The lady in the van is a 2015 british comedydrama film directed by nicholas hytner, and starring maggie smith and alex jennings, based on the memoir of the same name created by alan bennett. It was written by bennett, and it tells the mostly 6 true story of his interactions with mary shepherd, an elderly woman who lived in a dilapidated van on his driveway in london for 15 years. Good nature, or what is often considered as such, is the most selfish of all virtues. A newly successful, somewhat closeted, writer finds himself in dialogue with his more rational self concerning her proximity. Lady in the van tells the true story of the relationship between alan bennett and the singular miss shepherd, a woman of uncertain origins who temporarily parked her van in. The lady in the van is a true story by british author, alan bennett. Reliant robin in the film the lady in the van youtube. Maggie smith is consumate as the homeless old woman living in a van in camden town, london.
It is the story of the writer alan bennett and the eccentric woman who parked her van in his drive in london for. Without contrivance, one is brought near tears by maggie smiths protrayal of a dying, repentant woman. The lady in the van and other stories bennett, alan on. This is an excellent little book and very touching. Alan bennett includes three stories in the lady in the van and other stories. Taking refuge with her van in his garden originally for three months, she ended up staying fifteen years. Bennett a veteran of beyond the fringe was already famous when miss shepherd steered her putrid van into gloucester crescent, camden town, and applied. Life imitates art in the lady in the van, the story of the itinerant miss shepherd, who lived in a van in alan bennetts driveway from the early 1970s until her death in 1989. He had previously published the story as a 1989 essay, 1990 book, 1999 stage play, and 2009 radio play on bbc radio 4. The lady in the van is a play based on a true story of a very unusual woman who lived in a van parked in the garden of bennetts home.
I heard him relate a couple of anecdotes about this unusual situation on bob edwards weekend, a public radio program, just a few weeks ago. A postscript was added in 1994 alan bennett also adapted the lady in the van for the stage. Life imitates art in the lady in the van, the story of the iti. In alan bennetts book, the lady in the van one of the vans miss shepherd lived in was a reliant regal supervan iii in other words this robin is too new lle 92l aug 72 to july 73 is too old. The lady in the van and other stories alan bennett. The lady in the van is the true story of bennetts experiences with an eccentric homeless woman, miss mary shepherd, whom he befriended. In 1974, the homeless miss shepherd moved her broken down van into alan bennetts garden. Deeply eccentric and stubborn to her bones, miss shepherd was not an easy tenant. Buy the lady in the van by alan bennett from waterstones today. The lady in the van is a 2015 british comedydrama film directed by nicholas hytner, and. Deeply eccentric and stubborn to her bones, miss shepherd was.
Lady in the van is the true story of a woman who lives on a mans driveway for 15 years. The lady in the van was made into a film in 2015, directed by nicholas hytner and starring maggie smith. Essentially, it is an account of his interactions, over some twenty years, with the elderly miss shepherd, a homeless woman whose van was parked, at first in his street opposite his house, then later, in his front garden. Watch the trailer for the lady in the van, the story of alan bennetts friendship with miss shepherd, an elderly woman who lived in a van on the playwrights property. Im looking forward to reading it and arent they making a film from the book. His other books include the critically acclaimed collected writings untold stories and writing home, smut short stories, the uncommon reader a novella, and.