Product Details

• Actors: Ioan Gruffudd, Nia Roberts, Sue Jones-Davies, William Thomas, Mark Lewis Jones
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Anamorphic
• Language: English, Welsh, Yiddish
• Region: Region 1 encoding (US and Canada only)
  PLEASE NOTE: Some Region 1 DVDs may contain Regional Coding Enhancement (RCE). Some, but not all, of our international customers have had problems playing these enhanced discs on what are called "region-free" DVD players. For more information on RCE, click here.
• Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Sony Pictures
• DVD Release Date: January 30, 2001
• Run Time: 100 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000051YMO
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #127,825 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Solomon & Gaenor" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Rising Welsh star Ioan Gruffud (Titanic, Horatio Hornblower) stars as Solomon to Nia Robert's Gaenor in director Paul Morrison's Oscar®-nominated tale of star-crossed lovers living in the wrong place (Wales) at the wrong time (1911). Solomon is a Jewish packman who travels door to door selling fabric from his family's shop to the locals. It is on one such occasion that he meets Gaenor, the soft-spoken daughter of a miner. The attraction is mutual, but he conceals his true identity from her. A few visits (and one red dress) later, and Gaenor has fallen in love with the kindly "Sam" and has even introduced him to her family. But the more he resists her attempts to meet his family, the more she becomes convinced that hers is right and that his intentions are not honorable. Solomon is just as much in love, but he knows that his family would never accept Gaenor (any more than hers would accept him) if they knew the whole truth.

In the end, it isn't his lies that put their lives in jeopardy, but the fear and intolerance the lies were meant to keep at bay. The message may be heavy handed, but Gruffud and Roberts assay their roles with conviction and skill--a portion of his dialogue is in Yiddish and hers in Welsh. While they are together, Solomon and Gaenor speak the same language. English? Yes, but more importantly, the language that knows no borders--love. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Solomon & Gaenor, March 27, 2003

By 

Z. Yang (Hockessin, DE USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Solomon & Gaenor (DVD)

Some people say that love is without reason. For Solomon, the young and gentle Jewish packman, and Gaenor, the tender and obedient daughter of a Welsh miner family, the fated attraction between them began with a glimpse, a few words, and a red dress, which he was up all night and made for her. Some people say that love is innocent. Concealing his identity, he loved her no matter what gap might be in between them. Discovering his true self, she loved him for who he is. Some people say that love is transcendent. Their relationship was inevitably secularized by their religions and origins. At the end love was fulfilled beyond everything but life itself couldn't.

This is a beautiful and tragic love story. But more than just a love story with romance and sentimentality, this film is an authentic portrayal of the cruel realities of barriers and bias between two families, or two cultures, so to speak. Ioan Gruffaudd and Nia Robert are excellent as Solomon and Gaenor. As much as Solomon's light personality and charming manner appeals Gaenor, Gaenor's womanhood and demureness attracts Solomon. He is deeply attached to Gaenor, while at the same time, he struggles to choose between his family and his love. This time "Hornblower" reveals his softer side and delivers the complexity of Solomon vividly. Nia Robert, with her fine artistry, brings unique strength to the character, which can be felt just from the expression of her eyes and her face. The music is beautiful. The camera depicts the story with simplicity and yet striking effectiveness.

While the story of Solomon and Gaenor is sad, the sadder lies in the fact that nobody but their own families, people who loved them, was to blame for the tragedy. Although one may find the time and location of the story - 1911 Wales - remote, the story itself is but familiar even in the modern times. If only there were more understanding and respect among people no matter what they believe in and where they come from!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, Superb!!!, August 24, 2002

By 

Tudor Holton (Melbourne, Vic, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Solomon & Gaenor [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I love this film mainly because there is absolutely no sentimentality. It it very factual in its approach, and yet the angst is gut-wrenching, the scenery is incredible (the winter scenery was an amazingly good choice), and the warmth between Solomon and Gaenor is magic.

It seemed obvious to me that the fear that each of the two families had had grown out of lack of communication and understanding about each others background.

If I were looking for a moral to this tale, I'd say that it is that we need to learn to accept each other no matter what our background, and learn that love is something that transcends all and no laws or taboos should exclude those who are truly in love.

25 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Religious and Ethnic Bigotry Unfortunately Triumphs, September 10, 2001

By 

David Thomson "Second Rate Eric Hoffer Imitator" (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Solomon & Gaenor (DVD)

The story of "Solomon & Gaenor" revolves around a lower middle class area of Wales in 1911. World War I is merely three years away. Jews are barely tolerated by the marginally educated indigenous Protestant majority. The traditional Jewish values of hard work and intense love of learning increases their odds of upward mobility. This inevitably increases the bitterness and envy of the less than friendly fellow townspeople. Solomon (Ioan Gruffund) goes house to house selling fabric to the women folk. Eventually the young Semitic male knocks on the door of a miner family. Their daughter Gaenor (Nia Roberts) answers, and the couple are soon attracted to each other.

Solomon knows that his Jewishness will be held against him. He therefore lies to Gaenor and tells her that his name is Sam. The mild deception works, and soon the two are lovers. They begin to make plans for the future, but Gaenor senses something is wrong because "Sam" is reluctant to meet her family. Solomon is only too aware that neither the Jewish and Protestant cultures are inclined toward blessing their union. He eventually visits Gaenor's home, and is at least grudgingly accepted by her parents. Her brother is intimidated by "Sam's" ability to read and write. Furthermore, the blue color worker is not thrilled that his sister's beau does not earn his living in an allegedly more masculine manner. Alas, the couple's erotic romps in the hay ultimately culminates in Gaenor's pregnancy. This is where the situation gets out of control. Gaenor is with child without the benefit of marriage during a time when illegitimacy is severely condemned. Public humiliation is only part of the price to be paid for such non sanctioned physical coupling. The truth about Solomon's actual ethnic heritage is finally discovered. Also, the Jewish social leaders and Solomon's immediate family reject the very idea of his marrying a goy female. Solomon is even threatened with being ostracized from his roots. Everything further deteriorates and the story ends tragically.

One wonders how much has changed in 90 years. Are mixed marriages more accepted today in Wales? Was there ever a chance that the lovers could have found a more receptive secular sub-culture that would have embraced them as a couple? I'm glad the film's creators frankly confronted the bigotry on both sides of the ethnic chasm. The courage not to write in a happy ending must also be applauded. This is indeed not "Fiddler on the Roof!" It almost certainly cost them some ticket sales. "Solomon & Gaenor" is instead a beautiful work of art. I strongly urge you to see this movie, and allow it to challenge your possible hidden prejudices.