Solomon and Gaenor (1999)

Director:

Paul Morrison

Writer:

Paul Morrison (writer)

Release Date:

30 April 1999 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Their tragedy was to fall in love.

Plot:

A tragic love story between a Jewish young man and a Welsh woman in the beginning of the century. The movie is mostly in English with parts in Welsh and Yiddish

Plot Keywords:

1910s | Church | Barn | Anti Semitism | Coal Miner

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 7 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Ioan Gruffudd	...	Solomon Levinsky
Nia Roberts	...	Gaenor Rees
Sue Jones-Davies	...	Gwen (as Sue Jones Davies)
William Thomas	...	Idris Rees
Mark Lewis Jones	...	Crad Rees
Maureen Lipman	...	Rezl
David Horovitch	...	Isaac
Bethan Ellis Owen	...	Bronwen
Adam Jenkins	...	Thomas
Cyril Shaps	...	Ephraim
Daniel Kaye	...	Philip
Elliot Cantor	...	Benjamin
Steffan Rhodri	...	Noah Jones
Emyr Wyn	...	Reverend Roberts
Julian Lewis Jones	...	Wyn

Also Known As:

Solomon & Gaenor (USA)
Solomon a Gaenor (Wales: Welsh title) [cy]
Solomon y Gaenor (Argentina) (cable TV title) [es]

MPAA:

Rated R for sexuality and a scene of violence.

Runtime:

Argentina:105 min | Germany:102 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | Welsh | Yiddish

Color:

Color

Certification:

Canada:14A (Ontario) | UK:15 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Hong Kong:III | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Cardiff, South Glamorgan, Wales, UK

Company:

APT Films

Trivia:

Rabbi Daniel Levy (who plays Rabbi Wolfe) is an Orthodox Rabbi, and at the time was the Rabbi of the Orthodox Synagogue in Cardiff.

Quotes:

Solomon Levinsky: You pray to your God. And I'll pray to mine.

A dark and unforgiving tale of a modern Romeo and Juliet.

Solomon And Gaenor never lets you forget for an instant that this is a doomed romance. Unlike Shakespeare's version, there is no sympathetic character to offer a glimmer of hope to the young lovers. Rather the story takes its cue from its bleak setting in a Welsh mining town in 1911.

This is not to say, however, that the film is maudlin - it isn't. Rather the horrifying reality of Solomon and Gaenor's situation adds poignancy to their love. A delicate and intricately detailed dress that Solomon makes for Gaenor serves as a reminder that, like the dress, their relationship is too beautiful and fragile to last in such hostile surrounds. On a more technical note, the blend of languages (Yiddish, Gaelic, and English) works well, adding an air of authenticity without being self-conscious or knowing. The two leads, Gruffudd and Roberts bring a freshness and vitality to their roles that sidesteps any stereotypes. These are not Byronic figures, stalking moodily across a barren landscape. They are two people made happy by love in a dismal place.

I definitely recommend this film.