''Shadows in the Sun'' is a

television movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

starring

Harvey Keitel Harvey Keitel ( ; born May 13, 1939) is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of morally ambiguous and "tough guy" characters. He first rose to prominence during the New Hollywood movement, and has held a long-running association with ...

and

Joshua Jackson Joshua Carter Jackson (born June 11, 1978) is a Canadian-American actor. He is known for his starring role as Charlie Conway in '' Mighty Ducks'', as Pacey Witter in The WB teen drama series ''Dawson's Creek'' (1998–2003), Peter Bishop in t ...

. It premiered on ABC Family in 2005. It was written and directed by Brad Mirman, and was filmed under the title ''The Shadow Dancer''.

Background

The film, set in Tuscany, has been compared to '' Under the Tuscan Sun''. It was largely shot in the

Val d'Orcia The Val d'Orcia or Valdorcia () is a region of Tuscany, central Italy, which extends from the hills south of Siena to Monte Amiata. Its gentle, cultivated hills are occasionally broken by gullies and by picturesque towns and villages such as Pie ...

Synopsis

Jeremy (

), an American-British book editor living in London, is an aspiring writer seeking a new lease on life. He is sent by his employer to Tuscany, Italy to elicit a new book from American-Italian author Weldon Parish (

). Parish, whose wife died 20 years ago, has been stricken with

writer's block Writer's block is a condition, primarily associated with writing, in which an author is either unable to produce new work or experiences a creative slowdown. Mike Rose found that this creative stall is not a result of commitment problems or th ...

ever since, and for years he resisted the prospect of writers or editors soliciting more work from him. Despite some initial hostility between Jeremy and Weldon, the two gradually become closer. Weldon is impressed by Jeremy's sharp dismissal of an arrogant author named Ian, and soon he becomes Jeremy's mentor. The two men spend time walking around the countryside while exchanging life experiences and thoughts. Together they socialize with local residents, and Jeremy befriends a few of them. Jeremy is totally captivated by Weldon's daughter Isabella ( Claire Forlani), and one festive night, he shares an intimate moment with Isabella. At the end, Weldon finds an inspiration and once again is able to write. Jeremy decides not to return home, but to choose Isabella instead, and resolves to finish his long-dormant novel.

Cast

as Weldon Parish *

as Jeremy Taylor * Claire Forlani as Isabella Parish *

Giancarlo Giannini Giancarlo Giannini (born 1 August 1942) is an Italian actor and voice actor. He won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor for his performance in '' Love and Anarchy'' (1973) and received an Academy Award nomination for '' Seven Beauties ...

as Father Moretti *Armando Pucci as Gustavo *

Valeria Cavalli Valeria Cavalli (born 1 November 1959) is an Italian actress and model. Selected filmography External links * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cavalli, Valeria Living people Italian female models 1959 births Italian film actresses Italian televi ...

as Amalia * Bianca Guaccero as Maura Parish *Silvia De Santis as Dinnie Parish *

John Rhys-Davies John Rhys-Davies (born 5 May 1944) is a Welsh actor best known for portraying Sallah in the ''Indiana Jones'' franchise and Gimli in ''The Lord of the Rings'' trilogy. His other roles include Michael Malone in the 1993 series ''The Untouch ...

as Mr. Benton

Critical reception

''Variety'' wrote that the film was predictable with a "hackneyed script," though praising Keitel and Giannini's performances: "It's as if these two pros know they're gliding through mediocrity and have decided to just enjoy each other's company." ''PopMatters'' also panned the film as "generating cringing laughter."

References

External links

* *
Shadows in the Sun (Josh Jackson network)
2005 television films 2005 films ABC Family original films Films about writers Films set in Tuscany Films directed by Brad Mirman Films with screenplays by Brad Mirman {{US-tv-film-stub