Amygdalia's Blog

Movie Review Monday - Shirley Valentine

Hiya Wall.

What happens when you’ve got no one to talk to; when everyone takes you for granted?  You might start talking to inanimate objects, or you might decide to escape for a while . . . say, to Greece, perhaps?

Shirley Valentine takes a fairly mundane plotline – that of a lonely, underappreciated housewife – and weaves it into a story so full of humor and joie de vivre you’ll be ready to pack your bags, too. 

Originally a one-woman stage production, the screenplay was wonderfully adapted for the large screen.  Pauline Collins stars as Shirley Valentine, a role she played in the original stage production as well. 

Shirley Valentine-Bradshaw wonders what happened to the feisty young girl she used to be.  Now an empty-nester housewife in Liverpool, she’s stuck in a steak-on-Thursday rut.  A series of closely spaced interactions that are out of her control act as a catalyst that allows Shirley to take back control of her own life. 

The part of the film that takes place in Greece is, of course, magnificent.  But much more than just the setting is how Shirley is transformed by the experience.

I first saw this film many years ago, and absolutely fell in love with it.  A few years ago a local theater company produced the stage play, and I loved it so much I had to see it twice.  It was fascinating to see the stage play, and compare that to the way the film was produced.  I have even more admiration for the quirky film now, seeing how the writer and director were able to adapt it for the screen without losing the character of the stage production.

My husband finds it ironic that two of my favorite films (the other being American Dreamer, previously reviewed) deal with the same theme – bored housewife takes a trip abroad & has life changing experience.  Even more ironic is that Tom Conti plays a somewhat similar role in both films. 

See this film!  It’s quirky cinema at its best.