Carrington (1995)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Christopher Hampton

Writers:

Christopher Hampton (writer)
Michael Holroyd (book)

Release Date:

10 November 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

She had many lovers but only one love.

Plot:

The story of the relationship between painter Dora Carrington and author Lytton Strachey in a World War One England of cottages and countryside...

Plot Keywords:

Sexual | Countryside | Jealousy | Psychological Drama | WWI

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 5 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Emma Thompson	...	Dora Carrington
Jonathan Pryce	...	Lytton Strachey
Steven Waddington	...	Ralph Partridge
Samuel West	...	Gerald Brenan
Rufus Sewell	...	Mark Gertler
Penelope Wilton	...	Lady Ottoline Morrell
Janet McTeer	...	Vanessa Bell
Peter Blythe	...	Phillip Morrell
Jeremy Northam	...	Beacus Penrose
Alex Kingston	...	Frances Partridge
Sebastian Harcombe	...	Roger Senhouse
Richard Clifford	...	Clive Bell
David Ryall	...	Mayor
Stephen Boxer	...	Military Rep
Annabel Mullion	...	Mary Hutchinson

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sexuality and language.

Runtime:

121 min

Country:

UK | France

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Singapore:R21 | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | South Korea:18 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | Portugal:M/16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:11 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Cliveden House, Taplow, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

Orsans Productions

Trivia:

'Christopher Hampton' finally got to direct the script he'd been sitting on since 1976, but only because original helmer Mike Newell opted to direct Donnie Brasco (1997) instead.

Quotes:

Lytton Strachey: It isn't easy remaining calm in the face of excessive praise from The Daily Telegraph.

Soundtrack:

When this lousy war is over

Delicately portrayed amorous eccentricity as only the British can do

If you require the overdone loudness, violence and aggressivity of an American film (Training Day comes to mind), you'll need to take an extra dose of Ritalin to get through this film. (That advice could have been useful to a few of the previous reviewers, in fact.)

For those who don't have to be hit over the head, though, this film is a riveting masterpiece about the varied forms human love can assume--and a reminder that subcultures, like the Bloomsbury Group, have always given social norms a wide berth. British society has long tolerated eccentricity, especially when discreetly indulged, of which the nuanced contours of relationships among the literate in early-20th-century Britain provide an excellent illustration. Combine this refreshing glimpse of consensual mores with outstanding interpretations by Thompson and Pryce, and with fidelity to historical fact, and you've got two delightful hours of first-rate cinema on your hands.

And not an exploding car or a vengeance-driven, gadget-laden military operation against a demonized third-world country anywhere to be found. Amazing. And bravo. 9 out of 10.