The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne 1987
7.1 / 10
The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne
A penniless middle-aged spinster scrapes by giving piano lessons in the Dublin of the 1950s. She makes a sad last bid for love with a fellow resident of her rundown boarding house, who imagines she has the money to bankroll the business he hopes to open.
A penniless middle-aged spinster scrapes by giving piano lessons in the Dublin of the 1950s. She makes a sad last bid for love with a fellow resident of her rundown boarding house, who imagines she has the money to bankroll the business he hopes to open.
Videos & Photos
All 1 Videos & 8 Photos
cast
Full Cast & Crew
... Judith Hearne
... James Madden
... Aunt D'Arcy
... Mrs. Rice
... Bernard Rice
RD
Rudi Davies... Mary
User reviews
See All 1 Reviews14 Nov 2022 by CinemaSerf
Maggie Smith offers quite a compelling performance in this adaptation of Brian Moore's novel. She is the eponymous piano teacher, having fallen on hard times since the death of her aunt (Dame Wendy Hiller). She comes to live in a boarding house in Dublin where she encounters a rather curious dynamic amongst the guests: the proprietress, her son, and her brother "Madden" (Bob Hoskins). She takes rather a shine to him, and the beautiful jewellery on her fingers leads him to believe that she might be useful backing his proposed hamburger business venture. Wires get crossed, and we discover that this lady has a few demons of her own. The story itself is fairly profound. It does not swipe at 1950s Dublin life, it exposes it to us. The hypocrisies of the church, of the middle class, the attitudes towards alcohol and sex are laid bare for us to observe and judge as we will. That is one of director Jack Clayton's better strategies for this ostensibly rather downbeat, frequently quite depressing piece of cinema. It doesn't deal at all with sectarianism, and is significantly more potent for that - it is very focussed on this woman adrift, hiding behind a facade as much of her own making as societal. Hoskins actually comes across as a bit of a cad, and quite a ruthless one at that, and there is a superbly seedy effort from Ian McNeice as "Bernard", whose corpulence and sleaziness contrast well with the supposed "respectable house" offered by his meddling landlady mother "Mrs. Rice" (Marie Keen). The story is episodic in nature, which does rob it of any real sense of progress, though. It resets itself once or twice too often, before an ending that, though slightly optimistic, has a sort of negating sense to it, too. The attention to detail is good, the Dublin scenarios, costumes and photography support, effortlessly, this leading lady in one of her best roles.
Directors:
Release Date:
Dec 23, 1987 (United Kingdom)
Run Time:
1hr 56`
MMPA Rating:
Original Language:
English
Production Countries:
United Kingdom
Status:
Released
Plot Keywords:
Related Movies To
The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne
Maggie Smith offers quite a compelling performance in this adaptation of Brian Moore's novel. She is the eponymous piano teacher, having fallen on hard times since the death of her aunt (Dame Wendy Hiller). She comes to live in a boarding house in Dublin where she encounters a rather curious dynamic amongst the guests: the proprietress, her son, and her brother "Madden" (Bob Hoskins). She takes rather a shine to him, and the beautiful jewellery on her fingers leads him to believe that she might be useful backing his proposed hamburger business venture. Wires get crossed, and we discover that this lady has a few demons of her own. The story itself is fairly profound. It does not swipe at 1950s Dublin life, it exposes it to us. The hypocrisies of the church, of the middle class, the attitudes towards alcohol and sex are laid bare for us to observe and judge as we will. That is one of director Jack Clayton's better strategies for this ostensibly rather downbeat, frequently quite depressing piece of cinema. It doesn't deal at all with sectarianism, and is significantly more potent for that - it is very focussed on this woman adrift, hiding behind a facade as much of her own making as societal. Hoskins actually comes across as a bit of a cad, and quite a ruthless one at that, and there is a superbly seedy effort from Ian McNeice as "Bernard", whose corpulence and sleaziness contrast well with the supposed "respectable house" offered by his meddling landlady mother "Mrs. Rice" (Marie Keen). The story is episodic in nature, which does rob it of any real sense of progress, though. It resets itself once or twice too often, before an ending that, though slightly optimistic, has a sort of negating sense to it, too. The attention to detail is good, the Dublin scenarios, costumes and photography support, effortlessly, this leading lady in one of her best roles.
Cast & Crew of
The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne
Directors & Credit Writers
... Director
Cast
... Judith Hearne
... James Madden
... Aunt D'Arcy
... Mrs. Rice
... Bernard Rice
RD
Rudi Davies... Mary
... Moira O'Neill
... Edie Marinan
... Mrs Friel
... Mr Lenehan
KB
Kate Binchy... Sister Ignatius
... Sister Mary-Paul
... Mrs Mullen
... The Major
... Dr Bowe
KF
Kevin Flood... Owen O'Neill
... Una O'Neill
... Kevin O'Neill
... Shaun O'Neill
... Youth at Liquor Store (as Aiden Murphy)
Produced By
... Producer
IL
Irene Lamb... Casting
Videos & Photos of
The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne
Videos ( 1)
Photos ( 8 )
Related Movies To
The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne
Ice Road: Vengeance (2025)
0 /10
Big rig ice road driver Mike McCann travels to Nepal to scatter his late brother’s ashes on Mt. Everest. While on a packed tour bus traversing the deadly 12,000 ft. terrain of the infamous Road to the Sky, McCann and his mountain guide encounter a group of mercenaries and must fight to save themselves, the busload of innocent travelers, and the local villagers’ homeland.
Run Time: 1hr 53` . MMPA: R . Release: 27 Jun 2025
Director: Jonathan Hensleigh
Producer: Lisa Wilson , Shivani Rawat , John Leonetti
Stars: Liam Neeson , Fan Bingbing , Marcus Thomas , Mahesh Jadu , Bernard Curry , Saksham Sharma
F1 (2025)
0 /10
Racing legend Sonny Hayes is coaxed out of retirement to lead a struggling Formula 1 team—and mentor a young hotshot driver—while chasing one more chance at glory.
Run Time: 2hr 36` . MMPA: PG-13 . Release: 25 Jun 2025
Director: Toby Hefferman , Donald E G Bentley , Gary Powell
Producer: David Campbell-Bell , Alessandro Minisola , Lewis Hamilton
Stars: Brad Pitt , Damson Idris , Kerry Condon , Tobias Menzies , Lewis Hamilton , Javier Bardem
The Twisters (2024)
0 /10
A deadly patchwork of destructive cyclones is on an apocalyptic path of convergence at a populated Midwest city center. There, the twisters will merge into one mega tornado that threatens to obliterate the cities for hundreds of miles around.
Run Time: 1hr 27` . MMPA: . Release: 28 Jun 2024
Director: Michael Su
Producer: David Michael Latt , Ryan Ebert , James Mahoney
Stars: Kayla Fields , Mark Justice , Paul Logan , Curtis Strong , Tiffany , Sofia Riba
Breathing In (2023)
0 /10
1901, South Africa. As the Second Anglo-Boer War rages on, a wounded General seeks refuge in the small home of a woman and her young daughter. As the hurt man settles in, he begins noticing that something is off about the two women, particularly the daughter, and before long, he’ll learn the real reason for why they’ve invited him and for how they’ve survived on their own for so long.
Run Time: 1hr 45` . MMPA: . Release: 18 Oct 2023
Director: Jaco Bouwer
Producer:
Stars: Michele Burgers , Sven Ruygrok , Jamie-Lee Money , Lionel Newton
STRAW (2025)
0 /10
What will be her last straw? A devastatingly bad day pushes a hardworking single mother to the breaking point — and into a shocking act of desperation.
Run Time: 1hr 45` . MMPA: R . Release: 05 Jun 2025
Director: Kyler Griffin , Derrick Doose , Marcus Wiley
Producer: Tyler Perry , Tony Strickland , Andy Norman
Stars: Taraji P. Henson , Sherri Shepherd , Teyana Taylor , Sinbad , Rockmond Dunbar , Ashley Versher
Life After Fighting (2024)
0 /10
Retired martial arts world champion Alex Faulkner has settled into a simple life, when the disappearance of two of his students leads to an unthinkable discovery close to home. Just when all hope of finding the children is lost, he locates the imprisoned girls and unsurfaces an international child trafficking operation, which draws him back into the fight of his life against those behind it.
Run Time: 2hr 6` . MMPA: . Release: 07 Jun 2024
Director: Bren Foster
Producer: Navid Bahadori , Chelsea Jean Foster , Bren Foster
Stars: Bren Foster , Cassie Howarth , Luke Ford , Annabelle Stephenson , Anthony Nassif , Arielle Jean Foster
The Secret Path (1999)
7.5 /10
14-year-old Jo Ann Foley lives in squalor in a rural Southern community during World War II. Abused by her bootlegging grandfather Hank, Jo Ann has, like her mother Marie, been forced into a life of prostitution. Periodically escaping her miserable existence, Jo Ann finds comfort, security, and genuine love with a poor but proud African American couple: Honey and Too Tall.
Run Time: 1hr 38` . MMPA: . Release: 02 Apr 1999
Director: Patricia Joyes , Bruce Pittman
Producer: Franklin Lett , Robert Greenwald , Kimberly Rubin
Stars: Della Reese , Ossie Davis , Crystal Bernard , Madeline Zima , Yvonne Zima , Ron White
Real Gangsters (2013)
7.2 /10
Real Gangsters tells the story of the Lo Giacamo family, one of the most successful crime syndicates in New York City. Run by cousins Vincent Lo Giacamo and Jack Lo Giacamo, Real Gangsters shows how these two men maintain control of their dangerous extended family and volatile business ventures by very different means.
Run Time: 1hr 28` . MMPA: . Release: 01 Jun 2013
Director: Frank D'Angelo
Producer:
Stars: Robert Loggia , John Savage , Steven Bauer , Margot Kidder , Nick Mancuso , Michael Paré
Bloomington (2010)
5.8 /10
A former child actress attends college in search of independence and ends up becoming romantically involved with a female professor. Their relationship thrives until an opportunity to return to acting forces her to make life-altering decisions.
Run Time: 1hr 23` . MMPA: . Release: 23 Jun 2010
Director: Rachel Rose , Derek W. Tow , Conor Byron
Producer: Jason Shumway , Marx Pyle , Nathan Dynak
Stars: Allison McAtee , Sarah Stouffer , Katherine Ann McGregor , Ray Zupp , J. Blakemore , Erika Heidewald
Karate Kid: Legends (2025)
0 /10
After a family tragedy, kung fu prodigy Li Fong is uprooted from his home in Beijing and forced to move to New York City with his mother. When a new friend needs his help, Li enters a karate competition – but his skills alone aren't enough. Li's kung fu teacher Mr. Han enlists original Karate Kid Daniel LaRusso for help, and Li learns a new way to fight, merging their two styles into one for the ultimate martial arts showdown.
Run Time: 1hr 34` . MMPA: PG-13 . Release: 08 May 2025
Director: Peng Zhang , Richard Graves , Shanna Roberts Salée
Producer: Jenny Hinkey , Ralph Macchio , Karen Rosenfelt
Stars: Jackie Chan , Ralph Macchio , Ben Wang , Joshua Jackson , Sadie Stanley , Ming-Na Wen
Never Back Down: No Surrender (2016)
6.3 /10
Picking up after the events of Never Back Down 2, former MMA champion Case Walker is on the comeback trail to become champion once again.
Run Time: 1hr 41` . MMPA: R . Release: 07 Jun 2016
Director: Larnell Stovall , Michael Jai White
Producer: David Zelon , Craig Baumgarten
Stars: Michael Jai White , Josh Barnett , Gillian White , Nathan Jones , Damian Mavis , Aaron Brumfield
Shadow Force (2025)
0 /10
Kyrah and Isaac were once the leaders of a multinational special forces group called Shadow Force. They broke the rules by falling in love, and in order to protect their son, they go underground. With a large bounty on their heads, and the vengeful Shadow Force hot on their trail, one family's fight becomes all-out war.
Run Time: 1hr 43` . MMPA: R . Release: 01 May 2025
Director: Paulo Orellana , Jayson Merrill , Tim Trella
Producer: Juliana Muñoz , Carlos Rey del Castillo , Gustavo Borbon
Stars: Mark Strong , Kerry Washington , Omar Sy , Da'Vine Joy Randolph , Method Man , Ed Quinn