Mrs Dalloway (1997)

In 1923 London, socialite Clarissa Dalloway's (Vanessa Redgrave's) well-planned party is overshadowed by the return of an old suitor she had known thirty-three 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 (Vanessa Redgrave), Member of Parliament Richard Dalloway's (Sir John Standing'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 (Rupert Graves), a young man who survived the battlefields of Europe, is suffering from a nightmarish delayed on-set form of shell shock. Clarissa's nearly-grown daughter is distant, and preoccupied. In the course of one day, Peter (Michael Kitchen), Clarissa's passionate old suitor, returns from India and is invited to her party, Septimus 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:

england | love | friendship between girls | female friendship | friendship | 

---

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:

Duke of York Column, St James's, London, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$90,127, 22 February 1998

Gross USA:

$3,309,421

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,309,421

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

The late Executive Producer Bill Shepherd and his wife, Screenwriter Eileen Atkins, invested their own money in this movie and only narrowly avoided personal bankruptcy when it failed at the box-office.

---

Goofs

In the flashback scenes with the younger actors, Peter is slightly taller than Clarissa. When they dance together at the party, he is considerably shorter than her.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Septimus Warren Smith: [shouting] Edwards! Don't come!

---

Connections

Referenced in Hello, He Lied & Other Truths from the Hollywood Trenches (2002)

---

Soundtracks

Time for Old Time
Composed by Jack Trombey (as J. Trombey)

User Reviews

Excellent movie, well-written, well-performed.

Mrs. Dalloway is a very well-written and performed adaptation of the Virginia Woolf novel. Kudos to screenwriter Eileen Atkins for her faithfulness to the original story. The double casting of the central characters is realistic and makes the flashback scenes easy to follow. Every actor was completely believable in his/her role. But the most brilliant performance of all was Rupert Graves as Septimus Warren Smith, the tragic young war hero suffering from delayed shell shock. (For the full impact of his inner torment, try watching this movie with a combat veteran, as I did.) A quality movie. Don't miss it!