"Nutley isn't afraid of farce. He also braves the cliches of the coming-of-age film as he puts Jack and his friends through their first tentative steps in romancing the local girls. And because his direction is so finely tuned to find meaning in the smallest things, he manages to bring freshness to the whole familiar confection." Sandra Hall SYDNEY MORNING HERALD "THE QUEEN OF SHEBA'S PEARLS is a Swedish-UK co-production, and it's the first time Nutley has made a film set in his homeland; autobiographical elements appear to abound." David Stratton ABC AT THE MOVIES "In a beautifully graded finale, crosscutting between a village dance and Jack playing a kissing game (pic's title) with girls his age, the script brings all the strands together in a warm and emotionally powerful celebration of the continuity of life, and how the past can indeed coexist with the present." Derek Elley VARIETY "It's a quality British drama in the vein of "Howards End" and "The Remains of the Day". It's beautifully shot and a film that deals in a lot of subtleties. It's a story about second chances, love blossoms and skeletons in the closet." Francesca Rudkin TVNZ

"Only rarely does the movie's grasp falter. A sequence between Nancy and an uptight school matron (vet Eileen Atkins) trades too obviously on national stereotypes, and some late-on comic shtick revolving around a death seems out of place amid the generally underplayed humor." Derek Elley VARIETY "It's as if his actors have been energised by the task of bringing colour and vitality to characters who, in the hands of another director, could be just a heartbeat away from impressing as the deadliest of bores." Sandra Hall SYDNEY MORNING HERALD "With confidence and skill, writer-director Colin Nutley's absorbing saga engages the secrets, frustrations, pain and confusion of a 1950's British family. Nutley's observations of British life always promise intrigue among the mystery." Stan James ADELAIDE ADVERTISER "The film boasts a talented cast including Helena Bergstrom, Lindsay Duncan, Natasha Little and Tim Dutton. Beautifully shot in Devon, "The Queen of Sheba's Pearls" sings a sweet, comic hymn to Englishness." PENTHOUSE CINEMA NZ

The Inside Story

"Helena Bergstrom calls it “a touching story of love for all generations”. It’s certainly that and so much more." Michael Dalton FILM BLURB

There's no doubting the fact that if you are prepared to work your way through this film you will be richly rewarded. Nutley's latest film, "The Queen Of Sheba's Pearls" is a bit of a slow burner. A bit like making a good casserole. It's something that can't be rushed. Well, not if you want the finished product to be a tasty dish. It takes time but it's a simple process. All the ingredients are gathered into a pot and then left to simmer to perfection. In some ways, Nutley's film is also like a play with two acts. I'd liken watching the first half of the film to say, sitting in an unfamiliar darkened room and waiting for your eyes to adjust. As they do, much more is revealed about the room. The darker the room, the longer it will take your eyes to adjust. But when they do, imagine the joy you would feel if you discovered, not a bare room, but one filled with things which bring a realization that the wait was worth it. That's the second half of Nutley's film. Some will find this film is too subtle, perhaps too hard to grasp and that its storyline eludes them. I can see that happening. This is not a film for those who lack patience or prefer films that spoon feed their audiences. Films which run on what I call, the 'wham bam, thankyou ma'am' factor'. There's no 'quickie' factor in "The Queen Of Sheba's Pearls". Indeed, you need to sit back, take notice and patiently absorb everything on the screen even if at times it seems time itself has been suspended. Then this richness appears as each character reveals its true self. Suddenly it all comes spilling out. Their fears, doubts, desires, passion, frustration and angst. Helena Bergström, who has appeared in ten Colin Nutley films nad who plays the role of Jack's mother and the stranger from Sweden says, "Colin has a thing about strangers, always exploring the question of being wary of the foreigner in our midst." Which raises another question. Is "The Queen Of Sheba's Pearls" a British film? I suspect not. The setting is English and it was filmed in Dover, but there is still a strong Swedish influence hanging over the film. There's no denying the success Nutley has gained over twenty years of film-making in Sweden. That is something even the Swedes have questioned. "When he first came to Sweden people said, 'what is an Englishman doing making successful Swedish films?'", says Bergström. How does she describe the production? "It feels very English and yet European at the same time. He has, I hope, managed to marry the two things and it is an interesting mix." It's probably the right assumption. Lovers of British period films will adore it and Nutley's Swedish fans will instantly embrace it. For one important factor. The cast will be instantly recognizable to them both. The British will recognize Lorcan Cranitch who has appeared in TV'S "Spooks", "Ballykissangel" plus three series of "Cracker", and veteran actor Peter Vaughn who has appeared in TV'S "Heartbeat" and "Hornblower", while the Swedish will be all too familiar with the great success actress Helena Bergström has enjoyed including being voted Film Personality of the Year by the readers of the daily paper Expressen and who appeared in Nutley’s Oscar-nominated "Under the Sun" [The film also received the Special Jury Prize at the San Sebastian Film Festival "for the quality of its acting"], and 1978 Malmö Academy of Dramatic Art graduate and noted Rolf Lassgard, who has appeared in a number of Nutley films as well as numerous stage and television productions. Lassgard was nominated three times for the Guldbagge Award and was the 1992 Best Actor winner. Finally I must mention that "The Queen Of Sheba's Pearls" is also a coming of age film. But if you want to know what that's about, you'll just have to see the film. Won't you? What Did they Say? "I am so used to the way he works now, it is a joy to make a film with him. He gives you so much freedom to explore your own character, he even allows us to name them ourselves. I called myself Nancy after my grandmother who died before I was born, and Ackerman was the name of my father’s mother."Helena Bergström.
"Colin showed me some of his films and I was so taken with the performances that I knew I could rise to any challenge he set me. He is so clever at leading you in, that it became a delightful way of working. It was so liberating, because you really were creating your own character right from the very beginning." Peter Vaughan.
"The character that I ended up with, Harold Bradley, did indeed have a pivotal role in this film. It is a coming of age story of his son, and in a way, of himself. As the story progresses, the impact, the weight and the dynamic that Harold had seemed to increase and I found that very liberating and encouraging." Lorcan Cranitch.
"I did love him for his honesty and his directness, and his trust and affection of actors. His method of working was so unique to us. It was like being a child again when we would say, 'what do you want to play?'. We are a family, and nobody knew what the other person was going to say, it was incredible, you had to completely believe and have faith in each other, as actors, the give and take was wonderful. I would like to work like that forever." Elizabeth Spriggs.
"There is a scene when Jack and his pals are caught doing something indecent; Jack takes the blame and has to take his punishment. In those days they doled out several strokes of the cane, and although I had masses of padding on my backside, the cane was very fine and kind of whip-like, so it would slide round my thigh occasionally, and oh my God it hurt." Rollo Weeks
"Audrey’s relationship with Deafy [his real name is Nils] is sweet and rather innocent considering they are not young people. They meet illicitly in town, or in the woods where they walk, and talk together. I don’t think it would ever have gone anywhere unless both their hands were forced as it were." Lindsay Duncan
"Colin has a thing about strangers, always exploring the question of being wary of the foreigner in our midst. But in this film I think of it more as a fairy tale when a woman arrives out of the blue and immediately spells danger. It takes a little while to realise who she is, and why she is there." Helena Bergström.
"When we first began talking it was extraordinary how people began to talk about their own families, and family secrets or eccentricities, and just the quirky things that happen in families. And when you see them in the film you recognise them because it happened in every household in that era, and it still happens now." Natasha Little.
"working with Colin is a lot of things, it is to take a big jump into something not knowing quite where you are going to land. But he is always with you so that you are prepared, and so you jump together." Rolf Lassgard Crew Bytes "THE QUEEN OF SHEBA'S PEARLS" was .......
directed by Colin Nutley ["The Ninth Company", "Blackjack", "House Of Angels", "Last Dance" and "Under the Sun"]; screenplay by Colin Nutley ["The Ninth Company", "House of Angels", "Under the Sun" and "Paradise"]; costume design by Frances Tempest ["Under The Skin", "Greenfingers", "New Years Day" and "Calendar Girls "] and Camilla Thulin ["Real Men Always Wear Ties ", "Under The Sun", "Gossip" and "All Hell Let Loose"]; production design by Pernilla Olsson ["Höst", "White As Snow", "Deadline" and "Paradise"]; casting by Michelle Guish ["Greenfingers", "Crush", "King Arthur", "Five Children & It" and "Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason"]; cinematography by Jens Fischer ["The Fifth Generation", "The Ninth Company", "House of Angels" and "The Last Dance"]; original music by Per Andréasson ["Deadline" and "Paradise"] produced by Judith Hackett [UK TV'S "Alibi"], Maritha Norstedt ["Gossip", "Deadline", "Paradise" and "Misa mi"] and Colin Nutley ["Angel Farm 2", "Such Is Life", "Gossip" and "Misa mi"]. Casting About "THE QUEEN OF SHEBA'S PEARLS" stars .......
Best Actress Award winner at the Swedish Film Awards, the Montreal Film Festival, the 1995 Istanbul Film Festival; Swedish TV4 Viewers Favourite Actress Award winner Helena Bergström ["Women on the Roof", "1939", "Blackjack", "Still Crazy" and "Under the Sun"]; Peter Vaughan ["Kiss, Kiss, Bang,Bang", "Remains Of The Day", "Straw Dogs" and "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers"]; Lorcan Cranitch ["Rebel Heart", "Night Train", "The Playboys" and "Dancing at Laughnasa"]; Elizabeth Spriggs ["Sense & Sensibility", "The Secret Agent", "Paradise Road" and "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone"]; Rollo Weeks ["The Little Vampire", "The Girl With the Pearl Earring", "The Lost Prince" and "George and the Dragon"]; 2002 TONY Award and the Olivier Best Actress Award; the Evening Standard & Olivier Best Acress Awards and the Theatre World Best New Talent Award winner Lindsay Duncan ["Under the Tuscan Sun", "Mansfield Park", "City Hall" and "Prick Up Your Ears"]; Natasha Little ["The Clandestine Marriage", "The Criminal", "Another Life" and "Vanity Fair"] and 1992 Swedish Guldbagge Best Actor Award winner Rolf Lassgard ["My Great Big Daddy", "Such is Life", "Under The Sun" and "Gossip"] as Nils. What It's All About

"This is, in the end, one that will appeal to fans of quality British drama, but it's informed by a fancifulness and an emotional intelligence that make it stand out from even that distinguished crowd. Recommended." ...... Peter Calder NEW ZEALAND HERALD

In February 1944 Jack Bradley celebrated his 8th birthday by being sent to stay with his grandmother Laura Pretty in the country. His young mother Emily waves him goodbye at the train station in Portsmouth. It’s the last time Jack will see her alive. On arriving at his grandmothers he is told of his mothers death, killed by a spitfire that crashed on its way home from the French coast. Eight years later, on the same day in 1952, Jack reaches his 16th year, and is now a teenager at the local public school. As he celebrates his birthday surrounded by his extended family; Laura, her undertaker brother-in-law Edward, her grown up daughters Audrey and Peggy, and Jack’s father Harold, a stranger appears at the door. A Swedish woman. A stranger whose appearance bears an uncanny resemblance to his late mother. Her name is Nancy Ackermann. The Verdict "If you like slow burning, beautifully shot, well cast films with the added bonus of a delightful ending, then "The Queen Of Sheba's Pearls" will prove a very satifying experience. Those cinemagoers who lack patience, don't like period pieces or films which require wrapping your head around all the sub-plots would be well advised to give this a miss. Recommended purely for those who love a film driven by its characters and filled with mysterious intrigues that arouse the curiosity within. On that score, Nutley's film is a winner." The Cast

Helena Bergström Lorcan Cranitch Lindsay Duncan Tim Dutton Rolf Lassgård Natasha Little Marc Pickering Elizabeth Spriggs Peter Vaughan Rollo Weeks Simon Day John Joe Regan Bo Poraj Alexander Goggins Eileen Atkins

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Nancy Ackerman/Emily Bradley Harold Bradley Audrey Pretty Father Talbot Deafy Peggy Pretty Dinger Bell Laura Pretty Edward Pretty Jack Bradley Headmaster Geoffrey Thicket Schoolteacher Mr Jenkins School matron

The Crew Directed by Colin Nutley Written by Colin Nutley Produced by Judith Hackett/Maritha Norstedt/Colin Nutley Original Music by Per Andréasson Cinematography by Jens Fischer Casting by Michelle Guish Production Design by Pernilla Olsson Art Direction by Andrea Coathupe Costume Design by Frances Tempest & Camilla Thulin Run Time 122 minutes Rated M [AUST] Copyright ©2005 - Rialto Films - All Rights Reserved Copyright Protected © 2005 - Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved