Mrs Dalloway

I enjoyed this movie very much, although I really loved the novel a bit more, but that's always the case it seems. Vanessa Redgrave and Natasha McElhone make a GREAT older/younger version of each other, and Rupert Graves gives a stellar performance as a young man dealing with the impact of war. This is a gently told tale, but it's done very well. Worth a look.

Everyone doesn't like everything, so I'm not surprised that some people find the movie of Mrs. Dalloway boring. They probably would find the book boring too. But it's depressing. So they won't agree with some of us who see the novel as one of the great works of the 20th century, and the film as a truly remarkable and beautiful capturing of it. The only touch I regretted was the opening of the film with the Septimus Warren-Smith war scenes. The opening really belongs with Mrs. D. and her first words, "I will buy the flowers myself." After that moment, it's a quiet day but a beautiful and sensitive one.

In 1923 London, socialite Clarissa Dalloway (Vanessa Redgrave) is planning a high class party. She is the wife of MP Richard Dalloway. Her daughter Elizabeth prefers do-gooder Miss Kilman than her. Her old suitor Peter Walsh arrives with a troubled love life and various failures. Meanwhile, former soldier Septimus Warren Smith (Rupert Graves) is haunted by the nightmarish Great War. His wife Rezia is concerned. The movie also flashbacks to a young Clarissa (Natascha McElhone), a young Peter, and best friend Sally (Lena Headey).

This is adapted from a Virginia Woolf novel. The Septimus side of the story is separated from Clarissa for most of the movie. That kept me at an arm's length as I waited for the two sides to come together. While interested in Septimus, it seems to repeat the same premise. He would be better to be in his own movie about a shell shocked veteran. When the sides finally collide, it's not as compelling as one wish. Of course, it's still interesting as a character study for Clarissa. It may work better in literary form. As for young Clarissa, I'm more interested in Sally than Peter. It may be salacious but that counts. Vanessa Redgrave is able to maintain interest for the most part. I can't say that this is exciting or thrilling in any way. She's a marginally interesting character.

I appreciate this film for its technical quality, as well as its ambition in trying to film a novel that is written in the stream of consciousness style, however it fails overall because of Ms. Redgrave's performance. Her acting destroys the tone of the movie in a extremely jarring way; the contrast between her just-swallowed-a-bottle-of-Prozac happiness and the other plot lines and draws the viewer out of the experience of the film. The novel's tone is much darker and Clarissa's point-of- view much more based on regret, and more in sync with the post-traumatic-stress and depression of Septimus and the ennui and disenfranchisement of her daughter. Her performance wasn't only in the wrong tone, but it was incredibly phony; a viewer should never see acting happening. This is the same gripe I have with Rupert Grave's performance of Septimus; his acting is too stagy and I never truly believed him when shouting "EVANS! EVANS!"

Probably will be (and perhaps should be) the last time a film adaptation is made of this novel.

Kudos go to all who participated in making this wonderful film. Vanessa Redgrave, as usual, is perfect as an aging dowager who settled for the "safe" path in life instead of seeking adventure and taking risks. When her old flame reappears, she reevaluates her choices and second-guesses the paths that she chose. The film also has a sub-plot about a shell-shocked World War I veteran who is in emotional torment and is inconsolable. The film works on two levels. It shows the interaction between proper British people who speak politely to one another, but the viewer senses that there are fierce and passionate undercurrents and important thoughts that seems to be unspoken. In addition, the film is a clear indictment of the stuffy and snobby British society of Post World War I England, in which a party could be of such importance that a person's reputation could hinge on its success. There is also a feminist slant in the movie. Can a woman who spends her time at home making parties and pleasing her husband ever feel fulfilled? Did Mrs. Dalloway make the right decision in "playing it safe" in life? That is up to the viewer to decide. Meanwhile, revel in the fabulous nuanced performances, the witty dialogue and the beautiful cinematography. This film is a triumph.