HOTEL SORRENTO - RAYSON

Hotel Sorrento by Hannie Rayson has been described as Chehovean in its power and poignancy. You may want to look at the notes for the Chekhov play 'The Cherry Orchard', if you'd like to familiarise yourself with the kinds of traits the Russian playwright he is famous for.

A review of the film version of the play from the Techno Culture Home Page Do you agree with the conclusions? Are they also evident in the play itself?

ABOUT THE FILM HOTEL SORRENTO

Director: Richard Franklin

Starring: Caroline Goodall, Caroline Gillmer, Tara Morice, Joan Plowright

Rating: **

This screen adaptation of Melbourne author Hannie Rayson's play of the same name has some shining moments that reveal director Richard Franklin's talent for bringing out the warmth and naturalness of his stable of actors. Though the film does suffer from some unrealistic dialogue and technically stilted camera work, most audiences will probably find it more moving and accessible than most of the big-budget films on the market at the moment.

Set in the Victorian coastal town of Sorrento, the film brings together three sisters whose lives have briefly come together again under circumstances that force them to examine the unspoken sibling rivalry present in the bonds of love that tie them together.

The catalyst for this familial soul-searching is middle sister Meg's (Caroline Goodall) best-selling novel, Melancholy, a thinly disguised autobiography which reveals a bit more of the Moynihan sisters' lives than Hilary (beautifully acted by Caroline Gillmer) or the younger Pippa (Tara Morice) would care to bare. Both the book and the reunion - which also brings together the males in the Moynihan women's lives - are marked with events that serve to cnge the fabric of the family, for better or worse but most certainly (and in some cases tragically) forever.

Providing a gentle counterpoint to the Moynihan's troubles is Marge Morrisey, played with warmth and subtlety by veteran actress Joan Plowright. She softens the bitterness felt by Hilary - the one sister who never left Sorrento - and adds an element of gentle resignation and humour to some of the harsher circumstances that rise to meet the Moynihans during what may turn out to be their last summer in Sorrento.

Even the generally fine performances, however, cannot overcome some awkward moments in Hotel Sorrento; too often the dialogue resembles bits of clever dinner party conversations strung together, making the characters seem two-dimensional and utterly lacking sufficient development to justify some of their behavior. Technically the film suffers as well - at times the camera seems to lurch around the set, giving the film an overly-staged feel and distracting the viewer to the point of irritation.

In it's favour, Hotel Sorrento does not opt out for easy resolutions or over-obvious conclusions to the Moynihan's problems. The trouble with the film is that the people and the problems never quite seem real, making Hotel Sorrento a warm but skewed film that never quite settles within the bounds of reality.

About Hannie Rayson

Major Credits & Experience

Stage

Please Return to Sender 1980
Mary 1981
Leave It Till Monday 1984
Room To Move 1985
Hotel Sorrento 1990
Falling From Grace 1994
Scenes From A Separation 1995
Competitive Tenderness 1996

Television

Sloth - Episode of The Seven Deadly Sins ABC TV 1991

Awards & Prizes

AWGIE - Best Play, Room To Move 1986
Green Room Award - Best Play, Hotel Sorrento 1990
AWGIE - Best Play, Hotel Sorrento 1990
N.S.W. Premier's Literary Award, Hotel Sorrento 1990
The Age Performing Arts Award -Best Play, Falling From Grace 1995
N.S.W. Premier's Literary Award, Falling from Grace 1995
The Sidney Myer Performing Arts Award 1995