The French Lieutenant's Woman poster

Where to watch

Each link opens a search on that service. Checked 13 October 2026.

Streaming data from JustWatch

The French Lieutenant's Woman

1981 · Movie · 124 min
B

MEANRANK

70/100

Averaged across 8 ratings · 43.4K votes

Every rating

Platform pages last read 29 September 2026. IMDb’s figure comes from IMDb’s own data file, which we re-read about once a month.

64–83 out of 100

Mostly agreed

Lowest is Metacritic critics on 64, highest is Rotten Tomatoes critics on 83.

See the films the platforms disagree about most →
Compare Trailer

In this story-within-a-story, Anna is an actress starring opposite Mike in a period piece about the forbidden love between their respective characters, Sarah and Charles. Both actors are involved in serious relationships, but the passionate nature of the script leads to an off-camera love affair as well. While attempting to maintain their composure and professionalism, Anna and Mike struggle to come to terms with their infidelity.

Details

Director
Karel Reisz
Released
28 August 1981
Country
United Kingdom
Language
English
Runtime
124 min
Rated
R
Budget
$8.0M
Box office
$26.9M
Awards
9 wins, 19 nominations

This title elsewhere

Meryl Streep

Meryl Streep

Sarah / Anna

Jeremy Irons

Jeremy Irons

Charles Henry Smithson / Mike

Lynsey Baxter

Lynsey Baxter

Ernestina

Charlotte Mitchell

Charlotte Mitchell

Mrs. Tranter

Awards & nominations

See all 28 →

1 major award won · 9 wins from 28 nominations across 11 ceremonies

Golden Globe Awards 1981 Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama Meryl Streep Winner
Academy Awards 1981 Best Art Direction Art Direction: Assheton Gorton ; Set Decoration: Ann Mollo Nominee
Academy Awards 1981 Best Costume Design Tom Rand Nominee
Academy Awards 1981 Best Actress Meryl Streep Nominee
Academy Awards 1981 Best Film Editing John Bloom Nominee
Academy Awards 1981 Best Screenplay – Based on Material from Another Medium Harold Pinter Nominee
César Awards 1981 Best Foreign Film Karel Reisz Nominee
Golden Globe Awards 1981 Best Motion Picture – Drama Nominee
Show all 28 awards across 11 ceremonies

Awards from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA.