Sylvia (2003)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Christine Jeffs

Writer:

John Brownlow (writer)

Release Date:

16 January 2004 (Greece)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Life was too small to contain her...

Plot:

Story of the relationship between the poets Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath.

Plot Keywords:

Poet | Marriage | Infidelity | Poetry | Jealousy

Awards:

1 win

US TV Schedule:

Sat. July 25	11:45 PM	PBS
Wed. July 29	1:30 AM	PBS

Cast

David Birkin	...	Morecambe
Alison Bruce	...	Elizabeth
Amira Casar	...	Assia Wevill
Daniel Craig	...	Ted Hughes
Blythe Danner	...	Aurelia Plath
Lucy Davenport	...	Doreen
Julian Firth	...	James Michie
Jeremy Fowlds	...	Mr. Robinson
Michael Gambon	...	Professor Thomas
Sarah Guyler	...	Ted's Cambridge Girlfriend
Jared Harris	...	Al Alvarez
Andrew Havill	...	David Wevill
Theresa Healey	...	3rd Woman at Ted Hughes' Lecture
Liddy Holloway	...	Martha Bergstrom
Robyn Malcolm	...	1st Woman at Ted Hughes' Lecture

Also Known As:

Ted and Sylvia (USA) (working title)
The Beekeeper's Daughter (UK) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for sexuality/nudity and language.

Runtime:

110 min | USA:100 min | Canada:114 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Netherlands:6 | Portugal:M/16 | Brazil:14 | Finland:K-15 | Germany:12 | Japan:R-15 | Norway:15 | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) | Singapore:R(A) (original rating) | South Korea:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | Canada:A (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Cornwall, England, UK

Company:

BBC Films

Trivia:

Sylvia Plath's daughter and literary executor, Frieda Hughes, not only refused to cooperate with the producers or allow them access to her mother's poetry, but also publicly denounced the project in a published poem of her own.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Orchestrator Nick Ingman is credited in the end credits as Nick Ingham

Quotes:

Sylvia: You probably just think I'm some ghastly American bitch, don't you?
Professor Thomas: God no, I thought you were Canadian.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Music by Gabriel Yared (2005) (V)

Start From the Beginning.

When I rented this movie, I thought it would be about Sylvia's entire life, or at least starting from her days at Smith College. I didn't realize that her marriage with Ted Hughes would be the entire storyline. I think this movie would've been better had they shown more about Plath's life BEFORE Ted Hughes. For people who don't really know much about Plath and her poetry, understanding her life before Hughes would've made the film much more substantial. The audience has to realize that Plath led a very, very hard mental life even before she met Hughes, and her ideas for her poetry and 'The Bell Jar' mostly originated from her bachelorette days. She never recovered from her depression as a young woman and it branched out still as she married Hughes. Without understanding Plath from the beginning hinders the audience from understanding Plath at all.

I feel like the movie only told half the story. Plath's mind was beautiful, colorful, and brilliant. It wasn't just about the jealousy, depression, and paranoia. Putting her works on the back burner really took away most of this movie. I would've liked to see more narration by Plath and giving us an insight into her mind, the way her unabridged journals do. However, I really enjoyed the dialogue of this movie; the lines were poetic and beautiful.

Unfortunately, I am still waiting for a better Sylvia Plath movie. I recommend people to read 'The Bell Jar' and 'Ariel' before or after seeing this movie though.