''Martha, Ruth and Edie'' is a Canadian drama film released in 1988. An anthology film directed by

Deepa Mehta Deepa Mehta, (; born 15 September 1950) is an Indian-born Canadian film director and screenwriter, best known for her Elements Trilogy, Fire (1996 film), ''Fire'' (1996), ''Earth (1998 film), Earth'' (1998), and ''Water (2005 film), Water'' (2 ...

Norma Bailey Norma Bailey (born 1949, in Gimli, Manitoba, Canada) is a Canadian film writer, producer, and director whose work is rooted in feminist and intersectional film theory. Bailey has directed several films, both in English and French and in various dif ...

and Danièle J. Suissa, it centers on the titular Martha (

Jennifer Dale Jennifer Ciurluini (born January 16, 1956, in Toronto), known professionally as Jennifer Dale, is a Canadian actress. Biography She is the sister of Canadian actress Cynthia Dale. From 1980 to 1986 she was married to Robert Lantos; they have t ...

), Ruth (

Andrea Martin Andrea Louise Martin (born January 15, 1947) is an American and Canadian actress, best known for her work in the television series '' SCTV'' and '' Great News''. She has appeared in films such as '' Black Christmas'' (1974), '' Wag the Dog'' (1 ...

) and Edie (

Lois Maxwell Lois Ruth Maxwell (née Hooker; February 14, 1927 – September 29, 2007) was a Canadian actress. She was best known for portraying Miss Moneypenny in the first 14 Eon Productions, Eon-produced James Bond in film, ''James Bond'' films (1962–1 ...

), who meet after being locked out of the auditorium at a personal development seminar, and instead share personal stories from their own lives among themselves. Each of their stories is a dramatization of a short story by a Canadian writer, and is directed by one of the three credited directors. "

How I Met My Husband "How I Met My Husband" is a short story written by Alice Munro, first published in 1974 as a part of her collection '' Something I've Been Meaning to Tell You''. Plot summary The story is about a young girl, Edie, who is hired help for Dr. Peeble ...

", directed by Bailey from the short story by

Alice Munro Alice Ann Munro ( ; ; 10 July 1931 – 13 May 2024) was a Canadian short story writer who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013. Her work tends to move forward and backward in time, with integrated short story cycles. Munro's ...

, depicts how Edie's brief teenage romantic fling with a visiting pilot, followed by her persistent but unfulfilled hope that he will write her letters after he leaves, ultimately leads to her meeting and marrying the mailman. (Edie is played by

Margaret Langrick Margaret Langrick (born 1971) is a Canadian writer and retired actress. She is now known as Maggie Langrick, and is the CEO of the publishing company Wonderwell. Filmography Films *'' My American Cousin'' (1985) as Sandy Wilcox *''Harry and th ...

in the flashback.) "California Aunts", directed by Mehta from the story by

Cynthia Flood Cynthia Flood (born September 17, 1940)"Vancouver writer wins $10,000 Canadian fiction prize". ''The Globe and Mail'', May 25, 1990. is a Canadian short-story writer and novelist. The daughter of novelist Luella Creighton and historian Donald C ...

, depicts the transformation of Ruth's life as a smalltown librarian after her mother dies and her aunts come to stay with her. "Guilt", directed by Suissa from the story by Betty Lambert, depicts Martha taking a new job teaching English in a prison after her husband leaves her for another woman. The film's supporting cast includes Helen Hughes,

Tom Jackson Thomas, Tom, or Tommy Jackson may refer to: Academics *Thomas H. Jackson (born 1950), ninth president of the University of Rochester *Tom Jackson Jr. (born 1959), president of Black Hills State University, South Dakota *Thom Jackson (Thomas Matthew ...

, Frank Moore, Chuck Shamata, Tom Butler and

Kate Trotter Kate Trotter (born February 5, 1953) is a Canadian film, television and stage actress. Career Trotter has over 100 credits in film and television. She won a Gemini Award for Guest Actress in a Dramatic Series in 2003 for '' Blue Murder''."A love ...

. Hughes received a

Genie Award The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978), known as the "Etrog Awards" for sculptor ...

nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the

10th Genie Awards The 10th Genie Awards were held on March 22, 1989 to honour achievements of Canadian films which were released in 1988."Dead Ringers tops at Genies". ''Montreal Gazette'', March 23, 1989. The event was held at the Westin Harbour Castle Hotel in T ...

in 1989."List of nominees for the Genie Awards". ''

Montreal Gazette ''The Gazette'', also known as the ''Montreal Gazette'', is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper which is owned by Postmedia Network. It is published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the only English-language daily newspape ...

'', February 14, 1989.

References

External links

* 1988 drama films 1988 films Canadian anthology films Canadian drama films English-language Canadian films Fictional trios Films directed by Deepa Mehta Films directed by Norma Bailey Films based on Canadian short stories Films based on works by Alice Munro 1980s English-language films 1980s Canadian films {{1980s-Canada-film-stub