Lady Chatterley

Despite middlebrow tastes, I do not always join in complaints when a film is long and slow, as this film certainly is. Pascale Ferran’s adaptation of one version of D.H. Lawrence’s notorious tale of an aristocrat’s affair with her gamekeeper runs to 168 minutes, short on drama or music-cued emotions and long on languorous looks at the nature with which the lady and her lover become one. Though we are used to English adaptations of foreign literature, it takes some getting used to having English characters and landscapes speaking French. Nonetheless, I was in sympathy with the spirit of the enterprise, and Marina Hinds totally won me over with a low-key but ultimately glowing portrayal of a woman discovering herself and the world through sex. Though sexy enough to be sure, predominantly from a female perspective, this film is overpoweringly sensual in its embrace of the body of the world. Not for everyone, but for those willing to give the time and attention, it’s a lovely and unabashed look at natural love becoming spiritual. (2007, dvd, n.) *7+* (MC-80.)