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
Michael Mears	...	Charles Langridge
Siobhan Page	...	Young American Girl Student
Gwyneth Paltrow	...	Sylvia Plath
Derek Payne	...	Vicar
Sonia Ritter	...	Midwife
Billy Seymour	...	Telegram Boy
Anthony Strachan	...	Michael Boddy (as Antony Strachan)
Katherine Tozer	...	Myra Norris
Sam Troughton	...	Tom Hadley-Clarke
Eliza Wade	...	Infant Frieda
Ben Want	...	Baby Nicholas
Joel Want	...	Baby Nicholas
Hannah Watkins	...	Tom's Girlfriend
Tandi Wright	...	2nd Woman at Ted Hughes' Lecture
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
David House	...	Dancer (uncredited)
James Hurn	...	Shepherd (uncredited)
Naomi Westerman	...	Office Girl (uncredited)

Directed by
Christine Jeffs

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
John Brownlow		writer

Produced by
Jane Barclay	....	executive producer
Tim Cole	....	line producer: additional shoot unit
Sharon Harel	....	executive producer
Robert Jones	....	executive producer
Alison Owen	....	producer
Mary Richards	....	line producer
Phil Rymer	....	associate producer
Tracey Scoffield	....	executive producer
Neris Thomas	....	co-producer
David M. Thompson	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Gabriel Yared

Cinematography by
John Toon

Film Editing by
Tariq Anwar

Casting by
Karen Lindsay-Stewart

Production Design by
Maria Djurkovic

Art Direction by
Jane Cecchi
Joanna Foley
John Hill

Set Decoration by
Philippa Hart

Costume Design by
Sandy Powell

Makeup Department
Michele Barber	....	additional hair stylist
Michele Barber	....	additional makeup artist
Anita Brolly	....	makeup artist
Denise Kum	....	hair stylist
Denise Kum	....	makeup artist
Dominie Till	....	hair stylist
Dominie Till	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Meg Clark	....	post-production supervisor
Su Hucks	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Caroline Chapman	....	third assistant director
William Dodds	....	third assistant director: dailies
Carlos Fidel	....	second assistant director
Candy Marlowe	....	crowd second assistant director
Richard Styles	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Nicola Barnes	....	production buyer
John Bohan	....	construction manager
Dean Clegg	....	draftsman
Paul Frost	....	assistant art director
Thomas Martin	....	assistant construction manager
Anthony Szuch	....	drapes master
Nick Turnbull	....	props
Clive Ward	....	head scenic painter

Sound Department
Christopher Ackland	....	supervising sound editor
Paul Carr	....	sound re-recording mixer
John Casali	....	boom operator
David Crozier	....	sound mixer
Phillip A. Hamilton	....	adr recordist
James Harris	....	sound assistant
David Madigan	....	sound mixer: New Zealand unit
Nathaniel Mechaly	....	sound programmer
Michael Miller	....	adr mixer
Nigel Mills	....	supervising dialogue editor
Jamie Roden	....	adr mixer
Nigel Stone	....	sound editor
Andy Thompson	....	sound re-recording mixer
Hugo Tichborne	....	boom operator

Special Effects by
Dave Crownshaw	....	snow effects supervisor
David Johns	....	snow effects trainee
Lucien Stephenson	....	snow effects technician
Neil Toddy Todd	....	special effects technician

Visual Effects by
Mark Curtis	....	digital compositor
Stefan Drury	....	visual effects producer
Douglas Larmour	....	digital compositor
Stuart Lashley	....	digital compositor
Jessica Norman	....	visual effects supervisor
Sally Spencer	....	visual effects coordinator
Niki Wakefield	....	digital compositor
Tom Wood	....	visual effects supervisor

Stunts
Steve Griffin	....	stunts
Allan Poppleton	....	stunt double: Daniel Craig
Dayna Porter	....	stunt double

Camera and Electrical Department
David Appleby	....	still photographer
Harry Bowers	....	second assistant camera
Chuck Finch	....	gaffer
Stephen Finch	....	electrician
Wick Finch	....	electrician
Bill Kaye	....	still photographer
Joe McGee	....	practical electrician
Billy Merrell	....	rigging gaffer
Richard Merrell	....	electrician
Peter Versey	....	camera operator: second unit

Casting Department
Buffy Hall	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Emily Barr	....	wardrobe assistant
Andrew Hunt	....	costume assistant
Joe Kowalewski	....	wardrobe assistant
Linda Lashley	....	costumer
Sophie Norinder	....	crowd dresser
Jenny Rushton	....	personal costumer
Sunita Singh	....	costume assistant
Clare Spragge	....	costume supervisor

Editorial Department
Saska Simpson	....	first assistant editor

Music Department
John Bell	....	orchestrator
Sophie Cornet	....	music editor
Isobel Griffiths	....	orchestra contractor
Nick Ingman	....	orchestrator

Transportation Department
Steve Michard	....	driver: Daniel Craig (uncredited)

Other crew
Rebecca Chambers	....	location scout
Matt Curtis	....	title designer
Patsy de Lord	....	production coordinator
Cathy Doubleday	....	script supervisor
Claudia Kalindjian	....	unit publicist
Charlotte Keating	....	production assistant
Jack Murphy	....	choreographer
Samar Pollitt	....	set runner
Adam Richards	....	location manager
Ben Rimmer	....	location manager
Isaac Sananes	....	assistant accountant
Nick Savva	....	production finance coordinator
Joan Scheckel	....	script editor
Shruti Shah	....	production accountant
Emily Ann Sonnet	....	production runner
Nicki Sung	....	development executive
David Theodore	....	oboe soloist
Clayton Tikao	....	location manager: North Island
Jenny Turner	....	assistant to actor
Faye Ward	....	assistant to producer
Rachel Wardlow	....	production assistant
Tonia Wright	....	assistant: Christine Jeffs
Francesca Franklyn	....	script editor (uncredited)
Michael J. Harker	....	completion bond company representative (uncredited)

Thanks
Al Alvarez	....	special thanks
Isabel Begg	....	special thanks
Will Evans	....	special thanks
Vinnie Holden	....	special thanks (as Vince Holden)
Kevin Hyman	....	special thanks
Hannah Leader	....	special thanks
James Schamus	....	special thanks
Elizabeth Sigmund	....	special thanks
Glenn Williamson	....	special thanks
Jane Wright	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• BBC Films
• British Film Council
• Capitol Films
• Focus Features (in association with)
• Ruby Films

Distributors

• Elephant Picture (2004) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Filmcoopi Zürich (2004) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Filmhouse (2005) (Mexico) (theatrical)
• Focus Features (2003) (USA) (theatrical) (limited)
• RCV Film Distribution (2004) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• RCV Film Distribution (2004) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• TriPictures (2004) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Xanadeux Company (2004) (Japan) (theatrical)
• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) (UK)
• FS Film Oy (2004) (Finland) (DVD) (VHS)
• Medyavizyon (2004) (Turkey) (all media)
• Paradise Group (2003) (Russia) (all media)
• RCV Home Entertainment (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD) (VHS)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (2008) (Finland) (TV)

Special Effects

• Cine Image Film Opticals (main and end titles) (digital effects) (opticals)
• Moving Picture Company (MPC)
• Snow Business International (snow effects)
• Snow Business (snow effects)

Other Companies

• Shepperton Studios  movie studio
• ARRI Media  camera and grip equipment supplied by
• Blowup  stills laboratory
• Gearbox Sound and Vision  additional ProTools systems supplied by
• Ingenious Film Partners  special thanks (as Ingenious Films)
• Kodak  motion picture film supplied by
• Lee Lighting  lighting
• London Editing Machines Ltd.  editing equipment
• Moving Picture Company (MPC)  special thanks
• Varèse Sarabande  soundtrack published by

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:

Most of the extras in the opening scenes in Cambridge were, like Plath herself, students of the University of Cambridge.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In the movie, Aurelia meets Ted for the first time after he married Sylvia; in reality, she had attended their wedding.

Quotes:

[on the phone to the BBC]
Sylvia: Don't take such tone of voice with me!

Movie Connections:

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

Patchy

I am pretty familiar with Plath's story, and am also a keen fan of her work, which i think contributed to my hesitancy in seeing the film. I did not have high hopes for this film at all, and honestly, I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised.

My main criticisms:

I found it hard to get past the whole 'Oooh look it's Gwyneth Paltrow as Sylvia Plath'. Someone who isn't famous on a global scale would have been more credible.

The whole premise of the film hinges on the deep passionate relationship of Plath and Hughes, yet I never really felt convinced by it. The relationship came across as quite two dimensional, and even pretty one sided on the part of Paltrow/Plath. Instead of being portrayed as an emotionally fragile woman driven to the edge by Hughes' constant philandering and ultimate betrayal, Plath actually seemed to come across as being deeply insecure and neurotic, constantly suffering from extreme PMT, and overreacting every time she saw Hughes even talking to another woman, rather than having genuine reason to suspect his infidelity.

There were a couple of key dramatic moments (such as after they have made love for the first time, and when they are out in the boat together) that felt very hammy, so disrupted the momentum of the piece.

The score is just awful. Totally totally overwrought, over the top, too loud and too much of it. Plus, as Paltrow/Plath really starts to lose her mind there is an almost constant sound of howling wind in the backgroud. Again, OTT. Less definitely would have been more.

HOWEVER

Ok, I complained about Paltrow above, but she really did a great job. She really is a very talented actress, and it is a shame the whole celebrity thing gets in the way. She was particularly fine in the latter stages of the film, and the sad descent into loneliness and irreversible depression was very well judged.

Likewise, Daniel Craig was very enigmatic, although I wonder whether the one sidedness of the relationship as mentioned above may have come from him.

As a whole the film was very sympathetic, and showed how hard it must have been for Hughes to live with Plath. It doesn't justify his behaviour but rather tries to show an understanding. It also evokes a sense of a time when poets were considered important.

This film stayed with me for some days after watching it, and I would recommend it. It is somewhat uneven in pace and direction, but I think Christine Jeffs is a director with talent, although her inexperience showed. But above all, it renewed my interest in both Plath and Hughes.

7/10