The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister
| The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Written by | Jane English |
| Directed by | James Kent |
| Starring | Maxine Peake |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Mark Bentley |
| Cinematography | Lukas Strebel |
| Editor(s) | Ben Lester |
| Running time | 90 minutes |
| Production company(s) | The Oxford Film Company |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC Worldwide |
| Original release | 31 May 2010 |
The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister is a 2010 British television biographical drama film about the 19th century Yorkshire landowner Anne Lister. It was directed by James Kent and starred Maxine Peake as Lister. The script by Jane English drew from Lister's diaries, written in code, and decoded many years after her death. The story follows Lister's lesbian relationships and her independent lifestyle as an industrialist. It was filmed in late 2009 in various locations in Yorkshire. The film received its world premiere screening when it opened the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival in March 2010. It was broadcast in the United Kingdom by the BBC in May 2010. It drew mixed reviews from critics, who generally praised the performance of Maxine Peake, although some did not enjoy the script.
Anne Lister (1791–1840) was a wealthy, unmarried woman who inherited Shibden Hall in West Yorkshire from her uncle in 1826. Throughout her life, she kept diaries which chronicled the details of her everyday life, including her lesbian relationships, her financial concerns, her industrial activities and her work improving Shibden Hall. The diaries contain more than 4,000,000 words and about a sixth of them (those concerning the intimate details of her romantic and sexual relationships) were written in code. The code, derived from a combination of algebra and Ancient Greek, was deciphered in the 1930s.
The script for The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister was written by Jane English and the film was directed by James Kent. Maxine Peake, who had not previously heard of Lister, was keen to take part in a production with several strong female characters. She said of her role, "[I]t was a privilege – I panicked about playing her at first because she is such an important figure and because she is very much part of lesbian and gay culture and you want to do a good job." She spent time with Lister expert Helena Whitbread, learning more about Lister's personality. For this part Peake was able to work with Dean Lennox Kelly, her former on-screen partner from Shameless. Before filming began, the cast rehearsed in director Kent's flat. The drama was filmed during November and December 2009 in Yorkshire. Filming locations included Shibden Hall, Newburgh Priory, Bramham Park, Oakwell Hall, the North York Moors and the city of York.
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