Tipping the Velvet 

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

Stars:

Rachael Stirling, Keeley Hawes, Anna Chancellor

5 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Rachael Stirling	...	Nan Astley 3 episodes, 2002
Keeley Hawes	...	Kitty Butler 3 episodes, 2002
Anna Chancellor	...	Diana Lethaby 2 episodes, 2002
Jodhi May	...	Florence Banner 2 episodes, 2002
Alexei Sayle	...	Charles Frobisher 2 episodes, 2002
John Bowe	...	Walter Bliss 2 episodes, 2002
Sally Hawkins	...	Zena Blake 2 episodes, 2002
Di Botcher	...	Woman with Cigar 2 episodes, 2002
Carl Chase	...	Corder 2 episodes, 2002
Janet Henfrey	...	Mrs. Jex 2 episodes, 2002
Daniel Mays	...	Jimmy Burns 2 episodes, 2002
Bernice Stegers	...	Mrs. Denby 2 episodes, 2002
Sara Stockbridge	...	Dickie 2 episodes, 2002
Susie Valerio	...	Singer 2 episodes, 2002

Storyline

Dramatised from Sarah Waters' acclaimed debut novel, "Tipping the Velvet" tells the story of Nancy Astley (Rachael Stirling), a young girl who works as cook and waitress in her Father's seaside restaurant - that is until she witnesses the extraordinary performance of a new-to-town male impersonator - Kitty Butler (Keeley Hawes) - and begins to undergo a complete life transformation. Suddenly whipped up - and quickly flung down - by her love affair with Kitty, she experiences both euphoria and deep disillusion as she embarks on a seven-year journey of self-discovery - finally realizing that a life of sensation just isn't enough.

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Plot Keywords:

lgbt | lgbtq | male impersonator | music hall | 1890s | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Details

Official Sites:

BBCi [UK]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 October 2002 (UK)

Also Known As:

Besant el vellut

Filming Locations:

Whitstable, Kent, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sally Head Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

177 min (3 parts)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Author Sarah Waters was an extra in the film. She was a member of the audience to one of the shows. On the DVD she can be seen as such on the menu screen, and in the beginning of the movie when the credit "Based on the novel by Sarah Waters" is shown.

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Goofs

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.

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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!

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Connections

Featured in 100 Greatest Sexy Moments (2003)

User Reviews

Done it again, Mr. Davies? Well done, sir!

Tipping the Velvet has just three weeks ago been released in the UK and already I watch as countless letters flood to the national papers and TV guides, claiming that it possesses a thin plot, weak performances and an even weaker script.

You find me incensed. This is heresy.

I would really like to dispel all doubt by first congratulating Andrew Davies on enabling Geoffrey Sax to create this wonderful dramatization of Sarah Waters' novel by cushioning him with such a fantastic script. Kudos. But I fear I must now change tack.

I saw one of the premiere TV guides here in the UK (which shall remain nameless) relentlessly describing Tipping the Velvet as a "lesbian love story". If they are, and I assume they are, trying to promote interest in the film, then this is completely the wrong way to go about it (aside from the phrase being a disappointingly inaccurate description). By saying such a thing, they are either a) turning away those who would instinctively be repelled by "that" subject matter or b) attracting a class of people who will only watch to see some "serious girl-on-girl action". Buy a video! Through this display of serious inconsideration, this and other magazines are cheapening what is a brilliant adaptation of one of recent literature's greatest works. Tipping the Velvet is a story of love, of passion, of moving on, of loss, and of heartbreak. It's not a lesbian love story. No siree.

The end result is a stylish affair, with excellent performances all round (particularly from Stirling, Hawes, Chancellor and May). Direction-wise, it's intoxicating and immersive - sometimes, fast-paced, sometimes not - but it never ceases to be anything less than compelling. As a whole, it's polished and well delivered, the sex is undertaken with tenderness and delicacy - and although many will not class it as a real "film", it will remain among my favourites for some time to come.