Women in Love (1969 film)
| Women in Love | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Ken Russell |
| Produced by |
Larry Kramer Martin Rosen |
| Screenplay by | Larry Kramer |
| Based on |
Women in Love by D. H. Lawrence |
| Starring |
Alan Bates Oliver Reed Glenda Jackson Jennie Linden |
| Music by |
Georges Delerue Michael Garrett |
| Cinematography | Billy Williams |
| Edited by | Michael Bradsell |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | United Artists |
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Release date
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Running time
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131 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1.6 million |
| Box office | $1.2 million (US/Canada) $4.5 million (Worldwide) |
Women in Love is a 1969 British romantic drama film directed by Ken Russell and starring Alan Bates, Oliver Reed, Glenda Jackson, and Jennie Linden. The film was adapted by Larry Kramer from D. H. Lawrence's novel of the same name.
The plot follows the relationships between two sisters and two men in a mining town in post First World War England. The two couples take markedly different directions. The film explores the nature of commitment and love.
The film was nominated for four Academy Awards: Best Cinematography, Best Director and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium. Jackson won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role, as well as a slew of critics' honours.
The film takes place in 1920, in the Midlands mining town of Beldover. Two sisters, Ursula and Gudrun Brangwen, discuss marriage on their way to the wedding of Laura Crich, daughter of the town's wealthy mine owner, Thomas Crich, to Tibby Lupton, a naval officer. At the village's church, each sister is fascinated by a particular member of the wedding party – Gudrun by Laura's brother, Gerald, and Ursula by Gerald's best friend, Rupert Birkin. Ursula is a school teacher and Rupert is a school inspector; she remembers his visit to her classroom, interrupting her botany lesson to discourse on the sexual nature of the catkin.
The four are later brought together at a house party at the estate of Hermione Roddice, a rich woman whose relationship with Rupert is falling apart. When Hermione devises, as entertainment for her guests, a dance in the "style of the Russian ballet", Rupert becomes impatient with her pretensions and tells the pianist to play some ragtime. This sets off spontaneous dancing among the whole group and angers Hermione. She leaves. When Birkin follows her into the next room, she smashes a glass paperweight against his head, and he staggers outside. He discards his clothes and wanders through the woods. Later, at the Criches' annual picnic, to which most of the town is invited, Ursula and Gudrun find a secluded spot, and Gudrun dances before some Highland cattle while Ursula sings "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles". When Gerald and Rupert appear, Gerald calls Gudrun's behaviour "impossible and ridiculous", and then says he loves her. "That's one way of putting it", she replies. Ursula and Birkin wander away discussing death and love. They make love in the woods. The day ends in tragedy when Laura and Tibby drown while swimming in the lake.
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