Effie Gray (2014)

A look at the scandalous love triangle between Victorian art critic John Ruskin, his teenage bride Effie Gray, and Pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millais.

Director:

Richard Laxton

Writer:

Emma Thompson

Stars:

Dakota Fanning, Greg Wise, Tom Sturridge

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dakota Fanning	...	Effie Gray
Polly Dartford	...	Sophie Gray
Greg Wise	...	John Ruskin
Tom Sturridge	...	John Everett Millais
Tom Herriott	...	William Holman Hunt
Sam Churchill	...	Dante Gabriel Rossetti
Martin Keatman	...	Thomas Woolner
Chris Haggart	...	William Michael Rossetti
Alex Dabestani	...	James Collinson (as Alex Best)
George Laing	...	Frederic Stephens
Patrick Doyle	...	Wedding Minister
Peter Farr	...	Mr. Gray (Effie's Father)
Nicola Draffan	...	Mrs. Gray (Effie's Mother)
Tutu Jereissati	...	Flower Girl
Russell Tovey	...	George

Storyline

Based on the real-life scandal that shocked Victorian-era England, this movie tells the story of Euphemia "Effie" Gray. At nineteen, she married the prominent art historian and critic John Ruskin, but Ruskin refused to consummate their marriage. Lonely and frustrated, Effie is drawn to pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millais, and finds a friend and champion in Lady Elizabeth Eastlake. After five years trapped in a loveless marriage, Effie will defy the rules of Victorian society.

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Plot Keywords:

f rated | victorian era | love triangle | paint | painter | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic and sexual content, and some nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Metrodome Distribution [United Kingdom] Official site

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 October 2014 (UK)

Also Known As:

Effie

Filming Locations:

West Wycombe House, West Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$161,728, 5 April 2015

Gross USA:

$352,534

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$721,143

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sovereign Films (II)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The real Effie Gray was from Perth, Scotland. However, this movie opted for an all English accent cast.

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Goofs

The movie poster shows Fanning as Effie superimposed over Millais's painting "Ophelia," implying that Effie was the model. She wasn't; Elizabeth (Lizzie) Siddal was the model for Ophelia. (Lizzie was Gabriel Rossetti's wife and their story is as scandalous as the Ruskins'.)

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Quotes

[first lines]
Sophie Gray: [narrating] Once, a beautiful young girl lived in a very cold house in Scotland. The house was cold because someone's grandfather killed himself there. One day, the grandson came to visit the house. He thought the beautiful girl was an angel came down to Earth. The grandson worked very hard. He read and thought and drew and wrote. He wrote a fairy story just for her. She was twelve years old. His mother and father were kind, but his were wicked. When she grew up, he married her.

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Connections

Featured in Effie Gray: Interview with Dakota Fanning (2014)

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Soundtracks

Wiener-Gemueths-Waltz, Op.116
by Johann Strauss Sr. (as Johann Strauss (Father))
Performed by Thomas-Christian Ensemble
courtesy of Musikproduktion Dabringhaus und Grimm

User Reviews

What a married woman can expect from her husband?...

The movie was delayed a year to hit the screen due to the copyright issue. A biographical picture from Britain set in the late 1840. The movie revolves the story of Euphemia Gray shortly known as Effie Gray and her married life. She was from Scotland and only 19 when she married to the British art critic John Ruskin. But she was kept under certain limits of space by her laws. It makes her a lonely soul in the house, which surface a serious threat to their loveless marriage. Can it be held or not is the movie's final conclusion.

Dakota Fanning, like I saw her yesterday in teen movies, but now she's in a grown up movie. Felt kind of hard to accept, and then after a while begin to like her performance. That does not mean it was a powerful act, somehow convincible to the viewers. That is mainly because of the story. Actually it's a simple story, if it was set in the today's world. For those periods, it was a big affair to deal publicly as well as family's prestige.

The movie's settings and locations were good. As usual in a period drama the costumes are very good. It's always pleasure to learn the history through movies than the school textbooks. Other than that it was an average or just above. The thing is, it was a too slow and a little long movie, thus its not a commercial film. Many people aren't ready to pay watch it in the theatres, that is understood. So in my opinion, it should have been a television movie instead, with sliced into 3-4 episodes. Anyway, not for everyone, but for those who love slow presentations would have a good time.

6/10