Tipping the Velvet (2002) (TV)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Geoffrey Sax

Writers:

Andrew Davies (screenplay)
Sarah Waters (novel)

Release Date:

9 October 2002 (UK)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Set in the 1890's, tells the lesbian love affair between male impersonator music hall star Kitty Butler and Nan Astley.

Plot Keywords:

Music Hall | 1890s | Lesbian | Extramarital Affair | Epic

Awards:

5 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Rachael Stirling	...	Nan Astley
Keeley Hawes	...	Kitty Butler
Anna Chancellor	...	Diana Lethaby
Jodhi May	...	Florence Banner
Hugh Bonneville	...	Ralph Banner
Johnny Vegas	...	Gully Sutherland
Alexei Sayle	...	Charles Frobisher
John Bowe	...	Walter Bliss
Sally Hawkins	...	Zena Blake
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Louis Alderton	...	Baby Cyril
Nick Bartlett	...	Drunk Man
Diane Beck	...	Annie Price
Di Botcher	...	Woman with Cigar
Carl Chase	...	Corder
Edward Clayton	...	Rough Customer
Sarah Crowden	...	Woman with Pipe
Benedict Cumberbatch	...	Freddy
Angela Curran	...	Mrs. Sykes
Heather Dickinson	...	Grace Milne
Monica Dolan	...	Alice Astley
Abby Ford	...	Miss Brown
Janet Fullerlove	...	Elsie
Susie Gossling Valerio	...	Singer
Sam Graham	...	Man at Mrs. Milne's
Milly Gregory	...	Mary
Janet Henfrey	...	Mrs. Jex
Richard Hope	...	Mr. Astley
Annie Hulley	...	Mrs. Astley
Alex Kelly	...	Gay Girl
Dean Lennox Kelly	...	Tony Reeves
Peter Kelly	...	Davy Astley
Michael Kilgarriff	...	Music Hall Chairman
Daniel Mays	...	Jimmy Burns
Eleanor McCready	...	Tramp Lady
Jim McManus	...	Tricky Reeves
Richard Pettyfer
Paul Ready	...	Renter Alice
David Simeon	...	Middle-Aged Gent
William Sleigh	...	Barber
David Spinx	...	Rough Man
Bernice Stegers	...	Mrs. Denby
Sara Stockbridge	...	Dickie
Tilly Vosburgh	...	Mrs. Milne
Theresa Watson	...	Mrs. Best
David Webber	...	Bill

Runtime:

177 min (3 parts)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

UK:15 (re-rating) | UK:18 (original rating) | Argentina:16

Filming Locations:

Whitstable, Kent, England, UK

Company:

Sally Head Productions

Trivia:

In an interview Keeley Hawes said that she and Rachel Stirling got drunk before shooting the love scenes, but also said kissing a woman was not much different than kissing a man.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The roses Kitty gives out in her act are obviously artificial. But later when Nan shows Kitty she kept the rose she received from her, the rose is wilted.

Quotes:

Freddy: You can hold on as tight as you like. Don't worry, I'll tell you if it hurts.
Nancy Nan Astley: No, I don't want to!
Freddy: What's the matter?
Nancy Nan Astley: Nothing, I just don't want that Freddy.
Freddy: I am serious you know Nan? We could be engaged! Well, then it would be alright wouldn't it?
Nancy Nan Astley: Can't we just go on as we are?
Freddy: You don't really care for me at all.
Nancy Nan Astley: I do though.
Freddy: No you don't, you just like to keep me there tagging along like. If you really cared for me you'd let me do it.
Nancy Nan Astley: Well then, I don't care for you!

Very enjoyable, campy romp through 1890s lesbo London

For every fan of coming of age tales, this 3 hour adaptation of the

Sarah Waters novel is pure fun. Cinematic nods to Baz Luhrman's

kinetic style, as well as to all those prim and proper period pieces

ever present on the BBC (where you're likely to have seen almost

every prominent member of this cast). It's rather bawdy and over

the top in spots, but that's just what the novel called for. The cast

is appealing and, in the cases of Anna Chancellor and Hugh

Bonneville, perfect. In the case of Rachel Sterling, as our heroine

Nan, you simply must overlook the fact that she's far too pretty to

ever be mistaken for a boy and run with it. It's a fantasy, after all.

Some fans of the novel may be put out by the various changes in

character (particularly that of Jodhi May's character, Florence), but

the changes all work toward the greater good of this teleplay and

provide an overall high quality entertainment value.