| Priest of Love | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical film poster | |
| Directed by | Christopher Miles |
| Written by | Alan Plater Harry T. Moore (biography) |
| Produced by | Christopher Miles Andrew Donally |
| Starring | Ian McKellen Janet Suzman Ava Gardner Penelope Keith Jorge Rivero John Gielgud Maurizio Merli James Faulkner Massimo Ranieri Graham Faulkner |
| Cinematography | Ted Moore B.S.C |
| Edited by | Paul Davies Ann Chegwidden |
| Music by | Joseph James[1] |
Production company | Milesian Films with Ronceval Inc |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 98 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Languages | English, German, Spanish, Italian |
Priest of Love is a 1981 British biographical film about D. H. Lawrence and his wife Frieda (née Von Richthofen) played by Ian McKellen and Janet Suzman. It was a Stanley J. Seeger presentation, produced and directed by Christopher Miles and co-produced by Andrew Donally. The screenplay was by Alan Plater from the biography The Priest of Love by Harry T. Moore. The music score was by Francis James Brown and Stanley J. Seeger, credited jointly as "Joseph James".
The film was first released by Filmways in New York on 11 October 1981 and then by Enterprise Pictures Ltd in London with a Royal Premiere on 18 February 1982.[2][3][4][5]
The film was then re-cut in 1985 by the director for the centenary of D.H.Lawrence’s birth, and was re-released in cinemas by Enterprise Pictures to greater commercial and critical success. All copies of the 1981 original version were legally withdrawn and are no longer available. The world rights are now owned by Milesian Lion and distributed by Screenbound International Pictures.[6]
This 1985 Centenary Version was then re-mastered in 2011 for a new DVD release in the United States (Kino International – standard DVD and Blu-ray) and in the UK (Odeon Entertainment – standard DVD, 2012). The extras on both DVDs include interviews with Ian McKellen and Christopher Miles, and Penelope Keith narrates "The Way We Got It Together", on the making of the film.
- ^ Pseudonym for Francis James Brown and Stanley Joseph Seeger.
- ^ Daily News NYC (8.7.1981)
- ^ The Times (19.2.82)
- ^ "Priest of Love". Variety. 1 January 1981. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (10 November 1981). "Priest of Love movie review & film summary (1981)". Roger Ebert.com. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
- ^ Letters by Simkins LLP between Milesian Film Productions and Christopher Cone 30.1019: Between MFPL and the BFI National Archive(9.1.91)