Christopher Miles' take on DH Lawrence is perhaps more delicate in its execution than Ken Russell's Women in Love, but no less appealing to watch. He strongly evokes the period of Lawrence's novella and the stifling home atmosphere that the heroine, Yvette, returns to. In that role, Joanna Shimkus displays beauty, spirit and conflicting emotions in equal measure, kicking against the straight-laced boundaries of her family and trying to come to terms with a dark secret at its heart, when no-one else will.
Into her life comes Franco Nero's saturnine gypsy, who has an immediate and increasing effect on the young woman. Having recently seen him as the pure of heart, but initially pompous Sir Lancelot in Camelot, his performance here is more akin to that seen in Django - a man of very few words, inclined more to action to express himself. It's not hard to see why Yvette is attracted to him - not only strikingly handsome, but also the absolute opposite of the young men she knows in the village, who all seem pervaded with post-WW1 uncertainty. There are plenty of sensual moments and a strong feeling of the desire he has created in her, as much to escape the familial bonds as anything else.
The denouement of the film almost seems a little rushed in the end, but perhaps this is down to its faithfulness to the original book which is just 10 chapters long. Worth a viewing if you enjoy other Lawrence adaptations, period tales or romantic dramas.
Into her life comes Franco Nero's saturnine gypsy, who has an immediate and increasing effect on the young woman. Having recently seen him as the pure of heart, but initially pompous Sir Lancelot in Camelot, his performance here is more akin to that seen in Django - a man of very few words, inclined more to action to express himself. It's not hard to see why Yvette is attracted to him - not only strikingly handsome, but also the absolute opposite of the young men she knows in the village, who all seem pervaded with post-WW1 uncertainty. There are plenty of sensual moments and a strong feeling of the desire he has created in her, as much to escape the familial bonds as anything else.
The denouement of the film almost seems a little rushed in the end, but perhaps this is down to its faithfulness to the original book which is just 10 chapters long. Worth a viewing if you enjoy other Lawrence adaptations, period tales or romantic dramas.