Orlando (4 Stars)

This film is based on the novel with the same name, written by Virginia Woolf. Orlando is a young page in the court of Queen Elisabeth I. Despite his absent-mindedness, often appearing in court too late, he's the Queen's favourite. She loves him for his youth and good looks. Having no children of her own, she thinks of him as a replacement son. Shortly before her death, she makes Orlando a lord, on one condition: he must never grow old.

Orlando takes this to heart. He lives a long life, and his appearance never changes. A hundred years later he's appointed the British ambassador to Constantinople, holding the office for 50 years. He's injured in a war, and falls into a deep sleep for seven days. When he wakes up, he finds that he's become a woman. He accepts this placidly. Looking at himself/herself in the mirror, he says "I'm the same person, just a different sex".

Legal disputes begin which last for centuries. Some claim that Orlando was always a woman, so he received the gift from Queen Elisabeth under false pretences. Others claim that the real Orlando has died and been replaced by an imposter, because it's impossible for someone to live for centuries.

Orlando has love affairs before and after his transition, but both of his lovers abandon him. His first lover is a Russian princess, who leaves England at short notice. Her second lover is an American adventurer, a freedom fighter who doesn't want to be tied down by marriage. He leaves her pregnant, but the baby girl isn't born until a hundred years later.

The novel "Orlando" has been praised as a feminist classic. Feminist ideology isn't flaunted in the film, but it's there, at least in a few scenes. As a man Orlando is praised for his learning. As a woman (the same person with a different sex) she isn't taken seriously. Those were the double standards of the 18th Century, possibly still held when Virginia Woolf wrote the book in 1928, but today we're more enlightened. Aren't we?

Tilda Swinton does an excellent job portraying Orlando before and after his transformation. She frequently breaks the fourth wall, turning and speaking to the camera when things of note happen. The whole film has a dreamlike atmosphere. Maybe the film is too slow. Maybe too little happens. "Orlando" isn't a film for everyone, but it's enjoyable if you're prepared to make the effort required to watch it.

Success Rate:  + 1.3

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