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.

---

Plot Keywords:

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

---

Genres:

Biography | Drama | Romance

---

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 Gray

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.

---

Goofs

When Effie and Ruskin go to the academy dinner (where Effie sees Millais for the first time), several paintings on display were not actually painted until some years later, notably Holman Hunt's 'Valentine Rescuing Sylvia' that Ruskin discusses in his speech about art, Millais' 'Ophelia' and also his 'The Order of Release'. (This could be considered foreshadowing, as Effie was the model for this painting in 1853)

---

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.

---

Connections

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

---

Soundtracks

The Farmer's Servant
Performed by A.L. Lloyd
from the album "English Drinking Songs"
courtesy of Riverside Records

User Reviews

Shorter would have been an improvement...

It's one thing arranging all the finest acting talent in a film, and having great period detail and costume design, but it's totally another to keep you invested enough for 110 minutes of your life. Effie Gray just about manages to get over the finish line, but not with any great impact. Expect to reasonably entertained, but to stay perfectly still in your seat (with the occasional glance at your watch).

Effie is stuck in a loveless marriage... Her husband is an art critic... Completely under the thumb of his demanding parents... Who insist he stays at home e.g, forget about the newlyweds getting a place of their own. Her new partner is obsessed with his work, to the point of barely acknowledging her existence. He doesn't even show any interest in consummating their nuptials, for instance... The first night he sees her naked, he bursts into tears and runs out the room. Hmm... Can you say 'issues'?

Then, during an impromptu trip to Venice, she runs into a young painter who is everything her hubby is not... empathic, fun-loving, and deeply in love with her. Sadly, she's stuck with Mr Grump, for the simple reason that if she did split up with him, it would ruin her family name... And besides, getting a divorce back in the 19th century was SLIGHTLY more difficult than it is now. The situation is complicated further by a strange illness she has, which involves copious amounts of hair loss. Hmm... Who'd have though boredom and enforced virginity would have such a toll on your health?

With Effie Gray, you get the distinct impression that lots of the scenes which involve people pottering about in front of beautiful vistas, and staring in the distance while the music swells in the background, could have been dramatically cut... To no great loss of the plot. My theory is, some self-inflated 'important' movies such as this almost feel obligated to unnaturally expand the length beyond what the script requires, to make it FEEL more epic. This tends to not work (It certainly doesn't here) and just leaves quite a bit of dead air.

Still, as I mentioned, the cast full of stalwarts such as Julie Walters and Emma Thompson all do their part to keep things ticking over nicely, and Dakota Fanning does the uphill trajectory of her career no harm at all with an emotionally wrought performance, backed up with a dead-on English accent. In fact, there's not a lot wrong here that couldn't have been avoided with the judicious use of a metaphorical pair of scissors. About 20 minutes off the top should do it, luv.

As it stands, I was mildly interested when I should have been enthralled. Less it sometimes more, ya know? 6/10