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Victorian Love Story by the Sea
“You cannot imagine my suffering. My only
happiness is when I sleep. When I awake, the nightmare
begins.” ~Sarah Woodruff
The first few scenes in this movie are so terribly sad if you
have seen the movie at least once before. In the first few
scenes all you see is a lone figure walking along the projecting
sea wall (Cobb). Sarah Woodruff is looking out to sea for her
lover's return. It is all so tragic. This story is set in the
coastal town of Lyme Regis, famous for its fossils and now also
famous for this movie.
The Cobb - it looks far more dramatic in
the
movie and in the storm!
For some reason, the first scenes are so symbolic of the
entire loneliness both the fictional and real character play in
the movie. This is a film-within-the-film and the stories follow
similar themes. You could almost compare the style of this movie
to the more recent “Possession 2002.”
The French Lieutenant's Woman was adapted from John Fowles’
novel and is a parallel love story. One between forbidden lovers
Sarah Woodruff (Meryl Streep) and Charles (Jeremy Irons) in the
19th century, and then a romance between Anna and Mike who play
Sarah and Charles when the Victorian romance is not being
filmed. It is confusing at first, but soon you are watching this
movie five times and have no idea why. It is rather romantic!
Branscombe Beach
There are of course two endings, one for each story. I
can’t decide which I loved best. They are just both so
overwhelming.
If you watch closely, you will see a scene where Sarah shows
Charles a bit of her slip as she walks away. I always heard that
meant a woman was looking for a husband. I didn’t notice it
until the fourth time I was watching the movie. Sarah is
technically an unfulfilled romantic. She is quite dramatic and
very amusing at times. When she is going into a very
“serious” speech, it can at times become dramatic to the
point of hilarity. You know she is completely in love with being
a victim of fate. She also knows how to attract romance into her
life with her various schemes. One is rather dangerous when she
slips a note to Charles during tea.
Lyme Regis Location
Charles is a curious soul. He finds Sarah to be a bit of a
mystery and unlike other women he has met and courted. He
literally hunts her down and watches this mystery as she glides
through the misty forest by the sea. All Sarah wants to do is
look out to sea and dream of a man saving her from her fantasy
life as a “scarlet woman”. Charles loses all interest in his
“ammonite” research and is also “lost from the moment he
sees Sarah.” We feel mildly sorry for Ernestina Freeman (Lynsey
Baxter) as she is so sweet and innocent and so deserving of
love. Still, the girl can throw a pretty good tantrum! She is of
course engaged to Charles.
Ammonite
The French Lieutenant’s Woman will haunt you long after you
have watched it at least five times in two days. ;) I loved this
movie so much more than Sophie’s Choice. It has to be the
violin music slowly drifting through the misty forests. It is
all so mysterious. Meryl Streep also has such a fresh radiance
in this movie. Her acting is simply fascinating in so many
scenes.
Dreamy Victorian Romance.
Daniel Deronda
Daniel Deronda discovers his Destiny, February 14, 2007
Daniel Deronda is a fascinating character study as it relates to
a man faced with two seemingly impossible challenges. He must
realize his true calling and conquer his superficial desires to
embrace a much more complex love.
The story unfolds in over three hours of lush settings, gorgeous
period costumes and romantic vistas. Yet all the while the story
is being told, you can feel the deeper connections between the
characters. As you come to terms with their individual
destinies, the beauty of this Masterpiece Theatre series reveals
itself with startling honesty in a drama where emotions are
mostly simmering beneath the surface.
Love as a commitment and love as a game reveals two contrasting
worlds. This dance in a world of decadence turns into a game of
survival, where the choices of the two main characters hold
lives in the balance. One wrong decision and the fate of
everyone around them is changed forever.
Daniel Deronda and Gwendolyn meet and mingle in a world of
wealth, but in their hearts they long for a more challenging
life fraught with conflicts only the soul can fight. Gwendolyn
is in a controlling marriage, while Daniel is still finding his
way in the world of love. Like a knight he seems to prefer
courtly love to a long-term commitment, but this starts to
change when he meets a beautiful Jewish singer who he rescues
from drowning.
Gwendolyn's wild exuberance while horse riding seems to
represent her inner tenacity and as it is only when she has been
broken herself and then healed that she too finds her true
heart. This series captures an excellence so few period dramas
ever try to attain. At first chilling and calculating, this
story warms to a shimmering brilliance.
"I shall be better for having known you." ~Gwendolyn
~The Rebecca Review
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