The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne

A talk by Hugh Odling-Smee 

The film version of Brian Moore’s 1955 novel, The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne directed by Jack Clayton and starring Maggie Smith and Bob Hoskins was released into cinemas in 1989. Well received by the critics, the film surprisingly failed at the box office and is a largely forgotten portrait of one of the great Belfast novels of the 20^th century. This illustrated talk will look at the journey from the stellar success of the novel’s release to the screen version’s disappointing release 34 years later. This story of artistic development stars Brian Friel, Katherine Hepburn, John Huston, Cannon Films and of course Brian Moore himself.

Hugh Odling-Smee is the Manager of Film Hub NI, based at the Queen’s Film Theatre Belfast.