''Hotel Sorrento'' is a 1995 Australian

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super- ...

directed by Richard Franklin. Three sisters reunite in the sleepy Australian town of

Sorrento Sorrento (, ; nap, Surriento ; la, Surrentum) is a town overlooking the Bay of Naples in Southern Italy. A popular tourist destination, Sorrento is located on the Sorrentine Peninsula at the south-eastern terminus of the Circumvesuviana rail ...

after a ten-year hiatus. One of the three has written a book called ''Melancholy'' which is a thinly disguised version of their lives. The film is an adaptation of

Hannie Rayson Hannie Rayson (born 1957) is an Australian playwright and newspaper columnist. She is recognised as one of Australia's most significant playwrights. Biography Rayson was born in Melbourne, Victoria and graduated from the University of Melbourne ...

's 1990 play of the same name. "One of the film's many fleeting reflections is an exploration of the word "melancholy" - a word that perfectly suits Hotel Sorrento's tone and pace."

Cast

Caroline Goodall Caroline Cruice Goodall (born 13 November 1959) is a British actress and screenwriter. She was nominated for AFI Awards for her roles in the 1989 miniseries '' Cassidy'', and the 1995 film ''Hotel Sorrento''. Her other film appearances include ...

as Meg Moynihan *

Caroline Gillmer Caroline Gillmer (born 1955) is an Australian actress, best known for her roles in various television series, such as ''Prisoner'' as Helen Smart and ''Neighbours'' as Cheryl Stark. During her time off sick from ''Neighbours'', Gillmer was ...

as Hilary Moynihan *

Tara Morice Tara Morice (born 23 June 1964) is an Australian actress. Background Born in Hobart, Tasmania, Morice also lived in Sydney, Alice Springs and Adelaide as a child. She is a fifth-generation Australian and is of English, Irish, Scottish, Latvia ...

as Pippa Moynihan *

Joan Plowright Joan Ann Olivier, Baroness Olivier, (née Plowright; born 28 October 1929), professionally known as Dame Joan Plowright, is an English retired actress whose career has spanned over seven decades. She has won two Golden Globe Awards and a Tony ...

as Marge Morrisey *

Ray Barrett Raymond Charles Barrett (2 May 19278 September 2009) was an Australian actor. During the 1960s, he was a leading actor on British television, where he was best known for his appearances in ''The Troubleshooters'' (1965–1971). From the 1970s, ...

as Wal Moynihan *

Nicholas Bell Nicholas Bell (born 15 August 1958) is an English actor who has worked in Australia for more than 20 years. He works regularly with the Melbourne Theatre Company as well as with all the major television broadcasters in Australia, most notably th ...

as Edwin *Ben Thomas as Troy Moynihan * John Hargreaves as Dick Bennett * Dave Barnett as Radio Announcer *Peter O'Callaghan as Radio Announcer * Jane Edmanson as Radio Announcer *Bill Howie as Radio Announcer * Sam Newman as Football Commentator *Shane Healy as Football Commentator *Phillip Lee as Auctioneer (voice)

Production

Richard Franklin had worked for a number of years in the US, although he had lived in Australia since 1985. He was becoming frustrated with Hollywood and decided to make a film for the "art house market". He contacted his brother in law, Peter Fitzgerald, who had written a number of books on Australian theatre and asked him to recommend an Australian play which might make a good film. Fitzpatrick put forward ''Hotel Sorrento'' and Franklin loved it. He made the movie having never seen a production of the play.

Critical reception

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' said that "The film is steeped in a homey provincial atmosphere that is at once comforting and stifling, and that gives some substance to the talk about the complacency and materialism of Australian society and its indifference to artists." ''Cinephilia'' said "The play by Hannie Rayson, with its familiar typology of characters and Chekovian dialogue, no doubt provided pleasing entertainment in its original stage setting but as adapted by Franklin with Peter Fitzpatrick and transposed the big screen this story of a fraught family reunion of sorts looks like soapie material blown out of proportion (Meg’s line "I’m looking for Dick" is pure Number 96, albeit unintentionally so)."

Accolades

Box office

''Hotel Sorrento'' grossed $1,215,478 at the box office in Australia.

Home media

''Hotel Sorrento'' was released on DVD by Umbrella Entertainment in September 2012. The DVD is compatible with all region codes and includes special features such as the trailer, audio commentary with Richard Franklin and a featurette titled ''Inside Hotel Sorrento''.

References

External links

*
''Hotel Sorrento'' at Victoria Literary Map
{{Richard Franklin 1995 films Australian drama films 1995 drama films Films set in Victoria (Australia) Films directed by Richard Franklin (director) Films scored by Nerida Tyson-Chew 1990s English-language films