Young Woman and the Sea facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Young Woman and the Sea |
|
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster
|
|
| Directed by | Joachim Rønning |
| Produced by |
|
| Written by | Jeff Nathanson |
| Starring |
|
| Music by | Amelia Warner |
| Cinematography | Oscar Faura |
| Editing by | Úna Ní Dhonghaíle |
| Studio |
|
| Distributed by | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
| Release date(s) | May 16, 2024 (Los Angeles) May 31, 2024 (United States) |
| Running time | 129 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Money made | $1.9 million |
The film Young Woman and the Sea is a true story from 2024 about an amazing American swimmer named Gertrude Ederle. She was the first woman ever to swim all the way across the English Channel! The movie was directed by Joachim Rønning and written by Jeff Nathanson, based on a book by Glenn Stout. It was made by Walt Disney Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer Films. In the film, Daisy Ridley plays Gertrude Ederle, often called Trudy. The movie also features Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Stephen Graham, Kim Bodnia, Christopher Eccleston, and Glenn Fleshler.
The idea for the film started in 2015. Disney decided to make it in 2020, with Daisy Ridley as Trudy. The movie was filmed in May and June 2022. Young Woman and the Sea first showed in Los Angeles on May 16, 2024. Even though it was planned for Disney+, it was shown in some movie theaters starting May 31, 2024, because people who saw early versions really liked it. Critics also gave it good reviews.
Contents
The Story of Trudy Ederle
Trudy's Early Life and Dreams
In New York City in 1914, a young girl named Trudy Ederle was recovering from an illness. She saw a terrible ferry accident where many people couldn't swim to safety. This made her mother realize how important swimming was for survival. Even though Trudy was sick, she became very interested in swimming. When she was 12, she convinced her father to let her learn.
Trudy and her sister, Meg, joined the Women's Swimming Association. Their coach, Charlotte Epstein, was tough but good. At first, Coach Epstein focused more on Meg, but Trudy quickly showed how talented she was. Trudy worked hard and started breaking many world records in swimming. Meg also improved, but Trudy's progress was truly remarkable.
Facing Challenges and the Olympics
In 1924, Trudy was invited to join the American team for the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris. However, the coach assigned to the women's team, Jabez Wolffe, didn't believe women should be strong swimmers. He made it hard for them to train properly. Because of this, Trudy only won bronze medals in the 100-meter and 400-meter freestyle races. She was very disappointed when she returned to New York.
After the Olympics, Trudy met Bill Burgess, a famous swimmer who had successfully crossed the English Channel. Inspired by him, Trudy decided she wanted to try swimming the Channel herself. She asked James Sullivan from the American Olympic Union for help with sponsorship. Sullivan didn't think women should compete in sports, but he gave Trudy a challenge: swim from New York to New Jersey in under three hours. Trudy easily completed the swim, earning the sponsorship. But she was forced to have Wolffe as her coach again.
The Big Channel Swim
In France, Trudy trained near Cap Gris-Nez. She became friends with another swimmer, Benji. But she often disagreed with Wolffe, who tried to control her training in unhelpful ways. After Benji had a difficult attempt, Trudy started her first Channel swim on July 10, 1926.
Wolffe was guiding her, and Trudy started strong. However, Wolffe's actions during the swim made Trudy feel unwell and unable to continue, forcing her to stop. While she was recovering, her father and sister came to take her home. But Bill Burgess stepped in. He realized Wolffe's unhelpful behavior and offered to train Trudy himself.
Determined, Trudy secretly stayed in France and began preparing for a second attempt with Burgess. She made him promise not to pull her out of the water, even if she struggled. Meanwhile, the news of her plan spread, and the press became very interested.
On August 6, 1926, Trudy began her second attempt to swim the English Channel. This time, her team included Burgess, her father, and Meg. People all over the world followed her progress. Trudy faced challenges like jellyfish stings. The final hurdle was crossing the Goodwin Sands to reach England. Her guide boat couldn't follow her into the shallow water, but Trudy decided to swim alone rather than give up.
As night fell, her team reached Dover. Trudy lost her way in the dark water, but the people of Dover lit bonfires on the beaches to guide her. News of her success spread quickly! When she returned to New York, Trudy received a huge parade, which she shared with her family and Coach Epstein, thanking them for their support.
The film tells us that Trudy set a new world record for crossing the Channel, finishing in 14 hours and 31 minutes. This was two hours faster than the previous record held by a man! Later in life, Trudy lost her hearing, and she spent her time teaching deaf children how to swim. She lived to be 98 years old, passing away in 2003.
Meet the Characters
Here are some of the main actors and the real people they play in the film:
- Daisy Ridley as Gertrude "Trudy" Ederle: The amazing swimmer who became the first woman to cross the English Channel.
- Olive Abercrombie as Young Trudy Ederle
- Christopher Eccleston as Jabez Wolffe: Trudy's coach in France who had tried to swim the English Channel many times but didn't succeed.
- Stephen Graham as Bill Burgess: A hero to Trudy, he was the second person to successfully swim the English Channel and inspired her.
- Tilda Cobham-Hervey as Margaret "Meg" Ederle: Trudy's supportive sister.
- Lilly Aspell as Young Meg.
- Kim Bodnia as Henry Ederle: Trudy's father.
- Jeanette Hain as Gertrude Anna Ederle: Trudy's mother.
- Glenn Fleshler as James Sullivan: The person who helped sponsor the women swimmers for the Olympics and Trudy's Channel swim.
- Sian Clifford as Charlotte Epstein: Trudy's first swimming coach in America.
- Alexander Karim as Benji Zammit: Another swimmer Trudy befriends while training in France.
How the Film Was Made
Bringing the Story to Life
The idea for Young Woman and the Sea began in November 2015, when producer Jerry Bruckheimer bought the rights to the book about Trudy Ederle. Jeff Nathanson was hired to write the movie script. At first, actress Lily James was going to play Trudy.
Later, in December 2020, Walt Disney Pictures took over the project. They decided that Daisy Ridley would play Trudy, and Joachim Rønning would direct the film. The movie was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and Chad Oman for Disney.
Who Plays Who?
As mentioned, Lily James was first considered for the role of Trudy Ederle. But when Disney took over the film, Daisy Ridley was chosen to play the main character. In March 2022, Tilda Cobham-Hervey joined the cast as Trudy's sister, Meg, and Stephen Graham also joined. In May 2022, Christopher Eccleston was added to the cast.
Filming and Music
Filming for Young Woman and the Sea started in early May 2022 and finished on June 18, 2022. Daisy Ridley trained with an Olympic swimmer and coach, Siobhan-Marie O'Connor, to prepare for her role!
The music for the film was created by Amelia Warner and produced by Warner and Lorne Balfe. The music was recorded in London. The soundtrack was released digitally on May 31, 2024.
When and Where to Watch
The film had its first showing, called a world premiere, on May 16, 2024, in Los Angeles.
Young Woman and the Sea was originally planned to be released directly on the streaming service Disney+. However, after people who saw early versions of the film really loved it, and seeing how well other sports movies did in theaters, Disney decided to release it in movie theaters first. This happened on May 31, 2024, in the United States. During its time in theaters, it was shown in the USA, the United Kingdom, and China. Later, on July 19, 2024, the film became available worldwide on Disney+.
Marketing the Film
First pictures from the movie were shared by People magazine on March 6, 2024. The movie trailer was first shown at an event called CinemaCon on April 11, 2024, and then released online for everyone to see shortly after.
