The Painted Lady

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The Painted Lady ★★★ 1997

Maggie Sheridan (Mirren) is a hard-living ex-blues singer with some destructive habits. After bottoming out some years before, she was taken in by Sir Charles Stafford (Cuthbertson), the father of childhood friend Sebastian (Glen). Sir Charles is murdered during a botched robbery, a 16th-century painting stolen, and Sebastian becomes the victim of a brutal attack, so Maggie decides to get involved. And finds herself deeply enmeshed in the illegal art trade, posing as a collector, and romancing a very dangerous man (Nero). 204m/C VHS . GB Helen Mirren, Franco Nero, Iain Glen, Michael Maloney, Leslie Manville, Roland Gift, Iain Cuthbertson, Michael Liebman, Indro Montanelli; D: Julian Jarrold. TV