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Joshua Then and Now is a 1985 film and a TV mini-series, adapted by Mordecai Richler from his semi-autobiographical novel Joshua Then and Now. James Woods starred as the adult Joshua, Gabrielle Lazure as his wife, and Alan Arkin as Joshua's father. It was directed by Ted Kotcheff who had previously directed Richler's The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz. The film depicts Joshua growing up in his Montreal neighborhood, and then his adventures as a modestly successful writer. He marries the "golden shiksa" of his dreams, but eventually everything around him crumbles and he must act quickly to recover it all. A comedic drama, the film moves quickly without lingering for long on any incident and tells a connected complete narrative. Alan Arkin is frequently noted in reviews for an outstanding performance. The cast included Michael Sarrazin as Kevin Hornby (Pauline's brother), Robert Joy as Colin Fraser (Pauline's first husband), Linda Sorenson as Esther Shapiro (Joshua's mother), Alan Scarfe as Jack Trimble, Ken Campbell as Sidney Murdoch, Kate Trotter as Jane Trimble, Alexander Knox as Senator Hornby, and Eric Kimmel as young Joshua. Filmed on location in Montreal, London, Brockville, and Ottawa. Rated R. It has been transcribed to VHS (1986) and DVD.
Original Release
09/05/1985
US Release
09/20/1985
Cast
Name | Character |
---|
James Woods | Joshua Shapiro |
Gabrielle Lazure | Pauline Shapiro / Pauline |
Michael Sarrazin | Kevin Hornby |
Linda Sorensen | Esther Shapiro |
Alan Scarfe | Jack Trimble |
Ken Campbell | Sidney Murdoch |
Kate Trotter | Jane Trimble |
Alexander Knox | Senator Hornby / Sen. Hornby |
Eric Kimmel | Young Joshua Shapiro |
Chuck Shamata | Seymour Kaplan |
Directors
Writers
Cast
Name | Character |
---|
James Woods | Joshua Shapiro |
Gabrielle Lazure | Pauline Shapiro / Pauline |
Michael Sarrazin | Kevin Hornby |
Linda Sorensen | Esther Shapiro |
Alan Scarfe | Jack Trimble |
Ken Campbell | Sidney Murdoch |
Kate Trotter | Jane Trimble |
Alexander Knox | Senator Hornby / Sen. Hornby |
Eric Kimmel | Young Joshua Shapiro |
Chuck Shamata | Seymour Kaplan |
Yuval Kernerman | Young Seymour Kaplan |
Robert Joy | Colin Fraser / Colin |
Harvey Atkin | Dr. Jonathan Cole |
Paul Hecht | Eli Seligson |
Andrew Powell | Ralph Murdoch |
Jack Rider | Dr. Danzinger |
Talya Rubin | Susy Shapiro |
Robert Howard | Alex Shapiro |
Gordon Michael Woolvett | Teddy Shapiro |
Michael Donaghue | Ryan |
Producers
Name | Role |
---|
Robert Lantos | Producer |
Julian Marks | Producer |
Stephen J. Roth | Producer |