The Frame

In this adaptation from Virginia Woolf’s novel, Orlando a nobleman born in the 16th century whose life encompasses the following three centuries. And, oh yeah, sometime in the mid-19th century, he becomes a woman. These two things are never explained. And the book works, but the movie works less well, largely because director Sally Potter decided to make it about how much better it is to be a woman than a man and thus the early part of the story is dark and ugly, while the second part is brighter and airier. I don’t have a problem with directors making adaptations their own, but in making the film the way she did, she sucked out almost all of the humor from the book (which is tremendous) and we’re left with a dry feminist tract. That said, Tilda Swinton does quite a good job portraying Orlando, and a lot of it is well-done. Generally, though, I’m all for the director making her own choices, but I don’t think her choices helped the film a bit.
Above Average