Mrs Dalloway (1997)

In 1923 London, socialite Clarissa Dalloway's well-planned party is overshadowed by the return of an old suitor she had known 33 years earlier.

Director:

Marleen Gorris

Writers:

Eileen Atkins (screenplay), Virginia Woolf (novel)

Stars:

Vanessa Redgrave, Natascha McElhone, Michael Kitchen

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Vanessa Redgrave	...	Mrs. Clarissa Dalloway
Natascha McElhone	...	Young Clarissa
Michael Kitchen	...	Peter Walsh
Alan Cox	...	Young Peter
Sarah Badel	...	Lady Rosseter
Lena Headey	...	Young Sally
John Standing	...	Richard Dalloway
Robert Portal	...	Young Richard
Oliver Ford Davies	...	Hugh Whitbread
Hal Cruttenden	...	Young Hugh
Rupert Graves	...	Septimus Warren Smith
Amelia Bullmore	...	Rezia Warren Smith
Margaret Tyzack	...	Lady Bruton
Robert Hardy	...	Sir William Bradshaw
Richenda Carey	...	Lady Bradshaw

Storyline

London, summer 1923. Clarissa, MP Richard Dalloway's wife, sets out on a beautiful morning; she's shopping for flowers for her party that evening. At the same time Septimus Warren Smith, a young man who survived the battlefields of Europe, is suffering from a nightmarish delayed-onset form of shell-shock. Clarissa's nearly-grown daughter is distant, and preoccupied. In the course of one day, Peter, Clarissa's passionate old suitor, returns from India and is invited to her party; Settimus commits suicide; Clarissa relives a day in her youth (and her reasons for her choice of a life with the reliable Richard Dalloway).

---

Plot Keywords:

flowers | shell shock | woman to woman kiss | ex boyfriend ex girlfriend relationship | impalement | 

---

Genres:

Drama | Romance

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for emotional elements and brief nudity

Details

Country:

UK USA Netherlands

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 February 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway

Filming Locations:

St. James's Park, St. James's, London, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$90,127 (USA) (20 February 1998)

Gross:

$3,263,672 (USA) (19 June 1998)

Company Credits

Production Co:

First Look International, Bayly/Paré Productions, Bergen Film & TV

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Last film of Phyllis Calvert.

---

Quotes

[When a guest at her party starts to laugh]
Mrs. Dalloway: [thinking] Oh, it's not a failure after all.

---

Connections

Referenced in The Hours (2002)

---

Soundtracks

"Just a Song at Twilight"
Composed by J.L. Molloy (as James Molloy)
Lyrics by G. Clifton Bingham (as Clifton Bingham)

User Reviews

This is an superb character study, beautifully acted and directed.

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.