Customer Reviews

Daphne

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Daphne du Maurier provided nothing if not great stories, both in her novels (which continue to be underappreciated for their intelligence and subtleties, particularly in the United States) and in her tumultuous life. The adored second child of the great man of the theatre Gerald du Maurier, Daphne internalized her father's homophobia and spent most of her life tormented by her yearnings for women and by her sense of herself as a "boy in a box"; though married to "Tommy" browning with whom she raised three adored children at the great Cornish house she rented for much of her life, Menabilly, she was distracted by the parts of herself that did not fit so neatly into that life.

This beautifully produced BBC drama covers Du Maurier's life from after the Second World War, when her husband returned home from service, to the early 1950s, and involves three of the major relationships of her life: her relationship with her husband (at this point strained and devoid of physical passion); her unrequired love for her friend Ellen Doubleday, the socialite wife of her American publisher; and her most sexually satisfying relationship with the great actress Gertrude Lawrence. The sets and the lighting for this sumptuously mounted production are first-rate, as is the actress playing Du Maurier, Geraldine Somerville, who brings much nuance and intelligence to the part. But Somerville is let down here both by the screenplay and by her co-stars. The story here emphasizes the somewhat crankier parts of Du Maurier, including her sense of being constantly besieged by her fans (which here makes her seem a bit of an ingrate) and her particular frustration at only being known for writing REBECCA. But the screenwriters and producers only have her friends and Daphne herself ever mention REBECCA among all of her novels she had written up to this point (they apparently didn't trust their audience would remember even FRENCHMAN'S CREEK or JAMAICA INN), and since Daphne seems to be constantly comparing people and events in her life to those in REBECCA she seems something of a hypocrite rather than just at odds with herself (as the real Du Maurier was). Worse, Elizabeth McGovern and Janet McTeer seem quite miscast as Du Maurier's two new loves, Ellen Doubleday and Gertrude Lawrence (respectively). McGovern seems much too frivolous and ditsy to play Doubleday, given that Du Maurier here sees her friend as a dazzling and glamorous figure comparable to Rebecca de Winter herself; and while McTeer can bring off the coarser aspects of Lawrence well enough, and even her frustrated disappointments in Du Maurier, she fails to make us see why this woman would have been seen as the most charismatic and sophisticated woman in the British theatre in her day. You feel as if the whole undertaking doesn't quite live up to what it could have been, or capture your attention and your sympathies in the way Du Maurier's story deserves.

In this BBC biopic, Daphne's secret love life is explored, who is the author
of Rebecca, Jamaica Inn, and many more popular beloved novels. She is one
of the best-loved writers of all time. The film is based on personal letters
and various biographies. Daphne calls herself "a boy in a box" and this
revealing drama shows how her incendiary love life informed her writing. The
film charts the story of Daphne's unrequited passion for the beautiful, wealthy
and glamorous American heiress Ellen Doubleday, and how the play she wrote
about this forbidden desire led her to a life-changing love affair with the
irreverent, fun loving actress Gertrude Lawrence. Gertrude is played by
Janet McTeer, a British Actor who has become well known in America, and
is known for her ease of playing characters so diverse in her films,
sometimes she is completely unrecognizable from film to film. The movie
has a magnificent cast, with the setting in the 1940's and 1950's.

This BBC drama which is luscious in its sets, costumes and compelling soundtrack of period music, begins when Du Maurier's husband Tommy returns from the war. They have three children, one away at boarding school. The relationship is strained and unsatisfying for both, when he returns. But this is just the backdrop for the story of her unrequited love for her friend Ellen Doubleday, the socialite wife of her American publisher whom she meets on the ship taking her to New York for the trial when she is sued by another writer for plagiarism (she prevails). Upon first site of Ellen, Daphne falls, hopelessly, wordlessly in love and the relationship that develops turns her life upside down. She later meets the Broadway actress, Gertrude Lawrence at a party at the Doubledays' home where she is put off by her coarse manner. Later, when she is cast in a role in Du Murier's play, Daphne is not happy, saying she is all wrong, calling her "a dyed haired tart", but later acknowledges Lawrence's great acting in the play. I found McTeer's portrayal of Lawrence so over the top it put me off --particularly in their intimate scenes, and cannot imagine what about her would attract Daphne despite her sweet efforts at courtship. The relationship develops into a sexual one which holds a special place for Daphne but she never gets over her love for Ellen. Geraldine Somerville, the Irish actress, brings a sad vulnerability to the part which brings the viewer into the torment Du Maureir is going through. Not just through the unrequited love but her conflict over her sexuality, informed by the times and her upbringing. She cannot bear to use the term lesbian and refuses to call herself such, but uses the euphemism Venetian. Watch how Somerville uses her hands--her fingers--to help us understand the emotions she is going through; how she struggles with her emotions as seen in her eyes. Frankly, I have rarely seen such a compelling performance. I do think that both Ellen and "Gertie" were miscast--or at least misplayed. Ellen Doubleday by Elizabeth McGovern--was she really so saucy? Is this coquette the sort of woman Du Maurier was so drawn to? A serious Du Maurier, it is hard to imagine. But more wrong was Janet McTeer's Gertrude Lawrence, as mentioned. But the costumes (I particularly loved the "butch" outfits worn by Somerville),the sets, the music, a story line that moves us along to the end of the story which is the writing of her book "My Cousin Rachel" -- and most of all, Somerville's compelling performance makes me love this film in spite of its casting flaws. I watched it three times in three days--something I never do--but there is much there to draw you to it.

A bit over the top with some surprisingly cheap production values given that it's from the BBC. Daphne, a lesbian who hates what she calls "the 'L' people," comes off as a real pill. But nothing with actress Janet McTeer, here playing the wise and witty Gertrude Lawrence, is ever without some value!

I liked the story about Daphne and her "divided loyalties"..the depiction of Mandelay (Menabilly) was very much like the real one. The person who played her husband, Frederick Browning was on target. I was however, very disappointed in Geraldine Sommerville who played Daphne. In the first place, she was not nearly as attractive as Daphne..and her character was something of being a "pill"..I have been to Fowey and spoken with older people who knew Daphne Du Maurier, and I did not get that impression at all..she was shy and retiring, and very private, but not above going among the local people. I didn't think Geraldine Sommerville's acting was all that great.. She just had a sort of "vacant" look like some age-old actress who didn't know how to act. I didn't get a real sense of Daphne. I actually thought that Elizabeth McGovern could have played that role better..at least she looked more like her and looked very attractive in this movie. Although Elizabeth McTeer was great in this role, she was not exactly what I envisioned as Gertrude. I didn't like some of the references in the movie about the book "Rebecca"...they shouldn't take away from a wonderfully written book if they are trying to depict the author. I didn't like their interpretation of saying that "Rebecca" was more a story about the failure of a marriage. That is not my interpretation at all of this book. I think the movie could have been a lot better. I didn't have a real sense that the screenwriter really got into Daphne's character and what she was all about!

The movie was interesting but could not whole my attention. If you just want a girl on girl movie then get it. But if your looking to be entertain do not buy it

Love between women is simply so pure and graceful, and it may not always be appropriate nor impartial to call them lesbians as the Occidental cultures have been labelling them. Man's love may include a portfolio of materialistic prosperity but there always be some area left out such as basis for a perfect equality which is essential for their sense of mutual belonging and a higher sense of harmony ultimately leading to spiritual unity that women vow to each other. I personally can not deny venerable deference of any mentioned qualities that we men can not compete that of women.

Not a bad film in the context of enlightening women's culture in particular to those prefers another woman for love relationship. Their culture has come a long way from the time where the Lady Daphne herself survived. It is undeniable fact that Daphne grew up in an elite and affluent family heritage which likely prevented her to be locked into mental institution or subject of judicial execution of capital punishment which occurred in Spain during Francisco Franco's dictatorship and China during Cultural Revolution during the Chairman Mao's dictatorship. I consider such punishment were indeed the most serious crime against humanity and should be prevented at all cost.

Love is love whether between women or men, is still the highest and most privileged form of interaction between individuals. I am hoping that a work in this scale from BBC production to set a counteracting force against a oppressive trends instilling upon audiences unjustifiable belief that love story between women must ends in tragedy. Such meaningless belief had been supplanted upon us but it does not take Doctorate level Studies of Psychology and Sociology to reveal that it originates by the efforts of Phallocrats who shares the same mentality of those who executed women who were in love with another woman.

Societal acceptance of freedom to love including the same sex partner amongst male subjects was known to have began in ancient Etruscan civilization. Sadly the benefits of freedom, love and right were only recognized amongst only male subjects during the dawn of Etruscan civilization. Worse yet, such vulgar, premature and inhumane form of crude civilisation had migrated to every part of Eurasian continent with distasteful off-shoot customs such as procurements of catamites.

Women were often valued less than a household animal. It was particularly true in ancient Chinese Empire. When a woman was found next to any man of high birth, She was immediately beheaded accused of being a parasite or vermin and replaced by a catamite. That inhuman mentality still seems to be intact with some men's mind. Fortunately the replacing women with catamites did not occur in Japan, but all Japanese have committed similar crimes down the history during the mediaeval age discarding new born female infants in favour of male infants. China has a long history of Phallocentric homosexuality goes back about to 1600BC In fact they do have a long history of homosexuality following Greece, Middle East, and India. I believe that the tradition migrated via Silk Road from Etruria (ancient Tuscany) then to Sparta, then Turk, then India and to China. However, those were male homosexuality including most distasteful and bizarre catamites.
Japan has a long history of Parthenocentric homosexuality amongst noble born court attendants and they developed highly intellectual feminist scholar of their own. Contrarily to common beliefs, before the paternalistic authoritarianism ever had any chance to come in effect in Japan, there were four contiguous centuries, a long historic period called the Heď An Era (794 - 1185 A.D. meaning the time for peace and tranquillity) where contemporary feminist scholars including art, poetry, and literature flourished in Japanese Imperial Court. It is often considered the peak of the Japanese civilisation. I personally view societal harm from Phallocentric homosexuality is so disastrous beyond comparison with Parthenocentric homosexuality. Unfortunately Chinese men usually do not wish to grant a same degree of freedom nor intellectual opportunities to women. Fortunately, Parthenocentric homosexuality controls unnecessary growth of population hence it is beneficial in term of ecology Many times in Sino-Eurasian history, women were shut out from opportunity to explore intellectual world. It is highly likely all men were fearful of women's innate social skill embedded in their gene from our mammal ancestors. Prehistoric men have already witnessed the intensity and wisdom of communal love between female lions. Hence cultural segregation between sex began arising out from intrinsic fear present in men's psyche particularly amongst those uneducated and ignorant of humanity.
Pinecloud, Palo Alto, California. USA