View source for Truly, Madly, Deeply (film)


{{Use British English|date=March 2013}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Truly, Madly, Deeply
| image          = TrulyMadlyDeeplyMoviePoster.png
| alt            = 
| caption        = Reproduction poster
| director       = [[Anthony Minghella]]
| producer       = Robert Cooper
| writer         = Anthony Minghella
| starring       = {{plainlist|
* [[Juliet Stevenson]]
* [[Alan Rickman]]
* [[Bill Paterson (actor)|Bill Paterson]]
* [[Michael Maloney]]}}
| music          = [[Barrington Pheloung]]
| cinematography = [[Remi Adefarasin]]
| editing        = John Stothart
| studio         = [[BBC Films]]<br />Lionheart<br />Winston
| distributor    = [[The Samuel Goldwyn Company]]
| released       = {{Film date|df=y|1990|11|10|[[BFI London Film Festival|London Film Festival]]|1991|05|03|US|1991|08|16|UK}}
| runtime        = 106 minutes<!--Theatrical runtime: 106:26--><ref>{{cite web|title=''TRULY MADLY DEEPLY'' (PG)|url=http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/truly-madly-deeply-1970|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130419204452/http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/truly-madly-deeply-1970|url-status=dead|archive-date=19 April 2013|work=[[British Board of Film Classification]]|date=1991-07-04|accessdate=2013-03-04}}</ref>
| country        = United Kingdom
| language       = English
| budget         = 
| gross          = $1,554,742<ref>{{mojo title|trulymadlydeeply|Truly, Madly, Deeply}}</ref>
}}
'''''Truly, Madly, Deeply''''' is a 1990 British [[Fantasy film|fantasy]] [[Drama (film and television)|drama film]] made for the [[BBC]]'s ''[[Screen Two]]'' series, by [[BBC Films]], Lionheart and Winston Pictures. The film, written and directed by [[Anthony Minghella]], stars [[Juliet Stevenson]] and [[Alan Rickman]].

==Plot==
Nina, an [[Interpreter (communication)|interpreter]], is beside herself with grief at the recent death of her boyfriend, Jamie, a [[cellist]]. When she is on the verge of despair, Jamie reappears as a "ghost" and the couple are reunited. Nina is ecstatic.

But Jamie tells her about his days while she is at work, and one dialogue suggests she should embrace the life around her; one of these is about a memorial plaque in a park about a dead child and how parents who read it feel an immediate, compelling need to hug their children.

The returned Jamie also reminds her that he also irritated her, and as a ghost he manifests behaviours she'd have little patience for – turning up the [[central heating]] to stifling levels, moving furniture around and inviting back "ghost friends" to watch videos. This infuriates her, and their relationship deteriorates.

She meets Mark, a [[psychologist]], to whom she is attracted, but she is unwilling to become involved with him because of Jamie's continued presence. Nina continues to love Jamie but is conflicted by his self-centered behaviour and ultimately wonders out loud, "Was it always like this?" Over Nina's objections, Jamie decides to leave to allow her to move on.

Towards the end of the film, Jamie watches Nina leave and one of his fellow ghosts asks, "Well?" and Jamie responds, "I think so... Yes." At this point the central conceit of the movie has become clear: Jamie came back specifically to help Nina get over him by tarnishing her idealized memory of him.<ref name="minghella" />

==Cast==
{{cast list|
* [[Juliet Stevenson]] as Nina
* [[Alan Rickman]] as Jamie
* Jenny Howe as Burge
* Carolyn Choa as Translator
* [[Bill Paterson (actor)|Bill Paterson]] as Sandy
* Christopher Rozycki as Titus
* Keith Bartlett as Plumber
* [[David Ryall]] as George
* Stella Maris as Maura
* Ian Hawkes as Harry
* [[Deborah Findlay]] as Claire
* Vania Vilers as Frenchman
* Arturo Venegas as Roberto
* Richard Syms as Symonds
* [[Michael Maloney]] as Mark
}}

==Production==
Minghella said he wrote the script specifically as "a vehicle for [Stevenson] to express all her talents. She plays [[piano]], likes dancing and has a quirky side to her which she usually can't express in the classical parts she is asked for."<ref name=mees>{{cite web |url= http://www.talkingpix.co.uk/Anthony%20Minghella.htm|title= Anthony Minghella|accessdate=2008-04-08 |last= Mees|first= Jaap|publisher= Talking Pictures}}</ref> The title comes from a [[word game]] played by the main characters, in which they challenge each other to by turns repeat and add to a series of [[adverb]]s describing the depths of their mutual affection. The working title for the film was '[[Cello]]', a reference not only to the cello within the film, but also to the [[Italian language|Italian]] word 'cielo' for heaven. The film was made-for-TV, and produced in a 28-day shooting schedule for just $650,000.<ref name=minghella>Anthony Minghella, Commentary with the MGM DVD release</ref>

It was shot on location in [[London]] and [[Bristol]], with external shots in [[Highgate]] and on the [[South Bank]]. Stevenson said in 2012 that it was the favourite role of her career,<ref Name=Stevenson>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/9116653/Flashback-Juliet-Stevenson-on-working-with-Anthony-Minghella-in-1990.html "Flashback: Juliet Stevenson on working with Anthony Minghella in 1990"], ''The Daily Telegraph'' 2 March 2012</ref><ref>{{cite book | last=Paton | first=M. | title=Alan Rickman: The Unauthorised Biography | publisher=Ebury Publishing | year=2012 | isbn=978-1-4481-3264-5 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1592I3Rk8VQC&pg=PT225 | page=225}}</ref><ref>[http://filmlondon.org.uk/library/documents/South_Bank_Movie_Trail.pdf Film London]</ref> commenting that the shoot was like a party.<ref Name=Stevenson/>

==Release and reception==
The film had its world premiere on 10 November 1990 at the [[National Film Theatre]] as part of the [[BFI London Film Festival|London Film Festival]] with the title ''Cello''.<ref>{{cite book|title=34th London Film Festival|page=19|year=1990|last=Whittaker|first=Sheila}}</ref>

===Critical response===
The film was critically successful, winning several awards including a [[British Academy of Film and Television Arts|BAFTA]] for best original screenplay. (Alan Rickman and Juliet Stevenson received Best Actor and Best Actress, and Anthony Minghella Most Promising Newcomer, from the 1991 [[Evening Standard British Film Awards]].<ref>[https://www.standard.co.uk/goingout/film/evening-standard-british-film-awards-19902001-7222966.html "Evening Standard British Film Awards 1990-2001"], ''[[London Evening Standard]]'', 10 January 2003.</ref>) It became a hit in the American arthouse circuit and Minghella subsequently was offered work by every major studio in Hollywood.<ref name=mees/> The film's combination of serious themes with comic scenes, music and strong performances from the actors was noted by critics. [[Roger Ebert]] called it "a ''[[Ghost (1990 film)|Ghost]]'' for grownups" (a common comparison because of the shared theme of lovers returning as ghosts and the concurrent releases of the films) and considered the film to reveal "some truths that are, the more you think about them, really pretty profound".<ref>Roger Ebert, [https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/truly-madly-deeply-1991 Truly, Madly, Deeply], 24 May 1991</ref>

Review aggregator [[Rotten Tomatoes]] reports a 76% approval rating based on 38 reviews. The website's critics consensus reads: "Largely thanks to charming performances from Alan Rickman and Juliet Stevenson, ''Truly Madly Deeply'' is an afterlife romance with infectious spirit."<ref>[https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/truly_madly_deeply Truly, Madly, Deeply (1991)] at Rotten Tomatoes.</ref> At [[Metacritic]], the film has a weighted mean score of 72 out of 100 based on 16 reviews.<ref>[http://www.metacritic.com/movie/truly-madly-deeply/critic-reviews Truly Madly Deeply] at Metacritic.</ref>

===Awards and nominations===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Award
! Category
! Nominated work
! Result
|-
|rowspan=3|[[45th British Academy Film Awards|1992]] || rowspan=3|[[British Academy Film Awards]] || [[BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role|Best Actor]] || [[Alan Rickman]] || {{nom}}
|-
|[[BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role|Best Actress]] || [[Juliet Stevenson]] || {{nom}}
|-
|[[BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay|Best Original Screenplay]] || [[Anthony Minghella]] || {{won}}
|-
|rowspan=3|1992 || rowspan=3|[[Evening Standard British Film Awards]] || Best Actor || Alan Rickman || {{won}}
|-
|Best Actress || Juliet Stevenson || {{won}}
|-
|Most Promising Newcomer || Anthony Minghella || {{won}} 
|-
|rowspan=2|1992 || rowspan=2|[[London Film Critics' Circle]] || [[London Film Critics' Circle Award for Actor of the Year|Best Actor of the Year]] || Alan Rickman || {{won}}
|-
|[[London Film Critics' Circle Award for Actress of the Year|Best Actress of the Year]] || Juliet Stevenson || {{won}}
|-
|rowspan=2|[[1991 New York Film Critics Circle Awards|1991]] || rowspan=2|[[New York Film Critics Circle]] || Best New Director || Anthony Minghella || {{nom}}
|-
|[[New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]] || Juliet Stevenson || {{nom}}
|-
|}

==See also==
*[[List of ghost films]]
* ''[[Kiss Me Goodbye (film)|Kiss Me Goodbye]]''
* ''[[Over Her Dead Body (2008 film)|Over Her Dead Body]]''

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|0103129}}
* [https://collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web/Details/ChoiceFilmWorks/150360639 ''Truly, Madly, Deeply''] at [[British Film Institute|BFI]]

{{Anthony Minghella}}

[[Category:1990s fantasy drama films]]
[[Category:1990 romantic drama films]]
[[Category:BBC Film films]]
[[Category:British fantasy drama films]]
[[Category:British romantic drama films]]
[[Category:Films about the afterlife]]
[[Category:Films directed by Anthony Minghella]]
[[Category:Films about music and musicians]]
[[Category:British ghost films]]
[[Category:British independent films]]
[[Category:1990s romantic fantasy films]]
[[Category:Films whose writer won the Best Original Screenplay BAFTA Award]]
[[Category:Films about grief]]
[[Category:1990s supernatural films]]
[[Category:1990 films]]
[[Category:Films shot in Bristol]]
[[Category:Films shot in London]]
[[Category:1990 independent films]]
[[Category:1990 English-language films]]
[[Category:1990 British films]]
[[Category:English-language independent films]]
[[Category:English-language romantic drama films]]
[[Category:English-language romantic fantasy films]]
[[Category:English-language fantasy drama films]]

{{Wikipedia attribution|original_title=Truly, Madly, Deeply (film)|access_date=2026-03-07}}