Priest of Love
Priest of Love is a British biographical film about D. H. Lawrence and his wife Frieda (née Von Richthofen). It was produced and directed by Christopher Miles and co-produced by Andrew Donally. The screenplay was by Alan Plater from the biography A Priest of Love by Harry T. Moore. The music score was by Francis James Brown and Stanley Joseph Seeger, credited jointly as "Joseph James", and the cinematography was by Ted Moore.
| Priest of Love | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical film poster | |
| Directed by | Christopher Miles |
| Produced by | Christopher Miles Andrew Donally |
| Written by | Alan Plater Harry T. Moore (biography) |
| Starring | Ian McKellen Janet Suzman Ava Gardner Penelope Keith Jorge Rivero John Gielgud Maurizio Merli James Faulkner Massimo Ranieri Graham Faulkner |
| Music by | Joseph James[1] |
| Cinematography | Ted Moore B.S.C |
| Edited by | Paul Davies |
Production company | Milesian Films with Ronceval Inc |
Release date |
8 November 1985 |
Running time | 98 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The film was first released by Filmways in New York on 11 October 1981 and then by Enterprise Pictures Ltd in London with a Royal Premiere on 18 February 1982.[2][3][4][5]
Cast
- Ian McKellen as D.H. Lawrence
- Janet Suzman as Frieda Lawrence
- Penelope Keith as Dorothy Brett
- Ava Gardner as Mabel Dodge Luhan
- Jorge Rivero as Tony Luhan
- John Gielgud as Herbert G. Muskett
- Maurizio Merli as Angelo Ravagli
- James Faulkner as Aldous Huxley
- Mike Gwilym as John Middleton Murry
- Massimo Ranieri as Piero Pini
- Sarah Brackett as Achsah Barlow Brewster
- Elio Pandolfi as Giuseppe Orioli
- Adrienne Burgess as Katherine Mansfield
- Mellan Mitchell as Aga Khan
- Jane Booker as Frieda's daughter Barbara Weekley Barr
- Julian Fellowes as Barbara Weekley Barr's fiancé
1985 re-release
Subsequently, the film was re-cut in 1985 by the director, for the centenary of D.H.Lawrence’s birth, and was re-released in cinemas by Enterprise Pictures to greater commercial and critical success.
This 1985 Centenary Version was then re-mastered in 2011 for a new DVD release in the United States (Kino International – standard DVD and Blu-ray) and in the UK (Odeon Entertainment – standard DVD - 2012). The extras on both DVDs include interviews with Ian McKellen and Christopher Miles, and Penelope Keith narrates ‘The way we got it together’ on the making of the film.
References
- Pseudonym for Francis James Brown and Stanley Joseph Seeger.
- Daily News NYC (8.7.1981)
- The Times (19.2.82)
- "Priest of Love". Variety. 1 January 1981. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
- Ebert, Roger (10 November 1981). "Priest of Love movie review & film summary (1981)". Roger Ebert.com. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
Further reading
- Canby, Vincent (11 October 1981). "Priest of Love (1981) -Journeys of D. H. Lawrence". The New York Times. Unenthusiastic review of the initial release.
- DVD Talk
- Twitch Film