On Feb. 4, Tuesday Nights at the Movies presents the charming British comedy, “Shirley Valentine,” which asks, “Is it ever too late to become who you were truly meant to be?”
Shirley Bradshaw (Pauline Collins reprising her Tony Award-winning performance), a long-suffering 40-something Liverpool housewife, has grown disillusioned with her life. Her hidebound husband, Joe (Bernard Hill), has become distant and judgmental of the very qualities that first attracted him to Shirley, and their two grown children have left home. Frustrated with the monotony of her daily routine, Shirley vacillates between not feeling needed any longer and feeling taken for granted. She’s drowning in her joyless life, so lonely she talks to the wall (and through it, directly to us).
She is thrown a lifeline, however, when her single friend, Jane (Alison Steadman), invites Shirley to accompany her on an all-expenses-paid two-week trip to Mykonos. Dismissing the idea as ludicrous at first – she knows Joe wouldn’t approve – Shirley becomes increasingly convinced that she owes it to herself. You see, she was once Shirley Valentine, a bold, adventurous, and fun-loving young woman who lost herself over the years of putting others’ needs before her own.
In an act of rebellion worthy of her younger self, she sneaks off to Greece without telling Joe (though she does leave him a freezer full of pre-cooked meals). Once there, however, Jane promptly deserts Shirley for the “walking groin” she met on the flight. And, it doesn’t help that the others on the tour are so boorish and bigoted that Shirley balks against their condescending attempts to bring her into their group. “Funny, isn’t it,” she muses, “that if you’re a woman on your own, it doesn’t half seem to upset people.”
Shirley much prefers her own company and her interactions with the island’s residents, and she soon finds herself romanced by Costas (Tom Conti), the owner of a nearby taverna. Costas is charming, kind and attentive. He not only reminds Shirley that she’s still desirable, but also that she is so much more than the domestic roles she’s played for the past two decades. Costas is the person she needs in the moment, the spark to light her way out of the dark place she’s been inhabiting.
Despite this fling, Shirley Valentine isn’t a film about romance in the traditional sense. “The only holiday romance I’ve had is with myself,” Shirley proclaims. “And I think I’ve come to like myself, really. I think I’m alright.” Shirley never truly falls in love with Costas, only the idea of living again.
As Shirley remembers her hopes and dreams, she is gradually able to reclaim her authentic self, the woman she was before she let life beat her down. And while other people and circumstances contributed to dimming her spirit, Shirley acknowledges her own complicity: “I’ve allowed myself to lead this little life,” she confesses, “when inside me there was so much more.”
Based on an Olivier Award-winning play by Willy Russell, “Shirley Valentine” is directed by Lewis Gilbert (“Moonraker,” “The Spy who Loved Me”). Six years earlier, Gilbert had directed Russell’s “Educating Rita,” which similarly follows a woman dissatisfied with her life and yearning for something more. Renowned composer Marvin Hamlisch penned the film's Oscar-nominated theme song, "The Girl Who Used to Be Me," with Alan and Marilyn Bergman (the same team that co-wrote title song and score for “The Way We Were.”)
Collins beat out Glenn Close, Jodie Foster, and Melanie Griffith to take home the BAFTA for Best Actress in a Leading Role for “Shirley Valentine.” Her performance was also nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe. Rounding out the film’s cast are Joanna Lumley (“Absolutely Fabulous”) as Shirley’s high school rival and Julia McKenzie as her posh neighbor.
Near the film’s conclusion, Shirley observes, “We don’t do what we want to do, do we? We do what we have to do and pretend it’s what we want to do.” The question is what will happen when her holiday is over. Will she once again become the put-upon Shirley Bradshaw? Or will she remain the spirited and irrepressible Shirley Valentine?
By turns comic, buoyant, and philosophical, “Shirley Valentine” may begin with Shirley running away from an unsatisfying life, but by the time the credits roll, we know she’s now running toward a hopeful future.
Tuesday Nights at the Movies is a partnership between The Chestnut Hill Film Group and Woodmere. To join the CHFG mailing list, email lwilliams@woodmereartmuseum.org.
“Shirley Valentine,” (1989, 108 minutes) will be presented on Tuesday, February 4, 2025, at 7 pm (doors open at 6:30) at Woodmere, 9201 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19118. Light refreshments are served. Films are free to attend, but contributions are gratefully accepted.
Lily Williams is President of The Chestnut Hill Film Group and Woodmere’s Director of Development.