Lady Chatterley (2006)

This version of the often-shot story of Lady Chatterley is in French with English subtitles, and I found the "look" of many of the actors to be decidedly French (big surprise) rather than English. The plot development was decidedly leisurely in the first half of the film, but this was not a game-breaker as far as my enjoyment of the movie. However, compared to all the other versions on this story that I've seen, I found this French effort to bring an element of earthy realism (best way I can describe it) to the story that the others lacked. The scene where the gamekeeper and Lady Chatterley "decorate" each other with flowers and subsequently disport themselves outside in the field and woods is a particularly interesting and memorable sequence. One minor quibble: the film seemed to both begin and end rather abruptly...you'll know what I mean when you watch it.

Lush, leisurely paced movie that shows that sex is not obscene or vulgar. It's as natural as the beautiful fields and streams where the two main characters spend most of their time together. Watching them in this setting, their eventual sexual encounters feel natural and normal unlike so many movies were sex is treated as something dirty and shameful. Unfortunately, the ending just does not work. After drawing the viewer in with several long, lush, sensual scenes, the movie screeches to a halt after a short 5 minute conversation. It doesn't work and there's a few other scenes as well (the one where Lady Chatterley's waiting in her chauffeured car for her husband at the mine) that go nowhere. With a different ending and little editing, this could have been a masterpiece.

Constance Chatterley, a higher class Englishwoman, had the misfortune of marrying an impotent man. She has never known what sexual bliss is really like and there is no hope her husband will ever satisfy her because of a war injury that has rendered him unable to have sex with her. Constance, who is first seen as a dedicated wife, suddenly awakes to a life of fulfillment when she finds in Parkin, the estate's game warden, a soul mate and a man who can bring her to taste the pleasures that has been denied to her.D. H. Lawrence, the author of the novel in which the film is based on, was a man who was aware of the class struggles in his native land. He had a connection with the miners that he saw as more interesting than the moneyed rulers who employed them, and to a certain degree, exploited them. The struggle is not emphasized in this version of the novel by French director Pascale Ferran, who also contributed to its adaptation. Ms. Ferran brings out the sexual aspect to the front burner in a film that is a bit long, and a bit repetitive, at times."Lady Chatterley" main asset is the wonderful portrayal Marina Hands gives to Constance. She is a new face that seems to be a natural, as she clearly demonstrates here. Ms. Hands is equally matched by the fierce take of Jean-Louis Coullo'ch, who brings an animal quality to his interpretation of Parkin. These two actors carry the film and make it much better than it should have been.This film is greatly enhanced by Julien Hirsch's cinematography. His take of the countryside gives a serene quality to all that one sees in the film. Also, the musical score created by Beatrice Thiret is heard in the background. One can expect interesting things from Ms. Ferran in the future, as she is a new voice to be reckoned with in the French cinema.

One of the worst movies I have ever seen. We kept on thinking that it must get better due to it's good score of over 7 points on IMDb. But no. I just wonder what made the actors choose to be in the film after reading the script " two sentences. She walks in the forest. sex scene. Two lines and She looks through the window and Sex scene." Really boring and slow. The sex scenes are particularly disturbing. It starts of very stiff, no kissing, he just takes off his trousers and "does it", then stands up an puts them back on. Not the best performance by the actors and it just does not flow. Nothing ever happens. And it just goes on and on and on. a true waste of time I would say.