Lady Chatterley is no longer ahead of her time
The never-ending story is a constant inspiration for reinventing a classical novel into a still very understandably relatable film. This amazing book was first published privately in Italy and France in 1928. It was then published publicly in the UK in 1960. Lawrence was the author of this masterpiece, as well as many others, such as Sons and Lovers, Women in Love, and Lady Chatterley’s lover. The obscene publications act 1959 censored this book in the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, India, and Japan for being immoral. It is challenging to comprehend, and it was not that long ago. Today, many moral issues have gone too far in the opposite direction.
The book became notorious for its story of a married working-class man and a married upper-class woman have a love affair. The explicit descriptions of sex, and its use of profane words made into a dangerous book to read.
Lawrence was born and raised in Nottingham and witnessed and endured hardships as the offspring of a coal miner. The bravest men on earth, as Richard Burton remarked numerous times, gave up their youth and health to face challenges in the dark, in the unknown core of our planet.
Lawrence suffered from ill health and was devoutly religious, which helped him maintain a relatively balanced existence. Although he was unfit for service in WW1, his letters were filled with cynical and bitter references to the war, both personally and professionally.
The Film
This Netflix film was interesting and well-acted, but it felt flat. You didn’t get too involved in the characters, and it didn’t bring anything new to the table. The colour grade in a blue hue was not aesthetically pleasing, resulting in a peculiar appearance. The film was shot at the Brynkinalt estate in Chirk, North Wales. The film’s beautiful rolling valleys and glorious countryside are sensational. The Hall, which is a grade ll, listed building, brought a decadent and rather ghostly feel to the film, which personally I liked.
There is barely enough spark between Lady Constance Chatterley, and her lover, the smouldering gamekeeper, to keep you enthusiastic. Obviously, the usual steamy, passionate sex scenes that one would expect whilst watching Lady Chatterley were umm, to well behaved. Which is why it’s surprising that the sex scenes in this adaptation of DH Lawrence’s novel seem bland and not passionate enough. Adding to that, the smurfs blue tone and not so great camerawork took away a lot of the erotic essence this film could have had.
It gets diluted year after year, making it unsexy and uninteresting. The chemistry between these actors was not live and well…
And I must mention that beautiful dress that was ripped off in a moment of passion in the woods, was all of a sudden put back together, all sewn-up and without creases, I call that a real “Blue Peter” momentum moment. The film is impressive elsewhere, but it could have been so much better. There have been around seven film adaptations and two BBC versions. The book and film are both great, regardless of this version. It was just another film.
CAST & CREW
The French director, actress Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, based this version on a screenplay by David Magee. Laure defines herself as Dreamy, passionate and joyful.
Lady Chatterley, played by Emma Corrin is no newcomer to film.
Many will probably remember her for her portrayal of Diana, Princess of Wales, in The Crown.There’s a feverish wildness to Corrin’s performance, but it didn’t move me in any way.
Clifford Chatterley is the upperclass baronet, boring husband, played by Matthew Duckett. This is Duckett’s impressive debut. In real life he has Cerebral Palsy and, with careful editing, he really made a knockout performance. Well done, there are no barriers to your extraordinary talent.
Gamekeeper, lover, Jack O’ Connell unleashes the full force of his considerable charisma with the wrong lover...
Emma Fryer was the costume designer for the astonishing Wardrobe that Lady Chatterley wore. Where to begin, I was so jealous of those gorgeous, colourful feminine garments. The contrasting tweeds and silks, and velvets with beautiful hats were to die for…
Joely Richardson was the northern housekeeper, Mrs Bolton. It was great to see her, as she is an incredibly talented and beautiful actress. Recently, she complained that, even though she has had considerable success and is wellconnected, offers for roles have dried up. I hope she will be in many more films. The music composed by Claude Debussy was performed by
Carol Rosenberger.