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  Directed by
  Starring
  Specs
  • Widescreen 1.78:1
  • 16:9 Enhanced
  • Dual Layer ( )
  Languages
  • English: Dolby Digital Stereo
  Subtitles
  • None
  Extras
  • Theatrical trailer
  • 5 Cast/crew biographies
  • Featurette - Making Of
  • Production notes - 9 pages
  • Animated menus
  • DVD Text - Virginia Woolf and Mrs Dalloway

Mrs Dalloway

Universal/Universal . R4 . COLOR . 93 mins . M15+ . PAL

  Feature
Contract

It looked too much like a chick film, but I went along anyway to see The Hours starring our Nicole. And I was pretty much right.

However, after seeing that, I thought it would be kinda neat to see Mrs Dalloway and get a sort of behind the scenes look at The Hours. Well, while there are some similarities, they are very different films. This version of Virginia Woolf’s all time classic is quite a rich production and well cast in its portrayal of period England.

"Fear no more the heat of the sun, nor the furious winter’s rages..."

Told mostly in flashback, there is a ‘current’ storyline as well with Mrs Dalloway preparing for another of her famous parties. Reflecting on her life and drawing similarities to her current situation, Mrs Dalloway spends her day involved in the many minor tasks required of her in getting the party ready. Living in her head a lot of the time, she reminisces about her choices in life and the path not taken, for the most part. Her old beau, the adventurous soul she shunned for the security of the man she married, turns up by chance and is invited along to the bash. Also showing up is the girl with whom she almost had an affair with and before the night is out Mrs Dalloway comes to realise some hard truths about herself and those to whom she was closest.

While sounding like a miserable idea for a story and one about a particularly miserable woman, this is actually quite entertaining, if a little drawn out. There’s a curious link to another man that isn’t fully explained and this parallel plot ends with the young man’s suicide. Upon hearing that news Mrs Dalloway considers the same thing in the very same manner, but as to her decisions we are left a little confused by the poor lack of suitable explanation in the script. While being a fairly entertaining film with a great leading performance by Vanessa Redgrave, the objectivity and urbanity of the characters and plot make this an overly intellectual think piece that doesn’t truthfully hold enough comment on the human condition to warrant its appeal.

  Video
Contract

Made in 1997, this film still looks pretty good. With relatively few major artefacts, they are still prevalent, if only small. Delivered in 1.78:1 and enhanced, the majority of things all look fine. Shadows are fulsome with detail, blacks are true to life and the colours and flesh tones are all evenly balanced out. The layer change is a bit jittery and mid-sentence, but is passable.

  Audio
Contract

The Dolby Digital stereo audio track is more than adequate for this movie’s purposes. The dialogue is all clear and well delivered and this includes some of the inner monologues of Mrs Dalloway. What few sound effects are included all come across okay, as does the music. However, the music is basically one single scored piece and is used sparingly throughout. It is also used religiously on the animated menus and gets a bit irritating after a while, so be warned.

  Extras
Contract

A fairly big bag, or so it seems at first. There is the trailer first up which runs for two and a quarter minutes in 1.78:1, though isn’t enhanced. Then begins a making of featurette that is just under 15 minutes long and features interviews with the director, producer, screenwriter and some lead actors in the film. There is a computer error at 1:22 in this piece which isn’t unusual, but is still a bit piss poor to include. However, all things said, this is a rather well made featurette and is worth the look.

Nine pages of production notes come next and do give some relative insight into the creation of this piece. Then follows ten more biography pages about Virginia Woolf and Mrs Dalloway that also include some interesting facts about Ms Woolf and the time of her writing the book in 1922. After this comes the cast and crew biographies, of which there are five. So all up, mostly text extras (or textras, ha ha) which, while being of interest, don’t buoy up the extras package a great deal.

  Overall  
Contract

With so many women involved in the production, this would appear to be a film about women, for women. The actors all give credible performances and the film is of value, but its seeming lack of direction tends to make the story a little lacklustre and mundane. Fans of period pieces will enjoy it, however, as will fans of the Ms Woolf’s writings. For everyone else though, this runs a little sleepy and isn’t going to be to everyone’s taste.


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      And I quote...
    "The objectivity and urbanity of the characters and plot make this an overly intellectual think piece."
    - Jules Faber
      Review Equipment
    • DVD Player:
          Nintaus DVD-N9901
    • TV:
          Sony 51cm
    • Receiver:
          Diamond
    • Speakers:
          Diamond
    • Surrounds:
          No Name
    • Audio Cables:
          Standard Optical
    • Video Cables:
          Standard Component RCA
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