Women in Love
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Alan Bates, Eleanor Bron, Glenda Jackson, Jennie Linden, Oliver ReedBrand: Sony
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Letterboxed, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.66:1
Running Time: 131 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-03-04
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Movie Reviews of Women in Love
Movie Review: Arguably, Russell's best film
Summary: 5 Stars
Ken Russell's film output was intensely controversial in his heyday, some of his work winning wide acclaim and some almost universal scorn and condemnation. "Women in Love," one of his earliest full-length, big-budget features, stands out today as one of his best, an intelligent, good-looking and well-acted adaptation of D.H. Lawrence's sprawling novel about sexual and emotional relationships between men and women, and men and men, in 1920s England, personified by the Brangwen sisters, Gudrun and Ursula (Glenda Jackson, Jennie Linden), and their respective lovers, Gerald Crich (Oliver Reed)and Rupert Birkin (Alan Bates).
The screenplay by Larry Kramer remains a model of cinematic adaptation, minimizing the long-winded philosophizing into which the author's print characters are wont to fall, though the necessity for condensation means the plot proceeds onscreen in a series of self-contained tableaux rather than a smooth progression. This works because the individual episodes are so memorable, most carrying an emotional immediacy that take the viewer's breath away even today. Chief among these, of course, is the notorious nude fireside wrestling scene between Bates and Reed, which has lost none of its homoerotic charge. However, other scenes are equally striking: Jackson stampeding a herd of cattle with Isadora Duncan-style dancing; a mischievous nude swim by two young newlyweds that abruptly turns tragic; Reed trudging wearily through the vast expanse of the snowy Alps. Russell's propensity for over-the-top grandiosity is eminently suited to the material here; later it would all too often veer into self-caricature. The actors, including the underrated Jennie Linden, throw themselves with complete identification into their roles, in the process often saving Lawrence from himself. Glenda Jackson's portrayal of the headstrong and relentlessly critical Gudrun is particularly memorable and her Oscar was well-deserved. Bates and Reed are equally good, though the latter is physically quite unlike the character as described by the author. Together they strike enough sparks amid the beautiful cinematography to keep "Women in Love" an absorbing film experience after four decades.
The current DVD looks great, with the lush colors of the original well preserved, though the sound quality was uneven in one or two spots on my copy. The extra features are minimal--voice-overs by both Russell and Kramer, an amusingly stuffy contemporary trailer (which limits itself mostly to placards with critical quotes), and a photo gallery. No matter, as the film speaks for itself.
Summary of Women in Love
This compelling rendition of the literary masterpiece is a visual stunner and very likely the mostsensuous film ever made (N.Y. Daily News). Glenda Jackson garnered the first of her two Oscars®* for her superb performance in director Ken Russell and writer Larry Kramer's brilliant exploration of the complexities of sexuality and romantic love. Growing up in the sheltered society of 1920s England, Gudrun (Jackson) and Ursula (Jennie Linden) know little about the ways of love. So when they pursue thrilling, torrid affairs with a notorious playboy (Alan Bates) and abrooding philanderer (Oliver Reed), what they discover about their lovers, and themselves, may be more all-consumingand dangerously volatilethan they ever dared imagine.Similar DVD Movies
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