Lady Chatterley (1993)

Released for general television, perhaps on Cable, this titillating (come on it had to be said at least once) release of D.H. Lawrence's masterpiece is my first cinematic experience with any of his work. Needless to say, I was impressed, not just with the idea that both Sean Bean and Joely Richardson were willing to go full monty for their characters, but how well Ken Russell handled the material. This is my first outing (not just with D.H.) with Ken Russell, and I know it won't be my last ... his Lair of the White Worm will be reviewed shortly, but if it is anything like this film - it impressed. Russell had a difficult duty ahead with nearly four hours of screen time, how do you keep audiences hooked without just showing boobs and sex. I must admit, he dutifully did it with what seemed like the greatest of ease.


I am typically not one for period piece films. In the past, they have either bored me or just felt so dry that falling asleep provided better entertainment. Why does British aristocracy have to be so dull? I did experience a better outing with the film Handful of Dust, but since then, it has only been chaos after debacle after chaos. Where was the road going to end? It ended with Lady Chatterley, a 1993 release that probably won't be watched in college classrooms or even at the high school level, though it is said, it follows D.H.'s words almost entirely. For me, it was two days of easy coasting with this film. Surprisingly, I was absorbed into this world of class, wealth, and disgust. I loved what Russell offered, particularly in one scene where James Wilby is discussing what makes one class better than the other, and Russell merely focuses on the maid's faces. They are long, sad, and emotionless, and Russell focused the point stronger. He made Chatterley's evil stronger and his words carry a vibrant point. There were also individual scenes that just worked thanks to Russell's attention to detail. There were some great scenes where it was merely Clifford in his chair in a room, but the angles were perfect. Russell was said to have complete control over this film, and it seemed very clear his talent was not to be covered up.


Although Russell was phenomenal in his direction, the major players were not used for their acting abilities, but merely for their looks. Joely was beautiful, but wasn't the strong - nearly maddened woman that I was expecting - and we knew absolutely nothing about Bean's Mellors. He seems to appear out of nowhere. While I did love the slight chemistry that they had together, it was obvious that beauty came before ability with the casting of this film. It felt as if we went from scene to scene completely lacking the soul of the characters. Then events would happen, major crisis' would be discovered, and we easily came to a conclusion. The ending wrapped up a bit too quickly for me. Perhaps just another gripe.


Again, I wasn't as sleepy with this period piece film. I liked what Russell brought to the table, and if forced to watch again perhaps I would gather with friends to enjoy, but I couldn't carry the weight of this film on my back again. It is a four hour burden to take on (nothing like the 13 hour Berlin Alexanderplatz slowly waiting for me around the corner) - and it just wouldn't be as enticing. I am eager to see other of D.H.'s work, but this modern release (within the past decade) just didn't reach to full throttle. Again, I liked this, but love would never be uttered - just like in this film.


Oh, enough. The third entry in my "L" section of the "DVD Delirium", I will be ending my period piece run for now and entering back into the world of horror - and leaving Lady Chatterley with a pink mark. Forced to watch if needed, but not by choice.


Favorite Scene: The individual shots of the maids as Clifford talks about how inhuman the lower class was. This scene was sheer brilliance, and if Russell would have continued along this path - I would have had to own this film, but the inconsistencies were what kept me away.