Directed by:
Ralph FiennesScreenplay:
Abi MorganCinematography:
Rob HardyComposer:
Ilan EshkeriCast:
Ralph Fiennes, Michelle Fairley, Felicity Jones, Kristin Scott Thomas, Tom Hollander, Tom Burke, Perdita Weeks, Charlotte Hope, John Kavanagh, Joanna Scanlan (more)VOD (2)
Plots(1)
In the 1850s, Ellen Ternan is a minimally talented actress who catches the eye of the hailed British author, Charles Dickens. Bored with his intellectually unstimulating wife, Dickens takes the educated Ellen has his mistress with the cooperation of her mother. What follows is a stormy relationship with this literary giant who provides her with a life few women of her time can enjoy. Yet, Ellen is equally revolted by Charles' emotional cruelty and determination to keep her secret. In that conflict, Ellen must judge her own role in her life and decide if the price she pays is bearable. (CoolConnections)
(more)Reviews (3)
Ralph Fiennes is an outstanding actor, one of the best of our time, but unfortunately, not a great director. This is his second film that feels like a traditional, almost Shakespearean dialogue-heavy piece, set in a period atmosphere but with situations that are completely baffling. The film drags on, and when it finally tries to hit you with tragedy, it does so in such a clumsy way that you’re more likely to laugh than cry.
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Tasteful, clear, and sensitive. This is exactly what you get in this biography of Charles Dickens as seen through the eyes of Ralph Fiennes. I recommend it particularly to fans of Great Expectations. Austen's biography Becoming Jane is similarly good.
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Ralph Fiennes will likely be well-regarded by critics because he directs films that fairly accurately capture the time period and environment, and are capable of evoking strong emotions, even though they don't try to be pleasant to the viewer. Instead, they seem to deter through their pace and structure. I liked Coriolanus a bit more, but even that isn't a film for the masses. I wasn't impressed with the film.
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