Orlando (1992)

Orlando (1992)

A queer magic realist period drama based on the feminist classic

The Very Best

8.8

Movie

France, Italy
English, French, Russian
Drama, Fantasy
1992
FEMALE DIRECTOR, SALLY POTTER
Anna Farnworth, Anna Healy, Barbara Hicks
90 min

What it's about

England, 1600. 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.

The take

Based on Virginia Woolf’s novel, Orlando is a fitting adaptation for a groundbreaking story. Changing from man to woman, the titular time traveler is portrayed by the incomparable Tilda Swinton, breaking the fourth wall as if daring anyone to question her casting. But Swinton’s androgynous look and stellar acting make her the perfect choice for this. Her gaze is the anchor that we hold on to as the film glides through the novel’s multiple themes with ease. Through director Grace Potter’s indescribable vision, they create a fantastic film that blurs gender, sex, identity, and time together with the original novel itself.

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