| | | From the director of Chocolat and Cider House Rules
Features: DVD, French, Dubbed, Spanish, Subtitled
The combined talents of director Lasse Hallstrom and actors Kevin Spacey, Cate Blanchett, Julianne Moore and Judi Dench bring Annie Proulx's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel to life. After the deaths of his parents and estranged wife (Blanchett), Quoyle's (Spacey) fortunes begin to change when his long lost aunt (Dench) convinces him and his daughter to move to their ancestral home in Newfoundland. There, a place where life is as rough as the weather and secrets are as vast as the ocean, Quoyle lands a job as a reporter for the local paper. Now, a past is emerging, a mystery is unfolding and a life is awakening.
"Hallstrom conveys a strong sense of community..." Joe Leydon, San Francisco Examiner
"...fine performances...and a script ripe with witty dialogue..." New Pierce, BBCi
"A quiet, penetrating marvel of a movie." Susan Stark, Detroit News
"...clings to the memory long after the final frame." Rex Reed, New York Observer
"One of the finest films of the year." Gregory Weinkauf, Los Angeles New Times
Editor's Note
Lasse Hallstrom (CHOCOLAT, MY LIFE AS A DOG) presents this strong, quiet, chillingly deep adaptation of the popular novel by E. Annie Proulx. In a fishing port set in the Canadian province of Newfoundland, newspaper journalist Quoyle (Kevin Spacey), his young daughter Bunny (Alyssa Gainer), and his stern aunt Agnis Hamm (Dame Judi Dench) have reclaimed their ancestral home, which stood vacant for 40 years perched over the raging sea on the edge of a cliff. The fresh air and the mundane routine of the sleepy village act as a balm for Quoyle's wounds. Having grown up with unhappy parents who cautioned him that he'd never amount to anything, Quoyle thought he'd finally found a stroke of luck when he fell in love with Petal (a surprisingly slutty but no less beautiful Cate Blanchett), Bunny's mother. However, after Petal's sudden death, and the simultaneous passing of his loveless parents, Quoyle's migration from downtrodden Poughkeepsie, N.Y. to coastal Canada is his salvation. As Quoyle gains confidence and pride daily through his coworkers at the tiny newspaper the Gammy Bird, through his friendship with Wavey (a lovely Julianne Moore), and through his reconciliation with some spooky family secrets from the distant past, Quoyle, Bunny, and Agnis slowly find new direction, new hope, and the beginnings of a new life.
| Features | Widescreen Version | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Access | | Audio: English | | "Dive Beneath The Surface Of Shipping News" Featurette | | Filmmaker Commentary | | Photo Archive |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Buena Vista |
| Release Date: 4/5/2005 |
| Running Time: 111 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2001 | | Catalog ID: 2402703 | | UPC: 00786936165470 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English, French Dubbed | | Available Subtitles: Spanish | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | 2.35:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
British Academy Awards (2002) | | | Kevin Spacey, Nominee, Best Actor | | | Judi Dench, Nominee, Best Supporting Actress | |
Golden Globe (2002) | | | Christopher Young, Nominee, Best Original Motion Picture Score | | | Kevin Spacey, Nominee, Best Performance By An Actor In A Motion Picture-Drama |
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| | Professional Reviews | New York Times
"...Pictorially sumptuous....A seamlessly woven, handsomely illustrated digest of the novel's characters and incidents..." 12/25/2001 p.E3Variety
"...Markedly well-cast....Moore's natural warmth gives the movie a real pulse and the qualities of resiliency that inform the novel..." 12/24/2001 p.20-6 Sight and Sound
"...The film is beautifully shot....[Moore] allows the film to breathe and gives it much needed poignancy..." 03/01/2002 p.55 Total Film
"...Enjoyable, funny and engaging....You'll never be anything less than entertained..." 04/01/2002 p.96 Chicago Sun-Times 6 of 10
...Quoyle meets Wavey (Julianne Moore), who runs the local day care center, and soon--but you can fill in the blanks. What you may not anticipate are several macabre turns, including close calls with death, a severed head, spontaneous resurrection, 12-year-old grandfathers and ancient secrets just waiting to be unearthed. - Roger Ebert
Cincinnati Enquirer 8 of 10
The screen version of The Shipping News...is a feast for actors, particularly leading man Kevin Spacey... Mr. Spacey and his estimable supporting cast bring skill and commitment to their roles; they respect their characters and demand as much from the audience. - Margaret A. McGurk
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| Customer Reviews | ![]() | | Cinematography |  4 | | Plot |  3 | | Acting | 4 | | Overall Satisfaction | 3 |
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3 of 5 Good novel, okay film, but no. Wednesday, September 26, 2007
A Viewer from Chattanooga, TN
A Peter Gabriel song speaks of "so many men that noone needs," and Quoyle is such a man as The Shipping News begins. Noone that is except the daughter abandoned by his estranged wife. Not a particulary graceful or endearing man, we nonetheless begin to relate to Quoyle and his need for redemption and sympathize his hardships.
Novelist E. Annie Proulx tells interesting and colorful stories in which everyone is flawed or even downright twisted, yet we often ultimately find hope and balance.
I rate the plot "3" not because the story isn't good, but because it falls quite short of the novel. The acting and ensemble are enjoyable, but Spacey as Quoyle didn't feel natural to me, right down to the hair dye. Was this review helpful?  
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