"Lady Chatterley" (1993) TV series

Director:

Ken Russell

Writers:

D.H. Lawrence (novel)
Ken Russell (writer)

Release Date:

6 June 1993 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

Lady Constance Chatterley is married to the handicapped Sir Clifford Chatterley, who was wounded in the First World War...

Plot Keywords:

Sexual Awakening | Cuckold | Female Rear Nudity | Male Nudity | Female Nudity

Cast

Joely Richardson	...	Lady Chatterley
Sean Bean	...	Mellors
James Wilby	...	Sir Clifford Chatterley
Shirley Anne Field	...	Mrs. Bolton
Hetty Baynes	...	Hilda
Ken Russell	...	Sir Michael Reid
Brian Blessed	...	Petty Officer
Breffni McKenna	...	Donald Forbes
Pat Keen	...	Mrs. Mellors
Amanda Murray	...	Mrs. Draycott
P.J. Davidson	...	Gamekeeper
Judith Paris	...	Mrs. Marshall
David Sterne	...	Field
Melanie Hughes	...	Simpson
Michael Turner	...	Rector Asby

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:18A (Ontario) | Portugal:M/16 | UK:15 (re-rating) (2007) | Australia:M | UK:18

Filming Locations:

Gaddesden Place, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

London Film Productions

Trivia:

Sean Bean (Oliver Mellors) was called back at the beginning of filming to shoot extra shots on his previous film, Patriot Games (1992) - and during a fight scene, Harrison Ford hit him with a boat hook, which left him with stitches, and later a scar, on his forehead.

Quotes:

Lady Chatterley: It's never the obvious that happens, is it?

Movie Connections:

Version of L'amant de lady Chatterley (1955)

A successful adaptation of DH Lawrence's novel to the screen.

Lady Chatterley, whose husband was paralyzed in a war, is faced with the prospect of living the rest of life completely unfulfilled sexually, emotionally and maternally. She then meets Mellors, the family gameskeeper, with whom she begins an affair. D.H. Lawrence's novels, from which the movie was adapted, addressed some very touchy subjects of the 1920's English culture: sexuality and the dichotomy of the social classes. The movie, filmed for TV in four segments, does an excellent job of portraying the lives of Lawrence's characters and the lifestyles and fashion of that era. While the movie seems to get somewhat slow in places, the story would somehow be less complete without them. Part of the controversy surrounding Lawrence's was the great detail with which he described the sexual encounters between Lady Chatterley and Mellors. The books, though banned for many years in England, were nevertheless quite popular and became an instrument of social change. Many movies that attempt to depict sexual intimacy somehow fail to capture the atmosphere or feeling of the moment quite as well as director Ken Russell did in this movie. The scenes were quite convincing and should be required viewing for anyone who wishes to avoid movies where the sex scenes were added solely for the sake of the box office. The actors Joely Richardson and Sean Bean did a superb job at presenting to the audience the sexual intimacy and how they were affected by the social ramifications of their relationship. Despite the rather long playing time of the movie, they manage to maintain the quality of their roles as people in a complex social predicament. While the movie contains some nudity, it is important to note that the only scene that depicts full-frontal nudity is one that is void of any sexuality; the couple, overwhelmed at having found true joy in their lives, run and frolic naked through the woods. A good lesson for future moviemakers and censors: nudity in movies need not - nor should it always be - associated with sex. The bottom line: Lady Chatterley is a good quality love story that includes all the social politics, the old-world class distictinctions, and the many other elements that make up the relationship of the couple involved. If you liked the books, you will most likely enjoy this movie as well.