The Shell Seekers (2006 film)

This article is about the miniseries. For the Hallmark Hall of Fame adaptation, see The Shell Seekers (1989 film).

The Shell Seekers (German: Die Muschelsucher) is a 2006 mini-series starring Academy Award-winners, Vanessa Redgrave and Maximilian Schell. The British-German co-production was directed by Piers Haggard. It is an adaptation of Rosamunde Pilcher's 1987 novel of the same name and premiered on Germany's ZDF on 25 December 2006. It was screened in the United States on the Hallmark Channel on 3 May 2008.^[1][2]

The Shell Seekers
Based on	The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher
Written by	Brian Finch
Directed by	Piers Haggard
Starring	Vanessa Redgrave Maximilian Schell Sebastian Koch Victoria Hamilton
Music by	Richard Blackford
Country of origin	Germany United Kingdom
Original languages	German English
Production
Producers	David Cunliffe Alexander Ollig Rikolt von Gagern Verena von Heeremann
Cinematography	Tony Imi
Editor	David Martin
Running time	183 min
Original release
Network	ZDF
Release	25 December (2006-12-25) – 26 December 2006 (2006-12-26)

Plot

Set in the 1980s, Penelope (Redgrave) is seen to be recovering from a heart attack. Through a series of flashbacks, we learn she is the daughter of Lawrence (Schell), an acclaimed painter. Her children attempt to convince her to sell her father's paintings and ease their financial burdens. As Penelope continues to recover she reflects on her life, as a disillusioned wife and briefly enthralled lover. She embarks on a trip to the Mediterranean where she encounters Antonia (Stumph), whom she meets up with later on in the book, who becomes a woman in the grip of a passionate romance, something Penelope realises she briefly enjoyed.^[1][3][4]

Cast

• Vanessa Redgrave as Penelope Keeling
• Maximilian Schell as Lawrence Sterne
• Sebastian Koch as Cosmo König
• Victoria Hamilton as Nancy Chamberlaine
• Stephanie Stumph as Antonia König
• Victoria Smurfit as Olivia Keeling
• Charles Edwards as Noel Keeling
• Alastair Mackenzie as Richard
• Prunella Scales as Dolly Keeling
• Richard Hope as George Chamberlaine
• Toby Fisher as Ambrose Keeling
• Cherith Mellor as Mrs. Plackett
• Hugh Sachs as Roy Brookner

Production

The mini-series was shot in 2005 in a range of locations such as Cornwall, London and Wales.^[1][5][6]

Reception

Variety made comparisons between the series and Redgrave's 2007 film, Atonement. The magazine praised her casting, as Redgrave "delivers a fine, flinty performance". It concluded that "the melancholy ending caps it with a satisfying exclamation point."^[1]

Redgrave was awarded Best Actress in a Television Film at the Shanghai International TV Festival.^[7]