movie world

Ken Russell's cinematic interpretation of D.H. Lawrence's popular novel is one big and lavish masterclass in human psychology staged during the early 1920s. Its main points are formulated while following the actions of two young women and two slightly older men with contrasting understandings of what love is supposed to represent and how it should be consumed.

The four are first seen together at a wedding ceremony at the home of Thomas Crich (Alan Webb), a very wealthy mine owner who for decades has employed the majority of the healthy men in the provincial town of Beldover. Here the sisters Gudrun (Glenda Jackson) and Ursula (Jennie Linden) pick the old man's son, Gerald (Oliver Reed), and his childhood friend, Rupert (Alan Bates), as the perfect men that they would want to start a family and spend the rest of the their lives with. (The many reasons behind their picks are then systematically identified throughout the film). Eventually, after a tragic event the couples are formed -- Gudrun begins an affair with Gerald while Ursula ends up with Rupert. After the initial euphoria that their romantic encounters produce, however, the four gradually become frustrated with their relationships and begin to question their perceptions of true love...

Director: Ken Russell
Cast: Alan Bates, Oliver Reed, Glenda Jackson, Jennie Linden, Eleanor Bron
Country: UK
Genre: Drama, Romance

Women in Love (1969) Criterion Collection
~~~
BD50 + 2xDVD9 | 1080p AVC, NTSC | 02:11:11 | 46.2 Gb + 14.4 Gb + 3% rec
Language: English
Subtitles: English

Extras:

• Audio Commentary by Ken Russell - this archival audio commentary was also included on the old DVD release that MGM produced in the United States in 2003.

• Audio Commentary by Larry Kramer - this archival audio commentary with screenwriter and producer Larry Kramer was also included on the old DVD release that MGM produced in the United States in 2003.

• A British Picture: Portrait of an Enfant Terrible - this very entertaining documentary was produced by Ken Russell and functions a bit like a confession because in it the iconic director reveals the origins of his passion for cinema and discusses how it changed his life. The documentary was made made for British television in 1989. In English, not subtitled. (49 min, 1080i).

• Ken Russell - presented here is an excerpt from an archival interview with Ken Russell in which the director explains how the classic silent German films he saw early in his life made him fall in love with cinema, and discusses his pursuit of the "perfect image and perfect sound" throughout his career as well as his work on Women in Love. The interview was conducted in 2007 in Los Angeles. In English, not subtitled. (14 min).

• Glenda Jackson - in this archival interview, Glenda Jackson recalls her first acting experience and discusses the progression of her career over the years. There are also some interesting comments about her experience of working with Ken Russell and his directing methods. The interview was conducted by Colin Grimshaw for the television program Film Talk in 1976. In English, not subtitled. (20 min).

• Billy Williams - in this brand new video interview, cinematographer Billy Williams discuses his early work, which was mostly commercials, and the first feature film that he shot with Ken Russell (Billion Dollar Brain), as well as their collaboration on Women in Love, the film's unique visual style and tone, the quality of the original script, and the final version of the film. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in London in 2017. In English, not subtitled. (25 min).

• Michael Bradsell - in this brand new video interview, editor Michael Bradsell recalls what it was like to work with Ken Russell on Women in Love, and discusses the film's fluidity and period atmosphere, the contemporary overtones that emerge throughout it, the structure and editing/cutting of specific segments, etc. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in London in 2017. In English, not subtitled. (18 min).

• ATV Today - presented here is a segment from the British television show ATV Today in which actors Alan Bates and Jennie Linden and screenwriter and producer Larry Kramer discuss the adaptation of D.H. Lawrence's popular novel and the ongoing production work. The interviews were conducted on-location during the shooting of Women in Love in Derby, England, in 1968. In English, not subtitled. (11 min).

• Second Best - presented here is an adaptation of a short story by D.H. Lawrence that was produced by Alan Bates. Also included is a short interview with the actor. Both aired on British television in 1972. In English, not subtitled. (30 min).

• Trailer - original trailer for Women in Love. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

Women in Love (1969) BFI
~~~
BD50 | 1080p AVC | 02:10:46 | 46.1 Gb + 3% rec
Language: English
Subtitles: English

Extras:

• Audio Commentary by Larry Kramer - this archival audio commentary with screenwriter and producer Larry Kramer was also included on the old DVD release of Women in Love that MGM produced in the United States in 2003.

• Audio Commentary by Ken Russell - this archival audio commentary with Ken Russell was also included on the old DVD release of Women in Love that MGM produced in the United States in 2003.

• Billy Williams OBE BSC in Conversation with Phil Meheux BSC - in this filmed conversation (with a Q&A section), cinematographer Billy Williams recalls his first encounter with Ken Russell, and discusses some of their early experimentation with light and filters, the final look of Women in Love, the filming of the notorious wrestling scene, some of the pros and cons of film stock and digital filmmaking, etc. The conversation was filmed in 2015. In English, not subtitled. (50 min).

• The Guardian Lecture: Glenda Jackson - in this archival audio conversation, Glenda Jackson explains she transitioned from the theater to the film business, and discusses her work with Peter Brook, the type of scripts that she finds attractive, the significance of the Academy awards, her work with Ken Russell on Women in Love, etc. The conversation was recorded at the National Film Theatre in 1982. In English, not subtitled. (77 min).

• The Pacemakers - this archival documentary feature focuses on Glenda Jackson's acting career. Included in it are clips from an archival interview with the actress in which she addresses her working methods while rehearsing and interacting with John Schlesinger during the shooting of Sunday Bloody Sunday. The documentary was produced in 1971. In English, not subtitled. (15 min).

• Second Best (1972) - a rare, previously unreleased short film with Alan Bates, based on the story by D.H. Lawrence. Directed by Stephen Dartnell. Remastered. In English, not subtitled. (27 min).

• Isolated Score

• Stills and Collections gallery (3:21)

• Trailer - original trailer for Women in Love. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).