A Woman of Substance (1985): Cast & Plot
A Woman of Substance is a 1985 drama directed by Don Sharp, starring Deborah Kerr as Emma Harte, Jenny Seagrove and Miranda Richardson. It runs 4 hours 45 minutes.
- Runtime
- 4h 45m (285 min)
- Director
- Don Sharp
- Genre
- Drama
- Original language
-
English - Studio
- Portman Artemis Productions
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is A Woman of Substance About?
The premise of A Woman of Substance without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
An emotionally charged dynastic saga tracing Emma Harte’s rise from a kitchen maid at the turn of the twentieth century to a respected businesswoman and grandmother by the 1980s. Beginning with a modest shop, she relentlessly expands her retail empire, diversifies into Leeds’s booming textile industry, and builds a legacy of poverty‑to‑prosperity, passion and power.
A Woman of Substance Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- business
- textile industry
- store
- shop
- kitchen maid
- inheritance
- last will and testament
- matriarch
- family gathering
- grandmother granddaughter relationship
- 1930s
- wheelchair
+38 more Show fewer
- car accident
- self made woman
- dysfunctional marriage
- 1920s
- manor
- told in flashback
- widow
- death of husband
- soldier
- military draft
- mother daughter relationship
- world war one
- business takeover
- textile mill
- auction
- forbidden love
- 1910s
- department store
- husband wife relationship
- dressmaker
- marriage of convenience
- marriage proposal
- attempted rape
- shop owner
- textile factory
- brother sister relationship
- unwed mother
- working class
- upper class
- 1900s
- jew
- fire
- pregnancy
- class distinction
- cave
- male female relationship
- female protagonist
- upward mobility
A Woman of Substance Cast & Characters
Deborah Kerr leads the cast as Emma Harte, with Jenny Seagrove as Young Emma Harte and Miranda Richardson as Paula McGill Amory. Directed by Don Sharp; 15 actors are credited in all.
- Director Don Sharp
-
Deborah Kerr as Emma Harte -
Jenny Seagrove as Young Emma Harte -
Miranda Richardson as Paula McGill Amory -
Barry Bostwick as Maj. Paul McGill
Also Starring in A Woman of Substance
· 11 more- George Baker Bruce McGill
- Peter Egan Adam Fairley
- Nicola Pagett Adele Fairley
- Peter Chelsom Edwin Fairley
- Liam Neeson Blackie O'Neill
- Diane Baker Laura O'Neill
- Saskia Reeves Edwina (uncredited)
- Jonathan Duttine Joe Lowther
- John Mills Henry Rossiter
- Gayle Hunnicutt Olivia Wainwright
- Barry Morse Murgatroyd
More from Don Sharp
More films directed by Don Sharp, best-rated first: To the Devil a Daughter, Tears in the Rain, What Waits Below and Guardian of the Abyss.
A Woman of Substance Plot Summary
What happens in A Woman of Substance from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 12 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 4-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
In 1970, Emma Harte [Deborah Kerr] is a formidable, self-made business titan whose empire spans Harte’s Department Store in London, as well as vast holdings in property and oil. On a business trip she tells her granddaughter, Paula McGill Amory [Miranda Richardson], that she will be her successor, a declaration that will set off decades of ambition, loyalty, and feuds within the family.
Back in London, Emma learns that her two sons, Kit and Robin, are scheming to force her into retirement and dissolve the very enterprises she built. In response, she rewrites her will, removing any lingering doubt about who controls the family fortune, and makes a stark decision to pass the wealth instead to her grandchildren.
Full summary
The whole story of A Woman of Substance, scene by scene
A Woman of Substance Also Known As
12 alternative titles, including “Barbara Taylor Bradford's A Woman of Substance” and “Des Lebens bittere Süße”.
- Also known as
-
- Barbara Taylor Bradford's A Woman of Substance
- Des Lebens bittere Süße
- Toda una mujer
- אשת נכסים
- Egy gazdag nő
- Emma Harte - L'espace d'une vie
- Uma Mulher de Fibra
- Kariera Emmy Harte
- Женский характер
- Το Τίμημα της Δόξας
- Zámožná žena
- Inte för vinnings skull
Seen A Woman of Substance?
Movies Like A Woman of Substance
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Hold the Dream, Emma and A Woman of Independent Means.
A Woman of Substance FAQ: Cast, Runtime & Director
Runtime, director, cast and post-credit scenes of A Woman of Substance, each answered in a sentence.
How long is A Woman of Substance?
A Woman of Substance runs 4 hours 45 minutes (285 minutes).
Who directed A Woman of Substance?
A Woman of Substance was directed by Don Sharp.
More films by Don Sharp Who is in the cast of A Woman of Substance?
A Woman of Substance stars Deborah Kerr as Emma Harte, Jenny Seagrove as Young Emma Harte and Miranda Richardson as Paula McGill Amory, among 15 credited actors.
Does A Woman of Substance have a post-credit scene?
No. A Woman of Substance has no extra scene during or after the credits.
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