The Invisible Woman (2013)

At the height of his career, Charles Dickens (Ralph Fiennes) meets a younger woman who becomes his secret lover until his death.

Director:

Ralph Fiennes

Writers:

Abi Morgan, Claire Tomalin (book)

Stars:

Ralph Fiennes, Felicity Jones, Kristin Scott Thomas

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Felicity Jones	...	Nelly (as Ms. Felicity Jones)
John Kavanagh	...	Rev. William Benham (as Mr. John Kavanagh)
Tom Attwood	...	Mr. Lambourne (as Mr. Tom Atwood)
Susanna Hislop	...	Mary (as Ms. Susanna Hislop)
Tom Burke	...	Mr. George Wharton Robinson (as Mr. Tom Burke)
Tommy Curson-Smith	...	Geoffrey (as Mr. Tommy Curson-Smith)
David Collings	...	Governor (as Mr. David Collings)
Michael Marcus	...	Charley Dickens (as Mr. Michael Marcus)
Kristin Scott Thomas	...	Mrs. Frances Ternan (as Ms. Kirstin Scott Thomas)
Perdita Weeks	...	Maria Ternan (as Ms. Perdita Weeks)
Ralph Fiennes	...	Charles Dickens (as Mr. Ralph Fiennes)
Richard McCabe	...	Mr. Mark Lemon (as Mr. Richard McCabe)
Gabriel Vick	...	Mr. Berger (as Mr. Gabriel Vick)
Mark Dexter	...	Mr. Augustus Egg (as Mr. Mark Dexter)
Joseph Paxton	...	Mr. Pigott (as Mr. Joseph Paxton)

Storyline

In the 1850s, Nelly Ternan (Felicity Jones) is a minimally talented actress who catches the eye of the hailed British author, Charles Dickens (Ralph Fiennes). Bored with his intellectually unstimulating wife, Catherine (Joanna Scanlan), Charles takes the educated Nelly as his mistress with the cooperation of her mother, Mrs. Frances Ternan (Dame Kristin Scott Thomas). What follows is a stormy relationship with this literary giant who provides her with a life few women of her time can enjoy. Yet, Nelly is equally revolted by Charles' emotional cruelty and determination to keep her secret. In that conflict, Nelly must judge her own role in her life and decide if the price she pays is bearable.

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Plot Keywords:

older man younger woman relationship | based on true story | period drama | secret | actress | 

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Taglines:

Charles Dickens' greatest story was the one he could never tell.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some sexual content

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ralph Fiennes and Felicity Jones appeared in Cemetery Junction (2010), in which they played father and daughter. In a 2013 interview with Jones and Fiennes on National Public Radio, Jones said that it was "weird" and "very Freudian" to go from playing one relationship to the other, but Fiennes disagreed, saying "It's just a job. Come on."

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Goofs

When collecting cash for the hospital, there is an 1895 Crown coin on the plate. Charles Dickens died in 1870.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Mr. George Wharton Robinson: Our boys' curriculum is very wide. They perform a short play at the end of every term. Theater's an abiding interest of my wife... Ah, Mary, tea if you please.
Mary: [arriving late] Yes, sir.
Mr. George Wharton Robinson: Through the open door... Nelly, where were you? Mr. Benham has been here since 3:00.
Nelly: I'm so sorry. Mr. Lambourne has been organizing the boys best he can.
Mary: I lost all sense of time...

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Crazy Credits

The full cast list (in order of appearance) is presented in the style of a Dickens era theatre programme, with contemporary font and the performers' names preceded by "Mr." or "Ms."

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Connections

Featured in Film 2018: Episode dated 30 January 2014 (2014)

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Soundtracks

Sir Roger de Coverly
(uncredited)
Traditional
[Dickens dances with Nelly]

User Reviews

A jigsaw puzzle with many missing pieces

A 6 or a 7? I went with 6, but would have preferred 6.5.

The film is beautifully made, which is no surprise, with beautiful costumes and scenery from the Victorian era, as well as being beautifully acted and well produced. However, although loosely based on the biographical book of the same name (The Invisible Woman), the plot line is vague and esoteric; that is, "intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with a specialized knowledge or interest."

We see glimpses into the life and behaviors of Dickens, his mistress Ellen "Nelly" Ternan, and Dickens' wife, but the film provides little depth or detail, and certainly no explanation for the meaning of these glimpses, or even a clear time line. If you know enough about Dickens ahead of time it will make sense; if not, it will remain a mystery (such as, "what was that scene about?") unless you, as I did this morning, start learning more about Dickens' life as he lived it, including better understanding the book the film was based upon. We see otherwise unexplained glimpses into the life of Dickens and Nelly, some of which seem to be inaccurate dramatizations (poetic license?), which have little meaning on their own, and leave you wondering what just happened, and why was that important. You'll get the overall picture, but it will be like a jigsaw puzzle with many missing pieces, some of which , because of those missing pieces, are actually incorrectly put together. If you're not already familiar with the life of Dickens and Ternan, read up on Dickens before you go, or be prepared to read up on him after you see the movie. But don't otherwise expect to come up with a clear picture of anything, except that Dickens and Ternan had a long-standing affair that affected her past his death.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

UK

Language:

English French

Release Date:

21 February 2014 (UK)

Also Known As:

The Invisible Woman

Filming Locations:

Harrow School, Harrow, Middlesex, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$31,948, 29 December 2013

Gross USA:

$1,234,254

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,986,888

Company Credits

Production Co:

BBC Films, Headline Pictures, Magnolia Mae Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1