| Madame Sousatzka | |
|---|---|
) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | John Schlesinger |
| Produced by | Robin Dalton |
| Written by | Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (based on the novel by Bernice Rubens) |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Gerald Gouriet |
| Cinematography | Nat Crosby |
| Edited by | Peter Honess |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date | 14 October 1988 |
Running time | 122 minutes |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $9 million |
| Box office | $3,548,238 |
Madame Sousatzka is a 1988 British drama film directed by John Schlesinger, with a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. It is based upon the novel of the same name by Bernice Rubens.
Plot synopsis
Bengali immigrant Sushila Sen (Shabana Azmi) lives in London with her son Manek (Navin Chowdhry) who is musically gifted. She supports them both as a caterer of Indian food, while Manek studies the piano with Madame Sousatzka (Shirley MacLaine), who is a Russian-American immigrant. Madame Sousatzka, while highly talented, never succeeded as a pianist and thus lives through her students, particularly talented ones such as Manek. Manek is soon forced to choose between Madame Sousatzka and his mother, who both compete for his attention.
Cast
- Shirley MacLaine as Madame Sousatzka
- Navin Chowdhry as Manek
- Shabana Azmi as Sushila
- Peggy Ashcroft as Lady Emily
- Robert Rietty as Leo Milev
- Twiggy as Jenny
- Leigh Lawson as Ronnie
- Lee Montague as Vincent Pick
Awards
- Golden Globes
- Best Actress - Drama - Shirley MacLaine - WON
- Venice Film Festival
- Volpi Cup for Best Actress - Shirley MacLaine - WON
Availability
The film was released in U.S. theaters on 14 October 1988. Some time after its theatrical run, the movie was released on videocassette by MCA Home Video in 1989. The movie was released on DVD in the U.S. by Universal Studios Home Entertainment under their Vault Series banner on 28 August 2014.
A region 2 DVD was released by Network in 2007 (catalogue nr. 7952723). The extras are a trailer and some production stills.
External links