Orlando (1992)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Sally Potter

Writers:

Sally Potter (writer)
Virginia Woolf (novel)

Release Date:

9 June 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

Young nobleman Orlando is commanded by Queen Elizabeth I to stay forever young. Miraculously, he does just that...

Plot Keywords:

Sex | Queen | Queen Elizabeth I | Love | Nobility

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 11 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Tilda Swinton	...	Orlando
Quentin Crisp	...	Queen Elizabeth I
Jimmy Somerville	...	Falsetto / Angel
John Bott	...	Orlando's Father
Elaine Banham	...	Orlando's Mother
Anna Farnworth	...	Clorinda
Sara Mair-Thomas	...	Favilla
Anna Healy	...	Euphrosyne
Dudley Sutton	...	King James I
Simon Russell Beale	...	Earl of Moray
Matthew Sim	...	Lord Francis Vere
Jerome Willis	...	Translator
Viktor Stepanov	...	Russian Ambassador
Charlotte Valandrey	...	Princess Sasha
Mary MacLeod	...	First Older Woman

Runtime:

93 min | Argentina:95 min

Country:

UK | Russia | France | Italy | Netherlands

Language:

English | French

Colour:

Colour (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:L | Singapore:PG (cut) | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) (2007) | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-8 | Spain:13 | Sweden:7 | UK:PG | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Adventure Pictures

Trivia:

The drinking scene in the desert with Orlando and the Khan is based on what actually occurred with the production crew. 'Sally Potter' set up a banquet in the desert to woo a local Russian mayor into letting them use a local castle for some shoots. During the banquet, some Russian alcohol was served by the mayor, but the production crew were unable to swallow the drink straight.

Quotes:

Narrator: She's lived for 400 years and hardly aged a day; but, because this is England, everyone pretends not to notice.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Jubilee: A Time Less Golden (2003) (V)

Soundtrack:

COMING

A stunning commentary on life and the sexes

Simply put one of the best movies I have ever seen. The cast is amazing and deliver in their performances, the stunning visuals and beautiful music combine to create a dreamy atmosphere through which S. Potter uses Orlando as a medium to make subtle and elegant commentaries about life, the human condition and the struggle of the sexes to understand each other when they are basically two aspects of the same coin. As opposed to some of the other reviewers here I did not find the movie slow or boring at any time. Nor is it just about Orlando; there are multiple layers. It flows simply and quietly but with great intensity and an underlying irony at every moment. This film must be Potter's masterpiece.