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Notes on this and a couple of other Sylvia Kristel
films which don't have separate pages: You are going to form a an impression if I tell you that this version of the classic D.H. Lawrence story stars Sylvia Kristel, was directed by the same guy who directed Emmaneulle, and was produced by Golan and Globus. That impression is probably a lot like the one I formed: cost-cutting production values, bad actors delivering dialogue only as a pretext to move toward the next sex scene. Surprisingly, that impression is not entirely correct. Oh, I'm not going to tell you that this is the definitive screen rendering of the memorable novel, but it has some real strengths. First, Nicholas Clay was a damned good actor. He played the gamekeeper, and the production was lucky to get a guy with his looks and talent. He was a respected stage actor with no cred as a movie star at the time this film was made, but if Chatterley had been made a year later, Clay would not have been available. He established himself as an internationally recognized film actor in two other films made in the very same year this movie was released. He played the most memorable role of his career that year, as Lancelot in Excalibur, John Boorman's version of the King Arthur story. Clay also starred opposite Richard Burton that year as Tristan in Lovespell, Tom Donovan's version of the Tristan and Isolde story. Apparently, Clay really established himself that year as the go-to guy for the film versions of important literary characters drawn from the noble but doomed romance section of the library. For reasons which I never quite understood, his career never took flight and he died quite young, but there's no question that he brought an unexpected level of professionalism to this film. Here is a tribute/obit written about Nick by a friend of his, which gives the man his due more thoroughly and eloquently than I am able. |
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Second, Sylvia Kristel seems adequate as Lady
Chatterley. Yeah, I know. I can't believe I typed that. Since
Kristel has shown no similar gift for the English language in films
made before and after this one, and since the dialogue matches her
lip movements, I suppose that she delivered her lines in English and
they were post-dubbed by an English actress supplying an appropriate
accent. Unfortunately, there was nothing that could be done to dub
in any additional facial expressions, so Kristel plays the entire movie
with the only expression she owns - the one that matches the vacant
ritual deference of a death-numbed mortician meeting his hundredth
bereaved widow. (Right) In addition to good performances from Clay and Kristel's dubber, the film looks quite good! |
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Of course, it failed miserably at the box office. I don't know why the producers expected otherwise. There is no target audience. D.H. Lawrence lovers aren't going to rush out to see a Dutch softcore actress play Lady Chatterley, and neither are the lovers of European arthouse movies. Those who seek good softcore porn are going to seek elsewhere, because they will find the film's literary pretensions to be tedious. So just who is the audience for this film? Maybe Sylvia Kristel fans? I don't know ... ... but I know it isn't me. It just bored the living daylights out of me. The film did surprise me because it isn't cheesy, but it is totally lifeless, and I found watching it to be an arduous task. To be honest, I would have preferred cheesy.
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