Kate Nelligan was brilliant on stage in the leading role of Susan Traherne. She originated the part in the British stage production and then repeated it on Broadway several years later. Nelligan projected great strength early on, so that when her character began falling apart, it was all the more devastating. So it's a shame she didn't get to play the part on screen.
Then again, maybe it's just as well. The movie has fabulous production design and an excellent supporting cast, but it fills in too much for the audience, making things obvious where more ambiguity would have made audiences think more.
Meryl Streep wasn't *bad* in the movie version, but she doesn't "fit," in my mind. That said, she was excellent when she worked again with PLENTY director Fred Schepisi in A CRY IN THE DARK.
Then again, maybe it's just as well. The movie has fabulous production design and an excellent supporting cast, but it fills in too much for the audience, making things obvious where more ambiguity would have made audiences think more.
Meryl Streep wasn't *bad* in the movie version, but she doesn't "fit," in my mind. That said, she was excellent when she worked again with PLENTY director Fred Schepisi in A CRY IN THE DARK.