Project Detail

The Governess

Synopsis

The Governess is a moving love story set in the 1830's. When Rosina Da Silva's father is killed, she is forced to disguise her Jewish identity and seek employment in the world outside the sheltered East London community in which she was born and brought up. The only job that she can find is on a remote island in Scotland as governess to a spoilt young girl, Clementina. Her employer, Charles Cavendish, is a mysterious man, who is conducting secret experiments in a wing of the old house. When Rosina, overcome by curiosity, breaks into his workroom at night, she discovers that he is experimenting with photography, working towards a solution which will fix the fleeting images he has taken.

Cavendish, lonely and unrecognised in his work, invites Rosina to join him in his workroom. They begin an intense and passionate affair. When Cavendish's son Henry returns home from university, this affair takes a turn that threatens to tear the whole family apart.

Details

Year: 1998
Type of project: Features
Running time: 112 mins
Format: 35mm Kodak
Director: Sandra Goldbacher 1st Feature
Producer: Sally Hibbin
Executive Producer: Sally Hibbin
Director of Photography: Ashley Rowe BSC
Principal cast: Minnie Driver, Tom Wilkinson, Harriet Walter, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Florence Hoath
Screen Writer: Sandra Goldbacher

Genre

Woman Director Drama

Production Status

Complete

Production Company

Parallax Pictures Ltd 7 Denmark Street London WC2N 8LS Tel: 020 7836 1478 Fax: 020 7497 8062

Sales Company

Pandora Cinema 7 rue Keppler 75116 Paris France Tel: 1 40 70 90 91 Fax: 1 40 70 90 91

Page updates

This page was last updated on 12th May 2025. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.

Suggest amendments