Movie spotlight
Orlando
The great soldier Orlando is lovesick and shows little intention of resuming his former glorious and heroic deeds. When Orlando enters, he is a man clearly torn between his love of fame and his love for Angelica. "Orlando teaches all of us that love is often responsible for our loss of reason," runs a line from Act 3 of the opera. It is a modest moral, and perhaps one not demanding of the dramatic finesse and musical diversity that Handel serves up in Orlando - for the opera's complex of problems is rather more complicated than that. Beneath the fabric of this masterfully woven constellation of characters and values is a score of such independence and vivacity as to give Orlando a special position among Handel's works - indeed among opera literature in general.
Insights
Plot Summary
A young nobleman in Elizabethan England is banished for defying Queen Elizabeth I and is granted immortality by a mysterious figure. He lives for centuries, experiencing different eras, social norms, and genders, ultimately finding himself in 20th-century London, grappling with his own identity and the nature of love and time.
Critical Reception
Sally Potter's "Orlando" was critically acclaimed for its ambitious scope, Tilda Swinton's mesmerizing performance, and its innovative approach to adapting Virginia Woolf's novel. Critics praised its visual artistry, its exploration of gender and identity, and its unique blend of historical periods.
What Reviewers Say
A visually stunning and intellectually stimulating exploration of gender, identity, and time.
Tilda Swinton delivers a career-defining performance, embodying centuries of existence with grace and complexity.
A faithful yet imaginative adaptation of Virginia Woolf's seminal novel.
Google audience: Audiences generally praised "Orlando" for its unique concept and Tilda Swinton's captivating performance, with many appreciating its artistic merit and thought-provoking themes. Some found the film's pacing to be slow, but the overall sentiment was positive towards its originality and visual beauty.
Awards & Accolades
Nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song ('A Wizard' - The Song) and won the Audience Award at the São Paulo International Film Festival.
Fun Fact
Tilda Swinton is the only actor in the film, portraying Orlando across various centuries and genders. This was a deliberate choice by director Sally Potter to emphasize the fluidity of identity and the unchanging essence of the character throughout time.
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