The Rainbow

This is a superb adaptation of DH Lawrence's The Rainbow. The film is about the youth and coming of age of Ursula Brangwan. Ursula is from an affluent and artistic Midlands family. She falls in love with a soldier, has a brief relationship with a schoolmistress and struggles as a teacher in a poor school. The film also shows an industrial England that no longer exists.

The novel was first published in 1915 and was banned for its alleged obscenity. It contained swear words and talked openly about sex. If you had to read Lawrence for "A" level in the 1970s, as I did, you were brought up to think of Lawrence as a great writer and cultural icon. His writings about sexual desire and the British class system were considered significant and relevant. Although his books are beautifully written, his cynical world view and socialism seem less important today. Lawrence's obsession with sex is also a little creepy. But his characters are interesting and this film is worth watching if you can find it. The film had a large budget for a BBC production and it looked good. Imogen Stubbs was beautiful as Ursula.