Lady Chatterley’s pain
French director Pascale Ferran’s simply titled Lady Chatterley [+see also:
trailer
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Basing her work on D. H. Lawrence’s scandalous novel, Ferran has made a delicate film that deals with the taboos of eroticism and emotions in a style highly reminiscent of fellow French director Jacques Rivette’s masterpieces.
"I adore Jacques Rivette’s The Beautiful Troublemaker, it has incredible suspense and tension, the same that I wanted to recreate in my film. The funny thing is that I only thought of that after shooting was over", said Ferran.
Lady Chatterley tells the story of Constance, the wife of wealthy Clifford Chatterley, who finds herself forced to live in a manor in the English countryside after her husband returns home from WWI paralysed from the waist down. She seems devoured by loneliness until her passion for a taciturn, working-class gamekeeper changes her life.
"The book is a classic of erotic literature but, ironically, I felt that Lawrence wanted to portray the intimacy that is created between two people through their physical relationship. And which becomes part of a path, like dialogue", added the director.
Il film, made in two versions (shorter for theatrical distribution and longer for a television broadcast), was nominated for nine César awards, including a double nod for Marina Hands as Best Actress and Best Up-and Coming Actress.
Produced by Maïa Films in co-production with Belgium’s Saga Film and the UK’s Zephyr Films, ‹i›Lady Chatterley‹/i› was distributed in France by Ad Vitam.
International sales are being handled by French outfit Films Distribution.
(Translated from Italian)
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