Lady Chatterley's Lover (1981)

A film adaptation of D.H. Lawrence's novel. After a crippling injury leaves her husband impotent, Lady Chatterly is torn between her love for her husband and her physical desires. With her ... See full summary »

Director:

Just Jaeckin

Writers:

Marc Behm, Just Jaeckin,

Stars:

Sylvia Kristel, Shane Briant, Nicholas Clay

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Sylvia Kristel	...	Lady Constance Chatterley
Shane Briant	...	Sir Clifford Chatterley
Nicholas Clay	...	Oliver Mellors
Ann Mitchell	...	Ivy Bolton
Elizabeth Spriggs	...	Lady Eva
Pascale Rivault	...	Hilda
Peter Bennett	...	Field
Anthony Head	...	Anton
Frank Moorey	...	The Priest
Bessie Love	...	Flora
John Tynan	...	Roberts
Michael Huston	...	Footman
Fran Hunter	...	Maid
Ryan Michael	...	Gigolo
Mark Colleano	...	Gigolo

Storyline

A film adaptation of D.H. Lawrence's novel. After a crippling injury leaves her husband impotent, Lady Chatterly is torn between her love for her husband and her physical desires. With her husband's consent, she seeks out other means of fulfilling her needs.

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Plot Keywords:

injury | lust | loincloth | female frontal nudity | motorized wheelchair | 

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Taglines:

She was beautiful and sensual, trapped in a loveless marriage. He was her husband's servant. Born into worlds as far apart, they found a passionate world of their own.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK France West Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 May 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

El amante de Lady Chaterley

Filming Locations:

Wrotham Park, Barnet, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cine Artist Film GmbH, Cine-Source, London-Cannon Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The 4000 acre estate north of London, Wrotham Park in Barnet, Hertfordshire, England portrayed Ragby Hall, the stately Nottinghamshire manor home and property of the Chatterleys.

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Goofs

Hyacinth flowers are seen in the bedroom during mid autumn in Great Britain in the early 1920s. These plants bloom in the springtime.

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Connections

Version of Lady Chatterley's Lover (1955)

User Reviews

Aristocratic Vanity

Class consciousness is the thematic excuse for this very Victorian-era story of the wife of a debilitated English aristocrat. The wife has certain "needs" that cannot be met by her husband, who is paralyzed from the waist down. So, she finds what she needs in the grounds-keeper, a ruggedly handsome man. Visual eroticism is the real theme, of course.

There's not a lot to the story. The whole thing could have been neatly told in thirty minutes. Here, it's terribly drawn out, with scenes that are way too lengthy. What's really annoying is the vanity that characters exhibit. Lady Chatterley (Sylvia Kristel), in particular, is obsessed with her own body. Partially nude, she stares vainly at herself in a mirror. For his part the grounds-keeper (Nicholas Clay) likes to do outdoor chores with his shirt off, convenient for any sensual woman who just happens to be strolling by. It's all rather obvious and superficial. Only toward the end does the story actually get interesting.

I do like the majestic musical score. And the cinematography isn't bad at all, with some good outdoor scenes in the fog. There are lots of close-up camera shots, and quite a few extreme close-ups. This film is obviously a Sylvia Kristel vehicle. But her acting is stilted and self-conscious.

Maybe the film was sexually daring in its time. By today's standards, "Lady Chatterley's Lover" is quite tame. I would mostly describe it as slow, drawn-out, and dull, with characters who are annoyingly self-centered and vain.