No Greater Love (1996 film)
Encyclopedia
No Greater Love, also known as Danielle Steel's No Greater Love, is a 1996 television film directed by Richard T. Heffron
. The film is based upon the 1991 novel of the same name
written by Danielle Steel
.
s, panic breaks out and Alexis is nowhere to be found. Kate convinces Edwina to go into a boat with Teddy and stays behind herself to look for Alexis. After the sinking, Edwina is able to lift George from the water and they are eventually saved by RMS Carpathia
. Edwina, George and Teddy soon find out that Alexis has survived the disaster, but that their parents and Charles didn't.
Upon arriving in Boston
, Edwina tries to adjust to a normal life, but the traumatic experience has a great deal of impact on her. She is advised to send the children away to their aunt, but she is determined to raise them alone, not wanting to neglect the family newspaper company. George is planning on dropping out of high school to become a theater director and Alexis runs away from home for a night when she learns that her mother had a chance to go on a lifeboat, but choose to stay with her husband. Edwina refuses a proposal from a man named Ben Jones, explaining she still isn't over the death of her fiancée. Ten years go by. George was forced to go to Harvard University
and later had to take over the newspaper. Edwina is mad at him for ignoring his responsibilities for the theater. She eventually decides to sell the newspaper and allows George to follow his dream and become a professional stage director.
At the premiere of George's first professional play, Edwina meets Sam Horowitz, the father of Helen Horowitz, the lead actress George is in love with. Alexis is seduced by the older womanizing actor Malcolm Stone, much to the distress of Edwina. The rebellious Alexis doesn't stop seeing him and she accompanies him to nightclub
s, where she is introduced to cocaine
. Edwina tries to break them up, but this only leads to an estrangement from her. On the day of George and Helen's marriage ceremony, she runs away from home. Edwina follows her to England and aboards a ship for the first time since the disaster. She initially refuses to leave her cabin, afraid of the memories.
The first time on the deck, she meets Englishman Patrick Kelly. He immediately shows interest in her, but she is still recultant to allow herself to love someone. In London, they spend all their time looking for Alexis and find out she is heading to Paris for the weekend. In the meantime, she agrees to stay with Patrick and they give in to their feelings for each other. Although knowing he is a married man, she spends a few nights with him and then reluctantly leaves him. She eventually locates Alexis and finds out she is married to Malcolm. She threatens to sue him for kidnapping and rape and tries to convince Alexis to go with her. Before leaving with her, Alexis admits that Malcolm drugged her. Back in Boston, the Winfield family is finally reunited and George and Helen announce they will have a baby. Edwina stops being mad at her mother for not going into a lifeboat and she is courted by Sam.
and Los Angeles. All of the special effects scenes featuring the RMS Titanic that did not include any of the main cast members were edited from S.O.S. Titanic
(1979). However, scenes from A Night to Remember (1958) and Munster, Go Home!
(1966) were edited into the film as well.
Richard T. Heffron
Richard T. Heffron was a film and television director.He worked on many television series such as The Rockford Files and films including Futureworld , Foolin' Around , the 1982 Mike Hammer film I, the Jury, Pancho Barnes , and La révolution française .-External links:...
. The film is based upon the 1991 novel of the same name
No Greater Love (novel)
No Greater Love is a novel by Danielle Steel. It tells a fictional story based on the true event of the sinking of the RMS Titanic.-Plot summary:...
written by Danielle Steel
Danielle Steel
Danielle Fernandes Dominique Schuelein-Steel , better known as Danielle Steel, is an American romantic novelist and author of mainstream dramas....
.
Plot
The film starts in 1912. Aboard of the RMS Titanic, the wealthy Winfield family heads to the United States. 20-year-old Edwina enjoys her engagement to Charles Fitzgerald and she is surrounded by her parents Kate and Bert, her brothers George and Teddy, and younger sister Alexis, who is celebrating her sixth birthday. One night, the ship hits an iceberg and soon starts to sink. While heading to the life boatLifeboat (shipboard)
A lifeboat is a small, rigid or inflatable watercraft carried for emergency evacuation in the event of a disaster aboard ship. In the military, a lifeboat may be referred to as a whaleboat, dinghy, or gig. The ship's tenders of cruise ships often double as lifeboats. Recreational sailors sometimes...
s, panic breaks out and Alexis is nowhere to be found. Kate convinces Edwina to go into a boat with Teddy and stays behind herself to look for Alexis. After the sinking, Edwina is able to lift George from the water and they are eventually saved by RMS Carpathia
RMS Carpathia
RMS Carpathia was a Cunard Line transatlantic passenger steamship built by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson. Carpathia made her maiden voyage in 1903 and became famous for rescuing the survivors of after the latter ship hit an iceberg and sank on 15 April 1912...
. Edwina, George and Teddy soon find out that Alexis has survived the disaster, but that their parents and Charles didn't.
Upon arriving in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Edwina tries to adjust to a normal life, but the traumatic experience has a great deal of impact on her. She is advised to send the children away to their aunt, but she is determined to raise them alone, not wanting to neglect the family newspaper company. George is planning on dropping out of high school to become a theater director and Alexis runs away from home for a night when she learns that her mother had a chance to go on a lifeboat, but choose to stay with her husband. Edwina refuses a proposal from a man named Ben Jones, explaining she still isn't over the death of her fiancée. Ten years go by. George was forced to go to Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
and later had to take over the newspaper. Edwina is mad at him for ignoring his responsibilities for the theater. She eventually decides to sell the newspaper and allows George to follow his dream and become a professional stage director.
At the premiere of George's first professional play, Edwina meets Sam Horowitz, the father of Helen Horowitz, the lead actress George is in love with. Alexis is seduced by the older womanizing actor Malcolm Stone, much to the distress of Edwina. The rebellious Alexis doesn't stop seeing him and she accompanies him to nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
s, where she is introduced to cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
. Edwina tries to break them up, but this only leads to an estrangement from her. On the day of George and Helen's marriage ceremony, she runs away from home. Edwina follows her to England and aboards a ship for the first time since the disaster. She initially refuses to leave her cabin, afraid of the memories.
The first time on the deck, she meets Englishman Patrick Kelly. He immediately shows interest in her, but she is still recultant to allow herself to love someone. In London, they spend all their time looking for Alexis and find out she is heading to Paris for the weekend. In the meantime, she agrees to stay with Patrick and they give in to their feelings for each other. Although knowing he is a married man, she spends a few nights with him and then reluctantly leaves him. She eventually locates Alexis and finds out she is married to Malcolm. She threatens to sue him for kidnapping and rape and tries to convince Alexis to go with her. Before leaving with her, Alexis admits that Malcolm drugged her. Back in Boston, the Winfield family is finally reunited and George and Helen announce they will have a baby. Edwina stops being mad at her mother for not going into a lifeboat and she is courted by Sam.
Cast
- Kelly RutherfordKelly RutherfordKelly Danne Melissa Rutherford is an American actress known for her roles of Stephanie "Sam" Whitmore on Generations, Megan Lewis on Melrose Place from 1996 to 1999 and currently as Lily van der Woodsen on Gossip Girl...
as Edwina Winfield - Chris SarandonChris SarandonChris Sarandon is an American actor who was married to actress Susan Sarandon between 1968 and 1979. He is best known for playing Prince Humperdinck in the film The Princess Bride, the vampire Jerry Dandridge in Fright Night and Detective Mike Norris in the first entry of the Child's Play series,...
as Sam Horowitz - Nicholas CampbellNicholas CampbellNicholas Campbell , sometimes credited as Nick Campbell, is a Canadian actor and filmmaker, who has won three Gemini Awards for acting. The movies Naked Lunch, Prozac Nation and the TV series Da Vinci's Inquest are some examples of his acting work.-Early life:Campbell was born in Toronto, Ontario,...
as Malcolm Stone - Daniel Hugh KellyDaniel Hugh KellyDaniel Hugh Kelly is an American stage, film and television actor. He may be best known for his role on the 1980s ABC TV series Hardcastle and McCormick from 1983-1986 for which he also wrote and directed...
as Ben Jones - Michael LandesMichael LandesMichael Christopher Landes is an American actor. He is known for his roles of Jimmy Olsen in the first season of Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Detective Nicholas O'Malley in Special Unit 2, Officer Thomas Burke in Final Destination 2, and David Conlon in The Wedding Bells.-Lois...
as George Winfield - Gina PhilipsGina PhilipsGina Philips is an American actress.Philips was born Gina Consolo in Miami Beach, Florida. She is known for her recurring roles on David E. Kelley's Ally McBeal as Sandy Hingle and Boston Public as Jenna Miller...
as Alexis 'Lexie' Winfield - Simon MacCorkindaleSimon MacCorkindaleSimon Charles Pendered MacCorkindale was a British actor, film director, writer and producer. MacCorkindale spent much of his childhood moving around due to his father's commission with the Royal Air Force. Poor eyesight prevented him from following a similar career in the RAF, so he instead...
as Patrick Kelly - Christopher C. Fuller as Charles Fitzgerald
- Susan HoganSusan Hogan (actor)Susan Hogan is a Canadian actress.Hogan is part of an acting family; husband Michael Hogan played Colonel Tigh on Battlestar Galactica, while son Gabriel Hogan has a number of television and film credits. Daughter Jennie Rebecca Hogan is also an actress....
as Kate Winfield - Daniel PilonDaniel PilonDaniel Pilon is a Canadian-born actor, known for his role in Dallas as Naldo Marchetta. He has also appeared in daytime soap operas such as Ryan's Hope, Guiding Light and Days of our Lives....
as Bert Winfield - Sarah Freeman as Six-year-old Alexis Winfield
- Hayden ChristensenHayden ChristensenHayden Christensen is a Canadian actor. He appeared in Canadian television programs when he was young, then diversified into American television in the late 1990s. He moved on to minor acting roles before being praised for his role of Sam in Life as a House, for which he was nominated for a Golden...
as Teddy Winfield - Polly ShannonPolly ShannonPolly Shannon is a Canadian actress.She is best known for her portrayal of Margaret Trudeau in the 2002 miniseries Trudeau, a film about the late Prime Minister of Canada Pierre Trudeau.Brioux, Bill . , Canadian Online ExplorerShannon was born in Kingston, Ontario, and raised in Aylmer, Quebec...
as Helen Horowitz
Production
Filming took place in MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
and Los Angeles. All of the special effects scenes featuring the RMS Titanic that did not include any of the main cast members were edited from S.O.S. Titanic
S.O.S. Titanic
S.O.S. Titanic is a 1979 television movie that depicts the doomed 1912 voyage from the perspective of three distinct groups of passengers in First, Second, and Third Class, and respectively in a historically accurate fashion...
(1979). However, scenes from A Night to Remember (1958) and Munster, Go Home!
Munster, Go Home!
Munster, Go Home! is a 1966 American film based on the hit 1960s family television sitcom The Munsters. It was directed by Earl Bellamy, who also directed a number of episodes in the series...
(1966) were edited into the film as well.