''Reflections'' is a 1984 British

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 ...

directed by

Kevin Billington Kevin Billington (12 June 1934 – 13 December 2021) was a British film director, who worked in the theatre, film and television from the 1960s. Biography The son of a factory worker,Fred Hauptfuhre''People'', 13:12, 24 March 1980 and educated ...

and starring

Gabriel Byrne Gabriel James Byrne (born 12 May 1950) is an Irish actor, film director, film producer, screenwriter, audiobook narrator, and author. His acting career began in the Focus Theatre before he joined London's Royal Court Theatre in 1979. Byrne's s ...

Donal McCann Donal McCann (7 May 1943 – 17 July 1999) was an Irish stage, film, and television actor best known for his roles in the works of Brian Friel and for his lead role in John Huston's last film, ''The Dead''. In 2020, he was listed as number 4 ...

and

Fionnula Flanagan Fionnghuala Manon "Fionnula" Flanagan (born 10 December 1941) is an Irish stage, television, and film actress. For her contributions to the entertainment industry, she was given the IFTA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012. Flanagan is known f ...

.''Reflections'' (1984)

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

The film is an adaptation for the British broadcaster

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

of the 1982 novel ''

The Newton Letter ''The Newton Letter'' is a 1982 novella by John Banville. Drawing comparisons with Ford Madox Ford's '' The Good Soldier'' and John Hawkes's ''The Blood Oranges'' for their use of the unreliable narrator, ''The Newton Letter'' was described in ...

'' by

John Banville William John Banville (born 8 December 1945) is an Irish novelist, short story writer, adapter of dramas and screenwriter. Though he has been described as "the heir to Proust, via Nabokov", Banville himself maintains that W. B. Yeats and Henry ...

, who also wrote the screenplay. The budget was £502,000.

Plot

The film follows the adventures of an aspiring biographer of

Isaac Newton Sir Isaac Newton (25 December 1642 – 20 March 1726/27) was an English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, and author (described in his time as a " natural philosopher"), widely recognised as one of the g ...

who rents a rural retreat in the south of Ireland to write an in-depth treatment of an obscure and disturbing letter Newton sent in 1693 to John Locke. He becomes involved with two women: Ottilie Garinger and her aunt, Charlotte. The presence of Charlotte's husband, Edward Lawless, creates a romantic triangle-plus-one.

Cast

as William Masters *

as Edward Lawless *

as Mrs. Charlotte Lawless *

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 Ottilie Garinger * Gerard Cummins as Michael Lawless *

Niall Toibin Niall is a male given name of Irish origin. The original meaning of the name is unknown, but popular modern sources have suggested that it means "champion" (derived from the Old Irish word ''niadh''),. According to John Ryan, Professor of Early a ...

as Mr. Prunty * Peadar Lamb as Doctor * Des Nealon as Tom Mittler * Margaret Wade as Bunny Mittler * Larry O'Driscoll as Rat Man * Noel O'Flaherty as Rat Man

References

External links

* 1984 films 1984 drama films British drama films Cultural depictions of Isaac Newton 1980s English-language films Films based on Irish novels Films directed by Kevin Billington Films with screenplays by John Banville 1980s British films {{1980s-UK-film-stub