L'amant de lady Chatterley

This book and movie caused a great sensation in 1959 because it was considered pornographic. The book was not allowed to be read and the movie was not allowed to be shown in America. Finally, after a highly publicized court battle, the courts allowed the book and the movie to appear on the grounds of "artistic merit" and everybody went to see the movie. The content, about a married woman who commits adultery, is so mild by today's standards that the book and movie are largely forgotten. However, it was because of the court precedent set by "Lady Chatterley's Lover" that we are allowed to see and read almost everything today. Sam Sloan

If you're expecting the collieries and dukeries of north Nottinghamshire, no, this is a very Parisian version of D H Lawrence's landscape. The hunt, seemingly peopled by orchestral musicians, chases wild boar, the mines are remarkably clean and Wragby Hall is a chateau.

But don't dismiss this film - the themes of class, love and fidelity work in a French forest too, and a great piece of drama unfolds.

English actor Leo Genn plays the war-crippled Sir Clifford, his slow English accent increasingly infuriating as it signals a stubborn, chilling determination to maintain the class divisions of the hunting aristocracy ("The gong has gone for dinner and you haven't even dressed!"), and a dismissive indifference to the exploitation of workers and the landscape.

Lady Constance struggles to overcome her tenseness at being tutoyer-ed by Mellors, the manly gamekeeper (played by Italian Erno Crisa). But away from him her frustration shows as she restlessly rides her horse in circles. When Sir Clifford complains that she is late for the Pouring of the Tea, she snaps. "It's not a religious ceremony! The world won't collapse if I don't serve the tea!"

And if you're hoping for a bit of Bertolucci here, I'm afraid you'll have to do with the unbuttoning of the top button of Constance's blouse, but this is the wonderful Danielle Darrieux. Her expressions as she helps Mellor to push her husband's wheelchair through the woodland mud are sensuous enough for anybody.

This first screen version of D. H. Lawrence's infamous 'Lady Chatterley's Lover' was released five years before the Regina vs Penguin Obscenity Trial of 1960 and is directed by Marc Allégret.

The trademark Gallic finesse for which this director is known is alas totally unsuited to the 'earthiness' of Lawrence's novel and one cannot help but wonder how some of his contemporaries, including his brother Yves, would have handled it.

Based upon a stage version of the novel its theatrical roots are all too apparent and even allowing for the censorship restrictions of the time this tame treatment does little justice to the original. Monsieur Allégret has avoided the erotic element and has instead chosen to concentrate on Lawrence's belief in the union of mind and body which is fair enough but for this viewer at any rate the result is anodyne.

There is no faulting the performances but the casting of Leo Genn as Sir Willoughby and Erno Crisa as Mellors simply stereotypes the phlegmatic Anglo-Saxon and the hot-blooded Latin. Having said that, Mr. Genn's portrayal of a deeply tragic character cannot fail to engage our sympathies whilst Signor Crisa is not merely a handsome hunk but possesses great sensitivity. For an Englishman Mr. Genn's command of the French language is impressive although some have found it to be incongruous in this setting. The film is essentially a vehicle for the splendid Danielle Darrieux who is luminous as Constance and whose sexuality is, as always, subdued.

Although hugely popular when released it has not stood the test of time and remains, like much of Marc Allégret's output, insubstantial.

No one in the UK dared to attempt the impossible but Marc Allegret in France did. It may seen odd to hear the dialogue in French and to have a ( partly ) French cast but the film itself is well made in black and white, is fairly explicit sexually in its dialogue and erotic in it atmosphere, without showing the sexual acts. One example; Danielle Darrieux plays Lady Chatterley and her first glimpse of Oliver naked from the waist upwards sets the sexual tone. She shows desire, and being a great actor she makes that clear to the audience. Erno Crisa who plays Oliver is very good as well, and so is Leo Genn as Lord Chatterley who urges his wife to have sex with another man so as to produce a noble, honourable heir. He does not of course have his gamekeeper in mind. This film can be seen on YouTube with ingrained English subtitles and I urge viewers to see it. In my opinion it is the best version of D. H. Lawrence's book ( probably inspired by E. M Forster's unpublished gay novel ' Maurice ' that Lawrence had read in manuscript before he wrote ' Lady Chatterley's Lover ) and no other version since this one has been able to be as sexually explicit as the book. So for me this is a landmark film of great daring in its ability to bring to the screen a banned book in the best way that it could. One final comment. For those who consider Marc Allegret a not very good director should see his film ' Orage ' with Michele Morgan, and to make two fine films in a lifetime is an achievement.

Maybe , three sins define this adaptation:

• the feeling about see more an Marc Allegret film than a version of D. H. Lawrence. It seems than the novel becomes a sort of pretext for a fresco of noble people life and this noblety is pure French.

• the second problem - it is the film of Danielle Darrieux but she domains in so many measure each scene in a cold manner than Constance who you expect is just missing.

• the way to recreate atmosphere of novel is conventional. Sure, a good option for the role of Clifford but his accent is just eccentric in context of French of the others.

In short, a correct version, not memorable but honest one.

But, sure, fair option for the French old films admirers.