The opening scenes of David Hare’s Strapless are poised at precisely such a moment in the relationship of two strangers: Lillian, an American nurse who has worked for several years in London, and Raymond, a mysterious stranger she meets while on holiday. They encounter each other in a church. Each is clearly intrigued. Raymond is the kind of man who seems able to anticipate just what a woman wants to hear, and to say it just before she knows she needs to hear it.
Lillian, an independent and lonely woman, finds herself saying things she thought she’d never say again. Back in London, life goes on. Lillian (Blair Brown) is involved in labor activities at the hospital, where the nursing staff opposes budget cuts by the Thatcher regime. At home, her life is complicated by the arrival of Amy, a younger sister (Bridget Fonda), who sleeps with a succession of boyfriends and makes vague plans to support herself as a dress designer. One day Amy tells Lillian she is pregnant and plans to have the baby – primarily, it would seem, in order to experience the wonders of going through natural childbirth while listening to Mozart.
Lillian is appalled by the irresponsibility of Amy’s life, but she also is burdened by the responsibilities of her own; as the head of the strike committee, she spends long hours nursing and then additional hours in negotiations, and as an American she sometimes feels she is an outsider no matter what she does. Then Raymond (Bruno Ganz, the sad angel in “Wings of Desire”) comes back into her life. He has a home in London, it would seem. The expensive little house is decorated in impeccable taste and filled with the most exquisite personal possessions.
Strapless is a 1989 film directed by David Hare and starring Blair Brown, Bruno Ganz, Bridget Fonda, Alan Howard, Michael Gough, Hugh Laurie, Suzanne Burden, Rohan McCullough, Camille Coduri and Julie Foy The screenplay was wnitten by David Hare. The film was released on May 18, 1990 in the United States by Miramax Films.
After the film’s May 1990 U.S. theatrical release, it was released on videocassette in the United States by RCA/Columbia and in Canada by Cineplex Odeon. In 2000, the film was released on DVD by Anchor Bay. The DVD has since been discontinued.
Strapless (1990)
Directed by: David Hare
Starring: Blair Brown, Bruno Ganz, Bridget Fonda, Alan Howard, Michael Gough, Hugh Laurie, Suzanne Burden, Rohan McCullough, Camille Coduri, Julie Foy
Screenplay by: David Hare
Production Design by: Roger Hall
Cinematography by: Andrew Dunn
Film Editing by: Edward Marnier
Costume Design by: Rebecca Hale, Penny Rose
Set Decoration by: Marianne Ford
Art Direction by: Martin Hitchcock
Music by: Nick Bicât
Distributed by: Miramax Films
Release Date: May 18, 1990
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