| The Lady in the Van | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Nicholas Hytner |
| Screenplay by | Alan Bennett |
| Based on | The Lady in the Van by Alan Bennett |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Andrew Dunn |
| Edited by | Tariq Anwar |
| Music by | George Fenton |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Sony Pictures Releasing International[1] |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 104 minutes[2] |
| Country | United Kingdom[3] |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $6 million[4] |
| Box office | $41.4 million[5] |
The Lady in the Van is a 2015 British[3] comedy-drama film directed by Nicholas Hytner, and starring Maggie Smith and Alex Jennings, based on the memoir of the same name created by Alan Bennett.
It was written by Bennett, and it tells the (mostly[6]) true story of his interactions with Mary Shepherd, an elderly woman who lived in a dilapidated van on his driveway in north London for 15 years.[citation needed] He had previously published the story as a 1989 essay, 1990 book, 1999 stage play, and 2009 radio play on BBC Radio 4. Smith had previously portrayed Shepherd twice: in the 1999 stage play, which earned her a Best Actress nomination at the 2000 Olivier Awards,[7] and in the 2009 radio adaptation.[8]
Hytner directed the 1999 stage play at the Queen's Theatre in London's West End. The film was shown in the Special Presentations section of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival[9] and received largely positive reviews from critics.
- ^ "The Lady in the Van". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
- ^ "THE LADY IN THE VAN (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. 20 July 2015. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
- ^ a b "The Lady in the Van (2015)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 3 March 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
- ^ Sharon Feinstein (26 October 2014). "Downton dowager is happy on tramp's pay". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 17 March 2015. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
- ^ "The Lady in the Van (2015)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
- ^ according to the film's introduction
- ^ "The Lady in the Van". The Telegraph. Telegraph.co.uk. 25 April 2016. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
- ^ Christopher Orr (22 January 2016). "Review: In 'The Lady in the Van,' Maggie Smith Dazzles Yet Again". The Atlantic. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
- ^ Kay, Jeremy (28 July 2015). "Toronto to open with 'Demolition'; world premieres for 'Trumbo', 'The Program' | News | Screen". Screendaily.com. Retrieved 26 December 2016.