Ammonite (film)

Ammonite is a 2020 British-American romantic period drama film directed by Francis Lee and written by Lee and Fiona Nielsen. The film stars Kate Winslet as Mary Anning, a renowned but impoverished fossil collector, and Saoirse Ronan as Charlotte Murchison, a wealthy woman who commissions Mary to find fossils. The film depicts a relationship that develops between the two women over several months.

Plot Summary: The film follows Mary Anning, working in Lyme Regis, England, during the early 19th century, selling fossils to tourists. Her life is disrupted by the arrival of Charlotte Murchison, whose husband has sent her to Lyme Regis to recuperate from illness. Charlotte hires Mary to collect fossils, and the two women form a close and complex bond, navigating societal expectations and their own personal struggles. The film explores themes of class differences, repression, and the burgeoning of a forbidden love affair against the backdrop of the breathtaking natural world.

Cast:

• Kate Winslet as Mary Anning
• Saoirse Ronan as Charlotte Murchison
• James McArdle as Roderick Murchison (Charlotte's husband)
• Gemma Jones

Production: Filming took place primarily in Lyme Regis and the surrounding areas of Dorset, England, utilizing the region's dramatic coastline and landscapes as a key visual element of the story. The film received funding from various sources including Film4, the British Film Institute, and others.

Reception: Upon release, ''Ammonite'' received generally positive reviews, with praise directed towards the performances of Winslet and Ronan, the evocative cinematography, and the exploration of its themes. However, some critiques centered on the perceived historical accuracy of certain aspects of the portrayal of Anning's life.

Further Reading:

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