''Biddy'' is a 1983 film written and directed by

Christine Edzard Christine Edzard (born 15 February 1945)Christine Edzard
IMDb. Retrieved 29 March 2017. is a

Richard B. Goodwin at

Sands Films Sands Films is a small, independent, British film production company, founded by producer Richard Goodwin and director Christine Edzard in the early 1970s, and based in Rotherhithe, London. The company is known for making the film adaption of ...

Studios in London. The film stars acclaimed actress and theatre director

Celia Bannerman Celia Bannerman (born 3 June 1944) is an English actress and director. Career Celia Bannerman was born at Abingdon, Oxfordshire, and trained at the London Drama Centre. In 2023 she played Phebe in " As You Like It" at the RSC. She started ...

(in the title role), Sam Ghazoros, Kate Elphic, Patricia Napier, Sally Ashby, and John Dalby. The music was arranged by Michael Sanvoisin and cinematography was by

Alec Mills Alec Thomas Mills (born November 30, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals, Chicago Cubs, and Cincinnati Reds. The Royals sele ...

Plot Summary

The film tells the nostalgic story of a gentle and loving nursery maid in

Victorian England In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed th ...

and her relationship with the two children in her care as they grow into adulthood. The nanny imparts the lessons of her life through poetry and homily, with an eccentric sense of humour.

Production

, the production company that made the film, is owned and run by

Christine Edzard Christine Edzard (born 15 February 1945)Christine Edzard
IMDb. Retrieved 29 March 2017. is a

Richard B. Goodwin. ''Biddy'' was the third film made in collaboration with Goodwin by Edzard, who is known for her meticulous filmmaking, often based on Victorian English sources. The earlier productions were ''

Stories from a Flying Trunk ''Stories from a Flying Trunk'' is a 1979 film based on three stories by Hans Christian Andersen. It was devised, written and directed by Christine Edzard and produced by John Brabourne and Richard Goodwin. The music by Giacchino Rossini was ...

'' (1979) and '' The Nightingale'' (1981), and the couple's later films include ''

Little Dorrit ''Little Dorrit'' is a novel by English author Charles Dickens, originally published in Serial (literature), serial form between 1855 and 1857. The story features Amy Dorrit, youngest child of her family, born and raised in the Marshalsea pris ...

'' (1987), '' The Fool'' (1990), ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wil ...

'' (1991), ''

Amahl and the Night Visitors ''Amahl and the Night Visitors'' is an opera in one act by Gian Carlo Menotti with an original English libretto by the composer.Menotti, Gian-Carlo: ''Amahl and the Night Visitors (piano-vocal score)'', G. Schirmer, Inc., 1997. It was commiss ...

'' (1996), ''

The IMAX Nutcracker ''The IMAX Nutcracker'' is a 1997 short Christmas film directed by Christine Edzard based on The Nutcracker and the Mouse King by E. T. A. Hoffmann. It was produced by Celia Bannerman, Andrew Gellis, Lorne Orleans and Olivier Stockman at Sands F ...

'' (1997), ''

The Children's Midsummer Night's Dream ''The Children's Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a 2001 film based on the play ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' by William Shakespeare. It was written and directed by Christine Edzard and produced by Olivier Stockman. The music by Michel Sanvoisin was p ...

'' (2001) and ''The Good Soldier Schwejk (2018 film), The Good Soldier Schwejk'' (2018).

Reception

received an award at the Moscow Film Festival for her portrayal of the title character ''Biddy''. ''Time Out (magazine), Time Out'' was very positive, describing it as "a meticulously realised" and "perfectly nostalgic picture" which "extolls the virtues of Biddy" but whose real celebration is of the "paraphernalia of these lives. The sewing-boxes, the button-holes, the pieces of treen and piles of handworked lace, these are the real stars of the film". ''Empire (magazine), Empire'' gave the film three out of five stars, writing "Edzard's pensive drama...chronicles a maid's ritualistic devotion to her master's children in fetishistic detail. Here, story is replaced by the soothing rhythm of routine, all hushed voice-over and clock-ticking interiors. A gentle, whispering cinematic lullaby."

References

External links

''Sands Productions'' at Sands Films Movie Trailer at ''YouTube''
*{{rotten-tomatoes, Biddy 1983 films 1980s British films Films produced by Richard Goodwin (producer) Films set in the Victorian era British historical drama films 1980s historical drama films 1983 drama films 1980s English-language films English-language historical drama films