Firelight
- Sophie Marceau: Elisabeth Laurier
- Stephen Dillane: Charles Godwin
- Dominique Belcourt: Louisa Godwin
- Kevin Anderson: John Taylor
- Lia Williams: Constance
- Joss Ackland: Lord Clare
- Sally Dexter: Molly Holland
- Emma Amos: Ellen
- Maggie McCarthy: Mrs Jago
- Wolf Kahler: Sussman
- Annabel Giles: Amy Godwin
- John Flanagan: Robert Ames
- Valerie Minifie: Hannah
- Diana Payan: Mrs Maidment
- John Hodgkinson: Carlo
Firelight (Original Title: Firelight ) is an American- British drama film from 1997 directed by William Nicholson, who also wrote the screenplay..
Action
The action begins in 1835 in London. The nobleman Charles Godwin is married to Amy, who is bedridden due to a riding accident and is not accessible in continuous coma. To get an heir, Charles paid the destitute Swiss Elisabeth Laurier that bespeaks a child with him, and this gives to the Godwins, officially adopt it as a foundling.
But Elizabeth can not forget her daughter. After seven years, she manages to make her daughter Louisa identify and be set as a governess for her at the Godwin. She befriends, without being able to identify themselves as their mother, with pedagogical skills and empathy with the first sealed and negative Louisa and teaches reading them. Over time, a clandestine love affair between Elizabeth and Charles developed. The father of Charles, Lord Clare, a bon vivant, courting first to Elizabeth, but lets go when he gets confirmed the relationship between Elizabeth and his son. It is known that Lord Clare has ownership in debt so that the property must be sold.
Charles, suffering his wife is very close, struggling through an active euthanasia by secretly reveals Amy at night in bed and exposes them in their unheated bedroom the winter cold. By her death Charles does not unselfishly also the way to an open relationship with Elisabeth free. Amy's sister Constance, who supports her brother Charles for years in financial management, now hopes that Charles will marry her. However, this leaves the indebted property by his father and goes together with Elisabeth and Louisa in a new future. Previously, Louisa was discovered in a diary of Elizabeth, that she is her real mother and is united happy with her.
Background
The film was shot in Calvados (France) and in England. The world premiere was held at the Deauville Film Festival on September 14, 1997. The film grossed a worldwide about 3.1 million U.S. dollars.
Reviews
The lexicon of international film wrote that the film was a "sound staged, constructed according to classical patterns romantic drama with concise drawn characters ." He draw " a coherent picture of society of the 19th century " and give the " disturbing events " in " still images and muted colors " again.
Awards
William Nicholson and Nic Morris won in 1997, the Festival Internacional de Cine de Donostia- San Sebastián prices; Nicholson was nominated for the Golden Shell. Nic was nominated in 1998 for Best Cinematography Award by the British Society of Cinematographers.