''The Jeweller's Shop'' ( it, La bottega dell'orefice) is a 1988 Italian-Austrian-Canadian-German

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

based on ''

The Jeweler's Shop ''The Jeweler's Shop'' (subtitled ''A Meditation on the Sacrament of Matrimony, Passing on Occasion into a Drama'') ( pl, Przed sklepem jubilera) is a three-act play, written in 1960 by Karol Wojtyła (later Pope John Paul II), that looks at thre ...

'', a play written by

Karol Józef Wojtyła Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

(

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

) and scripted by

Jeff Andrus Jeffery Hughes "Jeff" Andrus (; March 19, 1947 – March 27, 2011) was an American author, best known for having written ''The Proverb'' (2004), adapting Pope John Paul II's 1960 play ''The Jeweler's Shop'', ''Doc'' (1971), As Summers Die, ...

, starring Burt Lancaster and

Olivia Hussey Olivia Hussey (born Olivia Osuna; 17 April 1951) is an English film, stage, and television actress. Her awards include a Golden Globe Award and a David di Donatello Award. The daughter of Argentine opera singer Andrés Osuna, Hussey was born i ...

, directed by Michael Anderson.

Plot

In this romantic story The Jeweler (Burt Lancaster) sells wedding rings to a young couple and teaches them some precious truths about the meaning of love and marriage. The jeweller also helps another couple to fight for their troubled marriage, rebuilding their relationship. The reborn love between this second couple teaches their daughter that a loving marriage is possible, and she eventually accepts the marriage proposal from the first couple's son.

Act 1 - Signals

Andrew and Teresa are a young couple that have been friends for many years. A terrifying sound on a hike into the mountains with their priest, Fr. Adam, helps them to realize how much they mean to each other. The origin of the "signal" is never explained. Stefan meets Anna on that same hike and falls in love with her at first sight. Andrew later proposes to Teresa near to the town jeweler's shop, where they buy the

wedding ring A wedding ring or wedding band is a finger ring that indicates that its wearer is married. It is usually forged from metal, traditionally gold or another precious metal. Rings were used in ancient Rome during marriage, though the modern prac ...

s which symbolize their desire to be permanently united. Andrew and Teresa remain in Poland, where they are swept up in the tragedies of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

; Stefan and Anna escape the war by emigrating to Canada.

Act 2 - The Bridegroom

Stefan and Anna are a couple in a troubled marriage where love does not seem to exist. Their lives are filled with emptiness and disillusionment. Anna goes to a jeweler's shop to sell her wedding ring, but the jeweler tells her it has no monetary value because her husband is still alive. She then meets the priest who had organized the trip to the mountains in Act 1 and opens her heart to him. The priest reminds her of the

Parable of the Ten Virgins The Parable of the Ten Virgins, also known as the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins or the Parable of the ten bridesmaids, is one of the parables of Jesus. According to , ten virgins await a bridegroom; five have brought enough oil f ...

, and tells her to keep her lamp burning for the bridegroom.

Act 3 - The Children

Christopher (son of Andrew and Teresa) and Monica (daughter of Stefan and Anna) fall deeply in love and both reflect on the lives of their parents and how this has skewed their personal views of love and marriage. Andrew has died in the war, when Christopher was two, leaving Christopher to fear the pain of losing love. Monica is afraid that marriage will not last because of her parents' troubled marriage.

Cast

References

*''Canada and Canadians in feature films: a filmography, 1928-1990'', by Ian K. Easterbrook, Susan Waterman MacLean

External links

* 1988 films 1988 romantic drama films Austrian romantic drama films Canadian romantic drama films English-language Austrian films English-language Canadian films English-language German films English-language Italian films Austrian films based on plays Italian films based on plays German films based on plays Films directed by Michael Anderson Italian romantic drama films West German films German romantic drama films 1980s English-language films 1980s Canadian films 1980s Italian films 1980s German films {{romantic-drama-film-stub