''Turtle Diary'' is a 1985 British film directed by

John Irvin John Irvin (born 7 May 1940) is an English film director. Born in Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, he began his career by directing a number of documentaries and television works, including the BBC adaptation of John le Carré's '' Tinke ...

and starring

Glenda Jackson Glenda May Jackson (born 9 May 1936) is an English actress and former Member of Parliament (MP). She has won the Academy Award for Best Actress twice: for her role as Gudrun Brangwen in the romantic drama ''Women in Love'' (1970); and again for ...

Ben Kingsley Sir Ben Kingsley (born Krishna Pandit Bhanji; 31 December 1943) is an English actor. He has received various accolades throughout his career spanning five decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Grammy Award, and tw ...

, and Michael Gambon. Based on a screenplay adapted by Harold Pinter from

Russell Hoban Russell Conwell Hoban (February 4, 1925 – December 13, 2011) was an American expatriate writer. His works span many genres, including fantasy, science fiction, mainstream fiction, magical realism, poetry, and children's books. He lived in ...

's novel ''Turtle Diary'', the film is about "people rediscovering the joys of life and love". The film contains elements of

romance Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings * Romance languages, ...

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

, and

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

and has been described as a

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

Synopsis

Two lonely Londoners - Neaera Duncan, a children's author (

), and William Snow, a bookstore assistant (

) - find common ground when visiting the sea turtles at London Zoo. Independently, each perceives that the turtles are unnaturally confined, and they hatch a plan with the assistance of zookeeper George Fairbairn ( Michael Gambon) to smuggle them out and release them into the sea. Their release of the turtles is a metaphor for their escape from their inhibitions.

Main cast

as Neaera Duncan, a "Popular children's author … fearing her creative talents have evaporated, hoescapes into the dreamy world of sea turtles seeking inspiration in their beauty and grace." *

as William Snow, "a humble assistant in a bookstore where he, too, dreams of the turtles." *

Richard Johnson Richard or Dick Johnson may refer to: Academics * Dick Johnson (academic) (1929–2019), Australian academic * Richard C. Johnson (1930–2003), professor of electrical engineering * Richard A. Johnson, artist and professor at the University of ...

as Mr. Johnson, a neighbor of Neaera Duncan * Michael Gambon as George Fairbairn, the zookeeper charged with caring for the turtles * Jeroen Krabbé as Mr. Sandor, a neighbor of William Snow *

Rosemary Leach Rosemary Anne Leach (18 December 1935 – 21 October 2017) was a British stage, television and film actress. She won the 1982 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a New Play for ''84, Charing Cross Road'' and was nominated for the BAFTA Award fo ...

as Mrs. Charlie Inchcliff, Williams Snow's landlady *

Eleanor Bron Eleanor Bron (born 14 March 1938) is an English stage, film and television actress, and an author. Her film roles include Ahme in the Beatles musical ''Help!'' (1965), the Doctor in '' Alfie'' (1966), Margaret Spencer in '' Bedazzled'' (1967), a ...

as Miss Neap, a neighbor of William Snow *

Harriet Walter Dame Harriet Mary Walter (born 24 September 1950) is a British actress. She has received a Laurence Olivier Award as well as numerous nominations including for a Tony Award, three Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2011 ...

as Harriet Simms, a colleague of William Snow at the bookstore *

Nigel Hawthorne Sir Nigel Barnard Hawthorne (5 April 1929 – 26 December 2001) was an English actor. He is most known for his stage acting and his portrayal of Sir Humphrey Appleby, the permanent secretary in the 1980s sitcom '' Yes Minister'' and the Cabi ...

as the publisher of books by Neaera Duncan Harold Pinter has a

cameo role A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly ei ...

as a man in the bookshop where William and Harriet work.

Critical reception and analysis

In his 1985 review of the film for ''

The Sunday Telegraph ''The Sunday Telegraph'' is a British broadsheet newspaper, founded in February 1961 and published by the Telegraph Media Group, a division of Press Holdings. It is the sister paper of ''The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', kn ...

'', David Castell observes that Pinter's screenplay concentrates on developing dialogue and plot, leaving clues for the actors to convey their characters' subtle emotional and psychological development: "It is hard to think of two actors better matched to play Pinter than

and

. They milk every nuance, point up every missed beat and relish each irony and repetition in the script. … ''Turtle Diary'' is a fine film that charts movingly the unnoticed despair of everyday lives, the sufferings of those who endure loneliness in silence." The film grossed $2.2 million on its American theatrical release.

Home video

The film was released on videocassette in 1985 by Vestron Video. The film has not been released on DVD.

Notes

References

*Castell, David.
Review of ''Turtle Diary''
'' Sunday Telegraph'' 1 Dec. 1985. Rpt. in ''HaroldPinter.org''. Harold Pinter, 2000–2003 009 Accessed 22 March 2009.

External links

* * *
"Films by Harold Pinter: Turtle Diary, 1984"
at ''HaroldPinter.org'' – ''The Official Website of International Playwright Harold Pinter'' (Includes production details and excerpt of film review by Castell.) {{John Irvin 1985 films British romantic comedy films 1985 romantic comedy films Films with screenplays by Harold Pinter Films directed by John Irvin Films about turtles Films set in zoos 1980s English-language films 1980s British films