Starring	Meryl Streep Jeremy Irons Hilton McRae David Warner Penelope Wilton Leo McKern
Music by	Carl Davis
Cinematography	Freddie Francis
Editing by	John Bloom
Distributed by	United Artists
Release date(s)	18 September 1981
Running time	127 min.
Country	UK
Language	English
IMDb profile

The French Lieutenant's Woman is a 1981 film directed by Karel Reisz and adapted by playwright Harold Pinter. It is based on the novel of the same title by John Fowles. The music score is by Carl Davis and the cinematography by Freddie Francis.

The film stars Meryl Streep and Jeremy Irons with Hilton McRae, Jean Faulds, Peter Vaughan, Colin Jeavons, Liz Smith, Patience Collier, Richard Griffiths, David Warner, Alun Armstrong, Penelope Wilton and Leo McKern.

Contents 1 Background and production 2 Awards and nominations 2.1 Academy Awards 2.2 BAFTA Awards 2.3 Golden Globe Awards 2.4 Other awards 3 External link 4 References

The plot concerns the love affair between a Victorian gentleman and a woman who has been jilted by a French officer, scandalizing the "polite society" of Lyme Regis.

Instead of trying to create a literal translation of the novel's alternate endings, Pinter's screenplay adopted a more cinematic approach by revealing a story within a story - showing the lives of the actors who portray Fowles' characters. The characters' story ends one way, the actors' another.

The book was published in 1969 and unlike his previous novels the transfer to the big screen was a protracted process with the film rights changing hands a number of times before a treatment, funding and cast were eventually finalised. In 1977 Malcolm Bradbury and Christopher Bigsby approached Fowles to suggest they work on a television adaptation which Fowles was amenable to, but then producer Saul Zaentz came in and the film version was finally green lighted.

A number of names were attached to the project, directors mooted included Sidney Lumet, Robert Bolt, Fred Zinnemann and Milos Forman. The script went through a number of treatments including one by Dennis Potter in 1975 and James Costigan in 1976 before Pinter's final draft was used. Actors considered for the role of Charles Smithson/Mike included Robert Redford and Richard Chamberlain and Sarah/Anna included Francesca Annis, Gemma Jones and Fowles's choice Helen Mirren.^[1]

Nominations

• Best Actress in a Leading Role: Meryl Streep
• Best Art Direction-Set Decoration
• Best Costume Design
• Best Film Editing
• Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium.

Wins

• Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music: Carl Davis
• Best Actress: Meryl Streep
• Best Sound: Don Sharp, Ivan Sharrock, Bill Rowe

Nominations

• Best Film
• Best Actor: Jeremy Irons
• Best Cinematography: Freddie Francis
• Best Costume Design: Tom Rand
• Best Direction: Karel Reisz
• Best Editing: John Bloom
• Best Production Design/Art Direction: Assheton Gorton
• Best Screenplay: Harold Pinter

Win

• Best Actress: Meryl Streep

Nominations

• Best Motion Picture - Drama
• Best Screenplay: Harold Pinter

• Evening Standard British Film Award Best Film: Karel Reisz
• David di Donatello Awards: Best Screenplay - Foreign Film: Harold Pinter
• Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards: Best Actress: Meryl Streep

• The French Lieutenant's Woman at the Internet Movie Database

1. ^ John Fowles, The French Lieutenant's Diary, Granta #86, 2004, ISBN 0 90 314169 8

v • d • e Works of John Fowles
Novels:	The Collector (1963) • The Magus (1965, revised 1977) • The French Lieutenant's Woman (1969) • The Ebony Tower (1974) • Daniel Martin (1977) • Mantissa (1982) • A Maggot (1985)
Non-fiction:	The Aristos (1964) • The Tree
Film adaptations:	The Collector • The Magus • The French Lieutenant's Woman