December 7, 2022
The morning after baronet Sir Clifford Chatterley (Matthew Ducket) married young Constance Reid (Emma Corrin), he was sent off to fight in the war. He suffered an injury that rendered him paraplegic from the waist down. He was sent home to their country estate Wragly to be cared for by Constance and his staff whom he had rehired including housekeeper Mrs. Bolton (Joely Richardson) and gameskeeper Oliver Mellors (Jack O'Connell).
Because Clifford still believed that Wragly needed an heir to continue his line, he granted Constance permission to get herself a lover who could make her pregnant. He was not interested to know who the man was, but he trusted that she would make the smartest choice of partner. However, when Constance chanced upon Mellors taking a bath outside his cabin in the buff, she felt irresistibly attracted to his manly physique and coarse behavior.
The story of "Lady Chatterley's Lover" was so provocative that it inspired numerous film and television adaptations over the years in many countries. The most famous version is a 1981 French production by controversial director Just Jaecklin, who cast Sylvia Kristel (his lead actress in his 1974 film "Emmanuelle") as Connie. While this soft-porn version was not a box office success, it recouped its losses as a cult favorite in home video.
Knowing Emma Corrin only from her portrayal of the gamine Diana Spencer in the fourth season of "The Crown." Seeing her play Constance Reid with all the sensually intimate nude scenes was not easy to watch, but her dedication to the role was sincere. Jack O'Connell was very impressive in his Hollywood breakthrough film "Unbroken" (Angelina Jolie, 2014). With his shelf of books and gentle manner, his Oliver still seemed to be more refined than brusque brute he should be.
I have not read the original D.H. Lawrence classic novel nor watched the other film adaptations, so I thought this version worked quite well to tell this story of class differences and sexual mores of that era a century ago. It could have worked better if the aspect of love was developed more than just lust in their daily trysts. Though it was a bit off-character for them, that spontaneous uninhibited naked romp in the rain was such a joyous celebration of freedom from the constraints of society. 7/10.
No comments:
Post a Comment