Madame Sousatzka
| Madame Sousatzka | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | John Schlesinger |
| Written by | Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (based on the novel by Bernice Rubens) |
| Starring | Shirley MacLaine Navin Chowdhry Shabana Azmi Peggy Ashcroft Twiggy Leigh Lawson Barry Douglas |
| Music by | Gerald Gouriet |
| Cinematography | Nat Crosby |
| Editing by | Peter Honess |
| Studio | Cineplex Odeon Films |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
| Release date(s) | October 14, 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.
Contents |
Plot synopsis [edit]
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 [edit]
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- Shirley MacLaine...Sousatzka
- Navin Chowdhry.....Manek
- Shabana Azmi.......Sushila
- Peggy Ashcroft.....Lady Emily
- Twiggy.............Jenny
- Leigh Lawson.......Ronnie
- Barry Douglas
Bernice Rubens based her book on the experiences of her brother Harold Rubens, a child prodigy pianist, and his teacher Madame Maria Levinskaya, who inspired the character of Madame Souzatzka. Harold Rubens was born in Cardiff, Wales, UK in 1918, to parents of Latvian descent. He studied with Levinskaya from the age of seven.
Awards [edit]
- Golden Globes
- Best Actress - Drama - Shirley MacLaine - WON
Availability [edit]
The film was released in U.S. theaters on October 14, 1988. Sometime after its theatrical run, the movie was released on videocassette by MCA Home Video in 1989. The movie has not been released on DVD in the U.S. and as of January 4, 2010, Universal Studios Home Entertainment has not announced any plans for a DVD release.
A region 2 DVD was released by Network in 2007 (catalogue nr. 7952723). The extras are a trailer and some production stills.
External links [edit]
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