The War Bride
Winter 2002 Main series
Sunday, February 24, 2002 at 7:00pm
Empire Theatres, New Minas, NS
Directed by
Starring Anna Friel, Julie Cox, Brenda Fricker, Aden Young, and Molly Parker
Rated 14A ·
1h 43m
Canada / UK
English
Heartland Film Festival Award winner (2001), The War Bride is based on the true WW II story of Lily (Anna Friel) a young Londoner who marries Charlie (Aden Young), a Canadian serviceman. At the height of the 1940 blitz, Lily and her best friend Sophie (Julie Cox), who work as seamstresses in a small shop in the East End, fall madly in love with a pair of Canadian soldiers they meet at the local dance hall. Charlie fascinates Lily with stories of his family’s huge “John-Wayne-style ranch” on the Canadian Prairies “near Hollywood.” Passionate romance, a quick marriage and the birth of a baby girl create a world of happiness that is ruined when Charlie is sent to the front and Lily and her newborn must travel to Canada to live with her in-laws. Charlie’s “dream farm” proves to be little more than a scratch-dirt farm inhabited by his cold-hearted mother (Brenda Fricker) and sister (Molly Parker). Lily, with feisty spirit and charm, faces the daunting challenge of winning over a resentful community and surviving the bleakness of her isolation until Charlie returns. The War Bride is a beautifully eloquent film and genuinely affecting love story featuring the luminous Anna Friel who gives one of the most appealing performances seen in any film this year.
“A stirring co-production, The War Bride weaves its beautiful drama of a profound and moving journey.” – Box Office Magazine