Cheap The French Lieutenant's Woman (DVD) (Meryl Streep, Jeremy Irons) (Karel Reisz) Price

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Customer Reviews of The French Lieutenant's Woman

INTRIGUING CINEMATIC EXPERIENCE...
Having read John Fowles' book upon which the film is based, I have to say that I enjoyed the book more. Still, I must give plaudits to the screenplay by Harold Pinter, as the book with its alternative endings is a little difficult to capture on film. Still, that is just what Pinter did here in a symbolic and ingenious sort of way, with two parallel stories, one contemporary, one victorian. Coupled with deft direction by Karel Reisz and stunning cinematography, the film fully engages the viewer.

The film is beautifully acted by Meryl Streep and Jeremy Irons. Steep is possitively luminous in the role of the enigmatic Sarah Woodruff, a Victorian woman who is wrongfully castigated by her neighbors for being a scarlet woman. Jeremy Edwards is excellent as Charles, the gentleman who becomes obsessed with her and loses his reputation in order to remain free to pursue her.

Streep is also excellent in the role of the married Anne, the contemporary actress with whom Mike (Jeremy Irons), her costar in a film, is having an affair. He is, however, disatisfied with Anne's casual attentions and wants more. Anne and Mike became lovers while filming "The French Lieutenant's Woman" with Anne playing the role of Sarah Woodruff and Mike in the role of Charles.

Pinter skilfully weaves these two stories together, making for an unusual cinematic experience, which, while not faithful to the book, is compelling, nonetheless. This is an audaciously imaginative and visually lush film, a story within a story that, while thought provoking, is just a tad off the mark.

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Victorian Love Story by the Sea
"You cannot imagine my suffering. My only happiness is when I sleep. When I awake, the nightmare begins." ~Sarah Woodruff

The first few scenes in this movie are so terribly sad if you have seen the movie at least once before. In the first few scenes all you see is a lone figure walking along the projecting sea wall (Cobb). Sarah Woodruff is looking out to sea for her lover's return. It is all so tragic. This story is set in the coastal town of Lyme Regis, famous for its fossils and now also famous for this movie.

For some reason, the first scenes are so symbolic of the entire loneliness both the fictional and real character play in the movie. This is a film-within-the-film and the stories follow similar themes. You could almost compare the style of this movie to the more recent "Possession 2002."

The French Lieutenant's Woman was adapted from John Fowles' novel and is a parallel love story. One between forbidden lovers Sarah Woodruff (Meryl Streep) and Charles (Jeremy Irons) in the 19th century, and then a romance between Anna and Mike who play Sarah and Charles when the Victorian romance is not being filmed. It is confusing at first, but soon you are watching this movie five times and have no idea why. It is rather romantic!

There are of course two endings, one for each story. I can't decide which I loved best. They are just both so overwhelming.

If you watch closely, you will see a scene where Sarah shows Charles a bit of her slip as she walks away. I always heard that meant a woman was looking for a husband. I didn?t notice it until the fourth time I was watching the movie. Sarah is technically an unfulfilled romantic. She is quite dramatic and very amusing at times. When she is going into a very serious speech, it can at times become dramatic to the point of hilarity. You know she is completely in love with being a victim of fate. She also knows how to attract romance into her life with her various schemes. One is rather dangerous when she slips a note to Charles during tea.

Charles is a curious soul. He finds Sarah to be a bit of a mystery and unlike other women he has met and courted. He literally hunts her down and watches this mystery as she glides through the misty forest by the sea. All Sarah wants to do is look out to sea and dream of a man saving her from her fantasy life as a scarlet woman. Charles loses all interest in his ammonite research and is also lost from the moment he sees Sarah. We feel mildly sorry for Ernestina Freeman (Lynsey Baxter) as she is so sweet and innocent and so deserving of love. Still, the girl can throw a pretty good tantrum! She is of course engaged to Charles.

The French Lieutenant's Woman will haunt you long after you have watched it at least five times in two days. ;) I loved this movie so much more than Sophie's Choice. It has to be the violin music slowly drifting through the misty forests. It is all so mysterious. Meryl Streep also has such a fresh radiance in this movie. Her acting is simply fascinating in so many scenes.

Dreamy Victorian Romance.

~The Rebecca Review.com

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Omigod what an awful movie......
When I was in college, I LOVED the book, French Lieutenant's Woman! It was one of my favorite books of all time. Sarah, the symbol of all that was feminine, mysterious, alluring, and perhaps dangerous - was she really a whore, a goddess, or just a simple woman caught in a struggle for survival in the harsh Victorian age?

I could just go on and on about how fabulous the book was. But this isn't a review for the book.

When the movie came out, I rushed out to see it in the first weekend. Oh, geez, to say that I was let down, just doesn't quite get it right.

The two big downers were
1. Meryl Streep
2. The changed plot device of a play within a play of modern actors acting out the movie.

Meryl Streep was just horribly miscast in the role of Sarah Woodruff. She had absolutely no qualities of mystery, danger, or sex appeal to take on this role. At the time, Charlotte Rampling had been rumored to have been one of the potential actresses considered to play the role of Sarah, and she would have been great in this role. A decade or so later, and Michelle Pfeiffer would have been perfect for the role. But Meryl Streep? Oh my.... groan.....

And the play within a play plot device, what an idiotic thing to do to completely change a masterwork like John Fowles's novel. How completely artificial and unnecessary.

After this movie came out, I absolutely couldn't stand to watch Meryl Streep in any other movies. One of my favorite books, in its one shot at being made into a movie, ruined.

When I think of movies like The Stepford Wives or La Femme Nikita or King Kong getting re-made, I think, wow, wake up Hollywood, it's TIME FOR A REMAKE of this classic novel! And next time, please get it right.....