This film attracted poor reviews and I bought it only because of an interest in both of its subjects, though I knew little of their interaction together. I found it better than most reviews had led me to expect, though it is far from perfect. Biographies of writers are often difficult on film, in any case and one has to take on trust that the books referred to are as good as claimed.
Although set largely in England the film was made in Ireland, no doubt for tax reasons and because of all those Georgian terraces. The director was foolish enough to also allow some shots of well-known Dublin landmarks to appear briefly, which is not helpful. But for most of the film the filming location makes no real difference. The film attempts to deal with Vita's strong attachment to Knole, but this is a bit of a diversion from the main story.
I thought the two leads played their characters well, getting across the other-worldly intellectualism of Woolf and Sackville-West's amoral and passionate nature. The pace is measured and there is no sense of rushing to get the story over. Rupert Penry-Jones also plays Harold Nicholson (Vita's husband, with plenty of his own faults) well; he is a believable man of his time and class. The other characters, except perhaps Mr Woolf, are not introduced very well, and those unfamiliar with the history of the Bloomsbury group might consequently find them confusing.
In one respect the casting of the two leads is unfortunate; much is made - at least at the beginning - of Sackville-West's 'manliness' and striking physical presence (and she duly appears in some mannish costumes); but Gemma Arterton is too good looking to carry this off successfully, and more damagingly, is significantly shorter (at 5 ft 7 inches) than her very tall co-star. Consequently the physical relationship between the two is not what it should be, compared with the portrayal of Sackville-West and Violet Keppel in 'Portrait of a Marriage' TV series with Janet McTeer as Sackville-West.
Although set largely in England the film was made in Ireland, no doubt for tax reasons and because of all those Georgian terraces. The director was foolish enough to also allow some shots of well-known Dublin landmarks to appear briefly, which is not helpful. But for most of the film the filming location makes no real difference. The film attempts to deal with Vita's strong attachment to Knole, but this is a bit of a diversion from the main story.
I thought the two leads played their characters well, getting across the other-worldly intellectualism of Woolf and Sackville-West's amoral and passionate nature. The pace is measured and there is no sense of rushing to get the story over. Rupert Penry-Jones also plays Harold Nicholson (Vita's husband, with plenty of his own faults) well; he is a believable man of his time and class. The other characters, except perhaps Mr Woolf, are not introduced very well, and those unfamiliar with the history of the Bloomsbury group might consequently find them confusing.
In one respect the casting of the two leads is unfortunate; much is made - at least at the beginning - of Sackville-West's 'manliness' and striking physical presence (and she duly appears in some mannish costumes); but Gemma Arterton is too good looking to carry this off successfully, and more damagingly, is significantly shorter (at 5 ft 7 inches) than her very tall co-star. Consequently the physical relationship between the two is not what it should be, compared with the portrayal of Sackville-West and Violet Keppel in 'Portrait of a Marriage' TV series with Janet McTeer as Sackville-West.