''Man, Woman and Child'' is a

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

Erich Segal Erich Wolf Segal (June 16, 1937January 17, 2010) was an American author, screenwriter, educator, and classicist who wrote the bestselling novel '' Love Story'' (1970) and its hit film adaptation. Early life and education Born and raised in a ...

. It details the lives of Robert and Sheila Beckwith and their daughters Jessica and Paula.

Synopsis

Robert is contacted one day by a friend in France, who tells him that Nicole, a woman with whom Robert had had an

affair An affair is a sexual relationship, romantic friendship, or passionate attachment in which at least one of its participants has a formal or informal commitment to a third person who may neither agree to such relationship nor even be aware of i ...

years ago, has died - and Jean-Claude, the son Robert never knew he had, is now an orphan. That evening, Robert explains the situation to his wife, Sheila, and they agree to take in Jean-Claude for the summer holidays; however, they also agree to keep Jean-Claude's true identity a secret. Later that summer, Sheila, chief editor of the Harvard University Press, is, encouraged by her best friend Margo, tempted by the possibility of an affair with a British professor whose book she has been editing. At the same time, Robert's daughters, Jessica and Paula, discover Jean-Claude's true identity, through Davey Ackerman, Robert's friend's son. They refuse to speak to their father. As Robert Beckwith is bringing Jean-Claude to the airport to return to France, the boy suddenly falls ill and is hospitalized. After surgery, during which the Beckwiths become closer again, Jean-Claude makes a full recovery. At last, the whole family come to terms with Jean-Claude and their relationship with him and would like him to live with them. However, Jean-Claude refuses politely, for he has to go to the school in France chosen by his mother years before.

Film adaptations

Erich Segal adapted his novel into a

screenplay ''ScreenPlay'' is a television drama anthology series broadcast on BBC2 between 9 July 1986 and 27 October 1993. Background After single-play anthology series went off the air, the BBC introduced several showcases for made-for-television, fe ...

and the film was released into theaters in 1983. The film starred

Martin Sheen Ramón Antonio Gerardo Estévez (born August 3, 1940), known professionally as Martin Sheen, is an American actor. He first became known for his roles in the films ''The Subject Was Roses'' (1968) and ''Badlands'' (1973), and later achieved wid ...

as Robert Beckwith,

Blythe Danner Blythe Katherine Danner (born February 3, 1943) is an American actress. Accolades she has received include two Primetime Emmy Awards for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Izzy Huffstodt on '' Huff'' (2004–2006), and a ...

as Sheila Beckwith,

Craig T. Nelson Craig Theodore Nelson (born April 4, 1944) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Hayden Fox in the sitcom ''Coach'' (for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series), Deputy Ward Wilson in the 19 ...

as Bernie Ackerman,

David Hemmings David Edward Leslie Hemmings (18 November 1941 – 3 December 2003) was an English actor and director. He is best remembered for his roles in British films and television programmes of the 1960s and 1970s, particularly the 1966 mystery film ' ...

as Gavin Wilson, and

Maureen Anderman Maureen Anderman (born October 26, 1946) is an American actress best known for her work on the stage. She has appeared in eighteen Broadway shows over the last four decades earning several Drama Desk Award and Tony Award nominations. Career An ...

as Margo.

Balu Mahendra Balanathan Benjamin Mahendran (19 May 1939 13 February 2014), commonly known as Balu Mahendra, was a Sri Lankan-born Indian cinematographer, director, screenwriter and film editor who worked predominantly in Tamil cinema. Widely regarded as ...

's 1982

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...

film ''

Olangal ''Olangal'' () is a 1982 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed by Balu Mahendra. The film's plot is inspired from novel ''Man, Woman and Child'' by Erich Segal. Plot Life goes on happily for the couple, Ravi (Amol Palekar) and Radha ( Poorn ...

'' was inspired by the novel. It featured

Amol Palekar Amol Palekar (born 24 November 1944) is an Indian actor, director and producer of Hindi and Marathi cinema. Career Palekar studied fine arts at the Sir JJ School of Arts, Mumbai, and commenced his artistic career as a painter. As a painter, he ...

Poornima Jayaram Poornima Bhagyaraj (née Jayaram) is an Indian actress in Malayalam and Tamil films. She has also done a few Hindi and Telugu films. She is best known for her leading roles from 1980 to 1985. She married director K. Bhagyaraj, who directed one ...

and

Ambika Ambika may refer to: Mythology * Ambika (goddess), an avatar of the Hindu goddesses Durga, Parvati, and Shakti * Ambika (Jainism), a Jain Yakshini goddess * Ambika (Mahabharata), the wife of Vichitravirya was also the mother of Dhritarashtra, ...

in the lead roles. '' Masoom'', a 1983 Bollywood film directed by film maker

Shekhar Kapur Shekhar Kulbhushan Kapur (born 6 December 1945) is an Indian filmmaker and actor. Born into the Anand-Sahni family, Kapur is the recipient of several accolades, including a BAFTA Award, a National Film Award, a National Board of Review Award a ...

, was an adaptation of the novel featuring Bollywood actors

Naseeruddin Shah Naseeruddin Shah (born 20 July 1950) is an Indian actor. He is notable in Indian parallel cinema. He has also starred in international productions. He has won numerous awards in his career, including three National Film Awards, three Filmfare A ...

Shabana Azmi Shabana Azmi (born 18 September 1950) is an Indian actress of Hindi film, television and theatre. One of India's most acclaimed actresses, Azmi is known for her portrayals of distinctive, often unconventional female characters across several ge ...

and

Saeed Jaffery Saeed Jaffrey (8 January 1929 – 15 November 2015) was a British-Indian actor. His career covered film, radio, stage and television roles over six decades and more than 150 British, American, and Indian movies. During the 1980s and 1990s he wa ...

. A Pakistani adaptation of this novel, Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, was released in 1983 starring

Shabnam Jharna Basak (born 17 August 1946), known by her stage name Shabnam, is a Bangladeshi–Pakistani stage and film actress. Actor Waheed Murad introduced her to the Pakistani film industry by offering her a lead role in his film ''Samundar'' in 1 ...

and

Javed Sheikh Jawed Sheikh (also spelled Javaid and Javed; born 8 October 1954) is a Pakistani actor, film director and producer who works in Lollywood and Bollywood. He is best known for working in the Hindi films ''Om Shanti Om'', '' My Name Is Anthony Gon ...

Jab Pyaar Kisise Hota Hai ''Jab Pyaar Kisise Hota Hai'' () is an Indian Hindi-language romance film released in 1998. Directed by Deepak Sareen and written by Honey Irani, the film stars Salman Khan as womaniser Sooraj and Twinkle Khanna as his first real love. Aditya ...

, a 1998 Bollywood film starring

Salman Khan Abdul Rashid Salim Salman Khan (; 27 December 1965) is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who works in Hindi films. In a film career spanning over thirty years, Khan has received numerous awards, including two Nation ...

and

Twinkle Khanna Twinkle Khanna (also known as Tina Jatin Khanna; born on 29 December) is an Indian author, columnist, interior designer, film producer and a former film actress. In 2015, she released her first non-fiction book, "Mrs Funnybones" which was decla ...

was also an adaption of this novel. An Indonesian adaptation, directed by

Sophan Sophiaan Sophan Sophiaan (April 26, 1944 – May 17, 2008) was an Indonesian film actor and politician. He was a member of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP). Sophiaan was born in the city of Makassar, South Sulawesi, on April 26, 1944. H ...

, was released in 1984. It starred Frans Tumbuan, Lenny Marlina, and Sandy Taroreh. Poo Poova Poothirukku, a 1987

tamil language Tamil (; ' , ) is a Dravidian language natively spoken by the Tamil people of South Asia. Tamil is an official language of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the sovereign nations of Sri Lanka and Singapore, and the Indian territory of Pudu ...

movie was also based on this book.

References

{{reflist 1980 American novels American novels adapted into films Harper & Row books