Queen elizabeth i promises orlando, a young nobleman obsessed with poetry, that she will grant him land and fortune if he agrees to satisfy a very particular request. For me, the novel is still a more lush, fully immersive experience, but the film is gorgeous, rich, and tilda swintons acting is wonderful. By creating this version of orlando, a character who lives outside of gender, class, property, and time, potter is not so subtly flashing a giant middle finger at the patriarchy. Its almost beside the point to complain that sally potters orlando, which is based on virginia woolfs 1928 comic fantasia about an elizabethan nobleman who travels through the centuries. Motion, david, sally potter, potter, sally orlando. Feb 16, 2016 virginia woolf wrote orlando in 1928 and there have been several attempts to film it over the years, but you cant imagine a better film adaptation than this one british director sally potter has.
Her background is in choreography, music, performance art and experimental film. Dec 12, 2019 orlando experiences four centuries of sexual politics, initially through the eyes of a man, until one day orlando wakes as a woman, struggling to retain her property and status. Jul 19, 2010 one can argue that potters ambitions got a bit unwieldy in orlando as well, when she chose to alter woolfs ending and have the film conclude in 1990s britain. In 1600, nobleman orlando tilda swinton inherits his parents house, thanks to queen elizabeth i quentin crisp, who commands the young man to never change. Charlotte sally potter obe born 19 september 1949 is an english film director and screenwriter. Orlando is a story of the quest for love, and it is also an ironic dance. The movie is full of beautiful lush and romantic scenes, and tilda swintons character, in between saying dialogue, speaks directly toward the camera. Orlando is a witty visual spectacle with compelling ideas and a story with many gaping holes that are open to interpretation. R arely have source material, director, and leading actress been more in alignment than in orlando, the 1992 adaptation of virginia woolfs novel, directed by sally potter and starring tilda swinton. Orlando is a 1992 british period drama film loosely based on virginia woolfs 1928 novel. I saw the film yesterday and read the screenplay today wonderful film, and really interesting to read about sally potters process in adapting the novel. Queen elizabeth takes a shine to the attractive young orlando and seeks out. The film, introduced by archer nielson yale film study center, opened the sixth season of treasures from the yale film archive, a series of classic and contemporary films from around the world shown in their.
Rarely have source material, director, and leading actress been more in alignment than in orlando, the 1992 adaptation of virginia woolfs novel, directed by sally potter and starring tilda swinton. Orlando experiences four centuries of sexual politics, initially through the eyes of a man, until one day orlando wakes as. Sally potters orlando is a genderdefying saga that still holds up decades later, tilda swintons centuryspanning performance remains a unique wonder to behold. Reminiscent of the lowbudget lushness of the early films of peter greenaway and ken russell, orlando could turn out. When the film opens orlando is a man who is bequeath lands and money, but when he becomes a woman, orlando loses it. Feb 09, 2008 the most beautiful scene of orlando 1992, film by sally potter based on the homonym novel by virginia woolf, with tilda swinton as orlando. Her mother was a music teacher and her father was an interior designer and a poet. Orlando is about a person who achieves in one lifetime what most of us can only dream of doing. Sally potters orlando is a genderdefying saga that still. Sep 16, 2019 sally potters orlando 1992, screened at the whitney humanities center last sunday, september 8, 2019, deals with this very idea. The labyrinth scene and meeting shelmerdine, from sally potters film orlando. The film was first released in the early 90s but to watch it you would have no idea it is full of fun and will have you laughing, particularly when orlando often addresses his audience in.
Jul 16, 1993 its almost beside the point to complain that sally potters orlando, which is based on virginia woolfs 1928 comic fantasia about an elizabethan nobleman who travels through the centuries. Tilda swinton and john wood in orlando 1992 billy zane and tilda swinton in orlando 1992 tilda swinton in orlando 1992 sally potter and. Sally potter made her first 8mm film aged fourteen. With a budget of four million dollars, potter manages to recreate 400 years of european history. Independent filmmaker sally potters genderbending epic, which views four centuries of sexual politics through the eyes of a sexswitching main character, is based on the 1928 novel by virginia. She is known for directing orlando 1992, which won the audience prize for best film at the venice film festival. Orlando is a story of the quest for love, and it is also an ironic dance through english history. Apr 14, 2017 sally potter defies this convention by a allowing orlando to gaze back and b giving orlando hisher own voice via voiceover and carefully crafted dialogue.
Director sally potter described her approach to the adaptation as follows. Orlando original motion picture soundtrack by david. Orlando is a 1992 british period drama film loosely based on virginia woolf s 1928 novel orlando. It was written and directed by sally potter, who also cowrote the music for the film with david motion. Revisiting tilda swintons legendary nonperformance in orlando. Sally potter has made a beautiful, if decidedly wobbly, movie out of virginia woolfs novel about a 16thcentury nobleman who evolves, across some 400 years, into a modern woman in her mid30s. Freedom as an independent filmmaker is a choice, its a sort of attitude. Without giving too much away, the full throated feminist epiphanies that mark its final moments scored to a freetobeyouandme anthem sung by a literally angelic jimmy. After queen elizabeth i commands him not to grow old, a young nobleman struggles with love and his place in the world. Jul 19, 2010 sally potters orlando is a genderdefying saga that still holds up decades later, tilda swintons centuryspanning performance remains a unique wonder to behold. With timothy spall, kristin scott thomas, patricia clarkson, bruno ganz. Jul 21, 2010 when sally potters freewheeling orlando came to the sundance film festival in 1993, it didnt exactly fit the profile of a festival breakout.
Born as a man in the time of elizabeth i, orlando becomes a woman midway in the journey you see. Apr 05, 1994 i saw the film yesterday and read the screenplay today wonderful film, and really interesting to read about sally potter s process in adapting the novel. Jul 08, 2015 the labyrinth scene and meeting shelmerdine, from sally potters film orlando. The groundbreaking first feature from sally potter orlando, ginger and rosa is a key film in early 1980s feminist cinema. Full of grand visual pleasures, sly jokes and romance. After a disastrous affair with russian princess sasha charlotte valandrey, orlando looks for solace in the arts before being appointed ambassador to constantinople in 1700, where war is raging. Ebook sally potter contemporary film directors free download. Harry potter and the forbidden journey full ride pov islands of adventure in orlando. It was written and directed by sally potter, who also cowrote the music for the film with david motion potter chose to film much of the constantinople portion. With tilda swinton, billy zane, quentin crisp, jimmy somerville. Oct 08, 2017 sally potter photographed in london at her production office. She has since written and directed seven feature films, as well as many short films including thriller and play and a television series, and has directed opera carmen for the eno in 2007 and other live work. Starring tilda swinton, charlotte valandrey, lothaire bluteau, quentin crisp, heathcote williams, john wood.
Sep 01, 2015 actor jim caviezel and tim ballard of operation underground railroad 3 questions with bob evans duration. Janet dame kristin scott thomas hosts a party to celebrate her new promotion, but once the guests arrive, it becomes clear that not everything is going to go down as smoothly as the red wine. Original motion picture soundtrack music skip to main content. When the film opens orlando is a man who is bequeath lands and money, but when he becomes a woman, orlando loses it all. The most beautiful scene of orlando 1992, film by sally potter based on the homonym novel by virginia woolf, with tilda swinton as orlando. This adaptation of virginia woolfs classic novel is the tale of the young aristocrat orlando, who begins an epic quest for love and freedom in the court of elizabeth i as a man, and completes the search 400 years later as a woman, shaking off their biological and cultural destiny along the way. Want to behold the glory that is orlando on your tv or mobile device at home. Orlando also introduced both sally potter and tilda swinton to a wide. Sally potters orlando 1992, screened at the whitney humanities center last sunday, september 8, 2019, deals with this very idea. Directed with sly grace and quiet elegance by sally potter, it is not about a story or a plot, but about a vision of human existence.
Sally potter defies this convention by a allowing orlando to gaze back and b giving orlando hisher own voice via voiceover and carefully crafted dialogue. One of the earliest events to combine dance on film projected in juxtaposition with live performances by the same dancer. Orlando experiences four centuries of sexual politics, initially through the eyes of a man, until one day orlando wakes as a woman, struggling to retain her property and status. A biography, starring tilda swinton as orlando, billy zane as marmaduke bonthrop shelmerdine, and quentin crisp as queen elizabeth i. Sally potters orlando is a genderdefying saga that. Actor jim caviezel and tim ballard of operation underground railroad 3 questions with bob evans duration. Of course, its less than shocking to say that swintonby now americas favorite androgyneslips effortlessly into the role of the titular male nobleman who awakens halfway through. The movie show interviews orlando director sally potter. Check out orlando original motion picture soundtrack by david motion and sally potter on amazon music. Independent filmmaker sally potter s genderbending epic, which views four centuries of sexual politics through the eyes of a sexswitching main character, is based on the 1928 novel by virginia. Addressing contemporary concerns about gender and identity, the film is remarkably true to the spirit of virginia woolf, but it also skilfully adapts the original story to give it a striking, cinematic form. Orlando is a 1992 british period drama film loosely based on virginia woolfs 1928 novel orlando. Searching for a streaming service to buy, rent, download, or view the sally potterdirected movie via subscription.
Virginia woolf 18821941 was the daughter of academic and essayist sir leslie stephen, and began publishing. Universal studios orlando rides wizarding world of harry potter forbidden. Orlando 1992 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Sally potter, 1992 beau film see movie movie tv movies to watch good movies orlando film period drama movies cinema posters movie posters. Independent filmmaker sally potters genderbending epic, which views four. I saw this in the movies on the big screen in new york city when it came out in the early 1990s. Virginia woolf 18821941 was the daughter of academic and essayist sir leslie stephen, and began publishing essays herself in 1905 after moving to londons. The only complete date given in the book is at the end, telling exactly when the narrative ends. The screenplay is a standard text taught in film schools as a radical and successful.
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