Mrs Dalloway

dir Marleen Gorris - In her novel, which was first published in 1925 and which deals with the period immediately following World War I in England, Woolf creates a 52-year-old woman, the title figure, who seems to plunge into late-mid-life straits one morning and to reconcile herself to her plight by the evening. In director Marleen Gorris' (Antonia's Line) hands this fluid interpretation highlights both the satirical take on the British upper classes and the sombre drama of a woman in distress. The story unfolds in a tony section of London on a sunny day in June 1923 as Mrs. Dalloway (Vanessa Redgrave) gleefully prepares for a party by stopping in a Bond Street florist's shop and walking spiritedly about a park announcing plans for "my party." Despite her outward show of happiness, she is inwardly troubled by a decision she made some 30 years back when she chose a safe marriage to a successful politician and rebuffed the entreaties of an impetuous, adventurous young man. As she begins to relate her torment to the movie audience, Sue Gibson's camera plunges us into Clarissa Dalloway's youth, revealing her courtship with Peter Walsh (Michael Kitchen) and baring her 20-year-old self as performed by the lovely Natascha McElhone. She is bewildered by her sexual feelings toward her best friend Sally (Lena Headey). She is also pursued by the somewhat stodgy Richard Dalloway (Robert Portal), who promises her a safe, comfortable, and frivolously bourgeois life. The film's lingering exposition builds up to its most striking segment, as guests arrive for Mrs. Dalloway's party and, for the most part, engage in trivial and prevaricating conversation. It is here that the movie shines, utilizing the technique of inner monologue to contrast with the outward conversation. While lavishing compliments on her guests, Clarissa shares with us, the movie audience, her true feelings about the prigs and uglies in attendance. Vanessa Redgrave, Natascha McElhone, Rupert Graves, Alan Cox, Michael Kitchen 97 minutes. (Ireland/UK/USA 1997) 96 min. AA.

Pic of reels

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