The film starts with a passionate embrace between Tom and Viv on the innocent setting of an Oxford punt. For the next quarter of an hour you may think that this will be an ordinary, merchant ivory type film about an upper-crust gal and her american beau writing away their cares in the dreaming spires of Oxford. However the idyllic setting and the gentle breezes soon fade into nothingness and before long you are forced to comprehend the tortured soul of one suffering from mental hysteria and the immediate effects of that on those who are subjected to the outbursts. Miranda Richardson's performance as the highly strung wife of one of our most famous poets, takes this film to another level. Although the story is essentially a simple love story why it sits apart from the rest is purely down to the fact that Tom suffers Viv's neuroses silently like the true English gentleman he has become. Devotees of T.S. Elliot may find that the film is superficial in its reference to his work and that the focus is centered on Viv. Yet at the end of the film I was left with a heightened awareness of what and who might have propelled him to write the way he did. This bitter-sweet film tugs at the heart strings just so.
26 Reviews
Vivienne Haigh-Wood and T.S. Eliot
jotix1001 May 2006
Michael Hasting' play of the same title, was seen in New York at the Public theater in 1986. Edward Herrmann and Kate Nelligan played the leading roles. In a way, Mr. Herrmann bore a resemblance to Tom, something that in the film, William Dafoe, an excellent actor, stands in sharp contrast with what the real Eliot looked like. Having seen both the play and the film before, we took another look recently when it was shown on cable.
Brian Gilbert, the director, showed a sensitivity to the material. He had the advantage of using locales where the real Tom and Viv lived in England, thus producing an immediacy and intimacy that serves the film well.
Tom, was a man that loved his adopted country. He was a man in awe of the culture and traditions. In fact, he adopted them as they were his own. His entry into that world in which he wanted to belong came to him courtesy of Vivienne Haigh-Wood, an upper class young woman who had her share of physical problems that plays greatly in this story. Viv's problems exacerbated her marital problems with Tom, and her family. Evidently, her condition could have been helped if the doctors that treated her would have gone in another direction, as it's pointed out toward the end of the film by a physician that clearly understood her malady.
The film is worth a look because of the excellent Miranda Richardson's portrayal of Viv, a woman she captures well for our benefit. This is one of the best appearances by Ms. Richardson on the screen. William Dafoe's Tom gives the impression of being a complicated man. Rosemary Harris is another joy in the film as Viv's mother Rose. Tim Dutton and Nickolas Grace have some good moments in the film.
"Tom and Viv" will not disappoint because Brian Gilbert's fine direction.
Brian Gilbert, the director, showed a sensitivity to the material. He had the advantage of using locales where the real Tom and Viv lived in England, thus producing an immediacy and intimacy that serves the film well.
Tom, was a man that loved his adopted country. He was a man in awe of the culture and traditions. In fact, he adopted them as they were his own. His entry into that world in which he wanted to belong came to him courtesy of Vivienne Haigh-Wood, an upper class young woman who had her share of physical problems that plays greatly in this story. Viv's problems exacerbated her marital problems with Tom, and her family. Evidently, her condition could have been helped if the doctors that treated her would have gone in another direction, as it's pointed out toward the end of the film by a physician that clearly understood her malady.
The film is worth a look because of the excellent Miranda Richardson's portrayal of Viv, a woman she captures well for our benefit. This is one of the best appearances by Ms. Richardson on the screen. William Dafoe's Tom gives the impression of being a complicated man. Rosemary Harris is another joy in the film as Viv's mother Rose. Tim Dutton and Nickolas Grace have some good moments in the film.
"Tom and Viv" will not disappoint because Brian Gilbert's fine direction.
A very sad story
ferdinand193217 November 2012
Unlike many biographical films this one doesn't alter things so much from the historical record. It doesn't make one person more sympathetic than they were in reality, and, as the ending shows, it reaches not a grand finale, but a whimper. (Apologies for the nod to Eliot's most famous line – which he found tiresome too)
This is a very sad story because the principals in real life were devoted to each other, but for a range of almost mysterious reasons to contemporary audiences, Vivienne's various maladies, mental and gynecological, are shrouded. Richardson carries this role well, and she almost owned the canon of disturbed women for a while in her career.
The stand out is Dafoe as Eliot. Dafoe has the solemn, dignified, presence; the accent of period Englishness of a certain class and his American accent suppressed in the voice but mingled nearly perfectly to sound like Eliot. In addition Eliot's life, especially during these turbulent chapters were smothered, and to see Dafoe incarnate Eliot gives life to a man who was often an abstracted mind.
This is a fine production in almost all respects although it may not have a wide appeal.
This is a very sad story because the principals in real life were devoted to each other, but for a range of almost mysterious reasons to contemporary audiences, Vivienne's various maladies, mental and gynecological, are shrouded. Richardson carries this role well, and she almost owned the canon of disturbed women for a while in her career.
The stand out is Dafoe as Eliot. Dafoe has the solemn, dignified, presence; the accent of period Englishness of a certain class and his American accent suppressed in the voice but mingled nearly perfectly to sound like Eliot. In addition Eliot's life, especially during these turbulent chapters were smothered, and to see Dafoe incarnate Eliot gives life to a man who was often an abstracted mind.
This is a fine production in almost all respects although it may not have a wide appeal.
Betrayal - SPOILER(S) ALERT!
blissfilm20 March 2006
Warning: Spoilers
**SPOILER(S) ALERT!** I'm surprised that none of the comments seem to mention (unless I missed it) Eliot's awful behavior portrayed in the film. Not only does Viv apparently directly inspire some of the most famous lines (so much for the transcendent method) and indeed contribute through her own hard work and editorial efforts to his most successful poetry, when she is finally put away using an obviously archaic test for sanity practically no one could pass (a mathematical conundrum) that has nothing to do with modern notions of professional psychology, but after she is put away she is indeed truly "put away" as far as Eliot is concerned. He never came to visit her in the sanitarium - not once, nor did she hear from him. At least that's how the movie portrays him. What I wonder is how accurate it all is. Eliot here is portrayed not just as a suffering husband, but one who suffers through his affection for the social position his wife gives him, and then when she clearly becomes a social handicap she is put away and forgotten. A clear injustice given the final more professional, scientific modern diagnosis that her problems all along were hormonal - not psychological.
I'm confused about her "mental illness" diagnosis
dlmorgan14 March 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Was she mentally ill or was she suffering from hormonal imbalances not unlike post-menstrual syndrome? The fact that she was bleeding 3 times a month and had erratic behavior certainly alludes to something other that mental illness. When the American doctor came to the institution to see her, he said that her condition could have been controlled with medication. I realize that the times did not allow her illness to be analyzed or researched -- women were really of no interest other than being an extension of their husbands. However, I think that knowing what we do now -- and because as she got older her outbreaks lessened -- it seems that this was not a case of a "crazy" person's rantings. She was merely a woman who was indeed outspoken and had a mind of her own and also suffered from depression brought on by PMS.
My brief review of the film
sol-5 January 2005
A reasonably well done and fairly well acted biopic of T. S. Eliot, the film is at times delightful to watch, but it is always lacking. The information it presents about Eliot feels insufficient, as his background feels uncomfortably unknown, and there is also no real indication of the setting and time of the film. It is a bit long too, not always be interesting, and really a bit ordinary at times. But it is still well acted and it does have something to say about the position of women in society. Harris and Richardson were both nominated for Oscars for their performance, but Dafoe is the one who really shines here.
Tom & Viv & Willem & Miranda
evanston_dad17 March 2009
The Tom and Viv of the title are T.S. Eliot and his wife, Vivienne Haigh-Wood, played by Willem Dafoe and Miranda Richardson in an Oscar-nominated performance.
I always come away from bio pics about artists thinking that the people around the artist would make a much more interesting subject for a film, because the artists themselves are usually rather dull. It's refreshing, then, that this film focuses much more on Vivienne and her struggles with mental illness than it does on the life of Eliot. The film's not entirely successful, but Richardson earned her Best Actress nomination and she's given able support by Rosemary Harris, who plays her mother in couple of brief scenes.
Grade: B
I always come away from bio pics about artists thinking that the people around the artist would make a much more interesting subject for a film, because the artists themselves are usually rather dull. It's refreshing, then, that this film focuses much more on Vivienne and her struggles with mental illness than it does on the life of Eliot. The film's not entirely successful, but Richardson earned her Best Actress nomination and she's given able support by Rosemary Harris, who plays her mother in couple of brief scenes.
Grade: B
How to succeed in martyrdom without really trying
edgein1515 July 2001
This artless art film perpetuates the romantic notion that as long as a clearly mentally ill person shows a tad of artistic inspiration every now and then, she should be given free reign to satisfy her every impulse, no matter how dangerous or self-destructive she may be. I'm getting a tad sick of the Manic as Martyr genre, but as cinema insists on looking back into history for more biopics, I shudder to think of what a future blockbuster like the Zelda Fitzgerald Story could do for the minds of talentless hangers-on everywhere.
Hormone Hell
mdcordova-125 May 2008
Warning: Spoilers
I am not a doctor, but I I have been teaching psychology for 20 years,and what I think is that she had both a bi-poler disorder (manic depression) and also severe gynecological trouble. She mentions she was perfectly fine after she hit menopause, which says a lot. Remember Tom says she has manic highs and then bad depression? Maybe the bi-polar disorder was somehow caused by the hormone imbalance? What broke my heart is that he was so appalled by her bleeding on their wedding night, which in turn crushed and panicked her. Sorry fellas, sometimes we have no control over these things, and if you are married to a woman for any time at all-you just get used to the little jokes mother nature plays. We know that stress and loneliness only make mental illness worse, and hormonal problems worse too. She was very ill and violent, but I feel Tom turned cold and selfish toward her, which made all of her problems worse. Also remember she purposely misses the "monkey on a greasy pole" (catch the symbolism?) mental fitness question, after pleading at Tom with her eyes, but he just looks away.
TS Eliot admirers, beware.
JonathanDWestbay1 August 2018
After seeing this, I am no longer a TS Eliot fan. He knew the lady's nature, yet demonized her. Turned to religion, yet Dishonored the sanctity of marriage. Let a bit of blood stand between their love. Great poet, lousy man.
Marry for fame?
vldazzle4 July 2006
I was reminded of Ken Russell's Music Lovers, and was beginning to wonder "how many women marry men to associate themselves with success?"(Hillary Clinton). And how often does this choice lead to some form of dementia? Russell is one of my favorites and I LOVE some of his best (Music Lovers, Devils of Loudon, Tommy, Altered States & Gothic). But back to the subject- Do we know of other women who have attached themselves to (potentially) famous men who did so while being mentally unbalanced? I need to watch this film again and re-evaluate, but it seems that everyone may have neglected the real relationship issues in this. And like the afore-mentioned film, the relationship may have been totally one-sided.
Miranda Richardson is extraordinary
praesagitio13 February 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Spoiler Alert! This is a film that improves with subsequent viewings. It represents only a small, limited portion of Eliot's personal and artistic life, as other posters have said, but the performances make the movie worth it. All of the performances are well done, but Miranda Richardson is extraordinary as a woman who sometimes struggles to keep herself under control and often loses.
The film seems muddled in its presentation of Viv, however. The script has all of the usual mentally-ill-person-as-victim-of-society rhetoric--she's brilliant, a creative free spirit, etc.--and it puts in Mrs. Haigh-Wood's mouth a long speech to Eliot implying her disappointment that he isn't taking care of Viv despite her faults. At the end, the audience is indeed dismayed by her treatment. (And would it have killed Maurice to pick up a pen and write during those long years of her confinement?) But Richardson has been so convincing in her portrayal of an unpredictable force that cannot be controlled, even by herself, that there's a genuine sense of menace. Viv does threaten violence to others as well as to herself, after all, and her breezy dismissal of it as "well, we're alive--no harm done" doesn't help. Although the scene of her being remanded to the institution is sad, there's also a palpable sigh of relief.
In short, lots of convincing, no-easy-answers suffering all round.
The film seems muddled in its presentation of Viv, however. The script has all of the usual mentally-ill-person-as-victim-of-society rhetoric--she's brilliant, a creative free spirit, etc.--and it puts in Mrs. Haigh-Wood's mouth a long speech to Eliot implying her disappointment that he isn't taking care of Viv despite her faults. At the end, the audience is indeed dismayed by her treatment. (And would it have killed Maurice to pick up a pen and write during those long years of her confinement?) But Richardson has been so convincing in her portrayal of an unpredictable force that cannot be controlled, even by herself, that there's a genuine sense of menace. Viv does threaten violence to others as well as to herself, after all, and her breezy dismissal of it as "well, we're alive--no harm done" doesn't help. Although the scene of her being remanded to the institution is sad, there's also a palpable sigh of relief.
In short, lots of convincing, no-easy-answers suffering all round.
Just for Miranda Richardson, it is worth your money!
lasttimeisaw7 February 2016
Another biography of a literature world's luminary from UK director Brian Gilbert (WILDE 1997), TOM & VIV is about the perturbed marriage between American poet T.S. Eliot (Dafoe), and his first wife Vivienne Haigh-Wood (Richardson), which lasts for 17 years from 1915 to 1932 (separated but never divorced).
It is a refined British period drama, in quaint but steadfast pace, a flamboyant Viv attracts the young poet, the passion speeds them up to elope, but Maurice (Dutton), Viv's younger brother, implicitly hints to Tom, there is something wrong with Viv, a physical ailment or something like that, but, it is rather too embarrassed to say it loud. If we are not familiar with their story, it is quite a challenge to conjecture what's the problem through the movie's oblique approach, Viv is shown to buy some highly contentious medicines in the pharmacy and Tom is clearly in a shock after their (first) lovemaking, and what we see is a blood-stained white bed sheet. They reconciles anyway, and Viv is fervently supportively to Tom's work, to him, she is a great helper and a significant influence.
But Viv suffers from frequent mood swings, due to her irregular menstruation (talking about a corporeal condition aggravates into a mental disorder), an irrevocable chasm is developing through time, when fame catches up with Tom but Viv's bouts of improprieties in the social activities greatly embarrass him. Their mutual effort of love and support is being put to test, and Tom finds solace in Catholic church and grows distant towards Viv, which puts her through the wringer of abandonment and isolation, she becomes a black sheep in her family and her behaviours grows ever more erratic and even dangerous, an institution becomes her only final home.
Never a daft gal, Viv has always been sharp-minded and opinionated, she is no Sloane Ranger either, born with a silver spoon but she makes no fuss to marry her impecunious husband and live with him in a small attic, but the incurable health problem distresses her, shames her and Tom is her sole hope and crutch, when he finally capitulates, Viv rationally opts for her own destiny. Miranda Richardson is meritoriously nominated for an Oscar for her incredible work, to interpret Viv's "moral insanity" with attention-absorbing flair and eccentric mannerism, unpredictable as a time-bomb which is ready to explode at any time, but also poignantly reflects her powerlessness out of her seemingly arbitrary spasms of hysteria.
Willem Dafoe is in his most restrained fashion to portray Tom with an intellectual's unfathomable nature, his soft-spoken delivery obscures the distinction between a tender mercy and a devoted lover, contrary to Viv, his suffering is latent, his final look is frosty and inaccessible, after we learn about Viv's situations, the stance of Gilbert and playwright Michael Hasting on this tragic relationship is fairly manifest. Rosemary Harris, also seizes an Oscar nomination for playing Viv's mother Rose, imbues a sedate facade of dignity from a genteel matron, apart from her immaculate enunciation, her gaze at Viv compellingly evinces affection and disappointment in unison.
At the end of the day, TOM & VIV doesn't disappoint (apart from the pungent whiff of the typical British self-esteem), Gilbert dissects a problematic relationship pickle with its unobtrusive scalpel, a slow-burner worthy the investment of your time, whether or not you are au fait with T.S. Eliot.
It is a refined British period drama, in quaint but steadfast pace, a flamboyant Viv attracts the young poet, the passion speeds them up to elope, but Maurice (Dutton), Viv's younger brother, implicitly hints to Tom, there is something wrong with Viv, a physical ailment or something like that, but, it is rather too embarrassed to say it loud. If we are not familiar with their story, it is quite a challenge to conjecture what's the problem through the movie's oblique approach, Viv is shown to buy some highly contentious medicines in the pharmacy and Tom is clearly in a shock after their (first) lovemaking, and what we see is a blood-stained white bed sheet. They reconciles anyway, and Viv is fervently supportively to Tom's work, to him, she is a great helper and a significant influence.
But Viv suffers from frequent mood swings, due to her irregular menstruation (talking about a corporeal condition aggravates into a mental disorder), an irrevocable chasm is developing through time, when fame catches up with Tom but Viv's bouts of improprieties in the social activities greatly embarrass him. Their mutual effort of love and support is being put to test, and Tom finds solace in Catholic church and grows distant towards Viv, which puts her through the wringer of abandonment and isolation, she becomes a black sheep in her family and her behaviours grows ever more erratic and even dangerous, an institution becomes her only final home.
Never a daft gal, Viv has always been sharp-minded and opinionated, she is no Sloane Ranger either, born with a silver spoon but she makes no fuss to marry her impecunious husband and live with him in a small attic, but the incurable health problem distresses her, shames her and Tom is her sole hope and crutch, when he finally capitulates, Viv rationally opts for her own destiny. Miranda Richardson is meritoriously nominated for an Oscar for her incredible work, to interpret Viv's "moral insanity" with attention-absorbing flair and eccentric mannerism, unpredictable as a time-bomb which is ready to explode at any time, but also poignantly reflects her powerlessness out of her seemingly arbitrary spasms of hysteria.
Willem Dafoe is in his most restrained fashion to portray Tom with an intellectual's unfathomable nature, his soft-spoken delivery obscures the distinction between a tender mercy and a devoted lover, contrary to Viv, his suffering is latent, his final look is frosty and inaccessible, after we learn about Viv's situations, the stance of Gilbert and playwright Michael Hasting on this tragic relationship is fairly manifest. Rosemary Harris, also seizes an Oscar nomination for playing Viv's mother Rose, imbues a sedate facade of dignity from a genteel matron, apart from her immaculate enunciation, her gaze at Viv compellingly evinces affection and disappointment in unison.
At the end of the day, TOM & VIV doesn't disappoint (apart from the pungent whiff of the typical British self-esteem), Gilbert dissects a problematic relationship pickle with its unobtrusive scalpel, a slow-burner worthy the investment of your time, whether or not you are au fait with T.S. Eliot.
A fascinating tale that illuminates the link between poetry and life.
monabe14 September 2000
Anyone who has been captivated by the poetry of this great poet, and wondered about the man and the context in which such memorable verse was written, will want to see this film. It shows T S Eliot as a tormented man who is forced to make decisions about how to deal with the mental instability/illness of his wife. The performances are uniformly faultless, and the awful tragedy of mental illness in a marriage is chillingly depicted with deep sensitivity. The film challenges the viewer to judge Eliot as a man - Dafoe's performance brilliantly portrays the anguish of Eliot the man living in what apparently was an impossible marriage, and Eliot the public figure . The film also throws light on Eliot's fascination with the Church and the role it played in providing a still place in a world of personal mental turmoil. Highly recommended.
Somber story, very skilled performances
PeachesIR26 February 2024
Warning: Spoilers
"Tom & Viv" recalls the tragic marriage of poet T. S. Eliot and his first wife, Vivienne Haigh-Wood, in the early 20th century. Viv is a free-spirited, upper-middle-class English woman who dazzles the more introverted young Oxford student and poet Eliot (American by birth to a Boston Brahmin family) with her wild antics and joie de vivre. They quickly marry and Viv's many health problems (both physical and mental) are revealed. Things only get worse as Viv's doctors, the leaders of their profession at the time, repeatedly misdiagnose the cause of her symptoms and prescribe opium and ether to numb the pain. There are devastating results on the marriage and on the rest of Viv's life. Today, she'd probably sue her physicians, write a memoir and become a cause celebre.
The actors, particularly Miranda Richardson as Viv, Willem Dafoe as Tom (Eliot) and Rosemary Harris as Viv's sympathetic and long-suffering mother, are all excellent. The script (based on a successful play) explores an important part of our history: that mental illness has often been stigmatized and brutally treated, and that gynecological conditions were long overlooked, misunderstood, stigmatized and mistreated. The film is very good, but so somber and grim that, as a viewer, you can't help feeling sorry for these characters and even despising a few. The film gives us a glimpse at the elite literary and political circles of the era, such as members of the Bloomsbury Group, who come off as snobs.
I recommend this film, but brace yourself for a difficult experience.
The actors, particularly Miranda Richardson as Viv, Willem Dafoe as Tom (Eliot) and Rosemary Harris as Viv's sympathetic and long-suffering mother, are all excellent. The script (based on a successful play) explores an important part of our history: that mental illness has often been stigmatized and brutally treated, and that gynecological conditions were long overlooked, misunderstood, stigmatized and mistreated. The film is very good, but so somber and grim that, as a viewer, you can't help feeling sorry for these characters and even despising a few. The film gives us a glimpse at the elite literary and political circles of the era, such as members of the Bloomsbury Group, who come off as snobs.
I recommend this film, but brace yourself for a difficult experience.
Was Bertrand Russell the most hated man in London, or the most courageous?
lee_eisenberg13 October 2023
Most people nowadays probably know T. S. Eliot as the man who wrote "This is the way the world ends/Not with a bang but with a whimper". You might not know much about his personal life. Brian Gilbert's "Tom & Viv" focuses on his marriage, which went sour due to his wife Vivienne's mental illness. Admittedly, a lot of the movie does feel like the typical movie about "important" people in England in the early 20th century. Even so, Willem Dafoe's and Miranda Richardson's performances as the title characters bolster the movie. As in Richard Eyre's "Iris", one can see how a person's mental state - whether Vivienne Haigh-Wood's mental illness or Iris Murdoch's Alzheimer's - can affect the person's partner. Richardson received an Oscar nod for her performance, as did Rosemary Harris for playing her mom.
To think that Aunt May co-starred with the Green Goblin a few years in advance.
To think that Aunt May co-starred with the Green Goblin a few years in advance.
poet T.S. Eliot gets married
ksf-25 March 2024
Willem defoe and miranda richardson are thomas and viv, in 1915. It's the truish story of poet ts eliot and his marriage to vivienne haigh wood. They are sure they love each other thoroughly, so they elope. But it's complicated. Viv's family knows that she has medical and psychological issues. But sadly, thomas doesn't find out until their honeymoon. Things putter along for a while, until viv gets out of control. Outbursts, violence. Public scenes. She's getting worse. It's quite good. And true, apparently. Director brian gilbert was nominated for best brit film that year. I had also seen his film on oscar wilde, which was quite good! This started out as a play in 1984, by playwright michael hastings. Those who know history will know how this ends. It can also be read in wikipedia dot org, for the entry on thomas eliot. Good stuff.
A Fascinating Look at a Troubled Marriage
LovePythons16 February 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Miranda Richardson does a first-rate job of portraying the high-spirited, slightly wacko Vivian. As time wears on, and Eliot achieves fame, her manic flights go higher and higher. Finally she is "put away" as an embarrassment. Even though her condition improves, neither her brother nor her husband appeal for her release. Someone would have to look after her then. They put in their years as her caretaker and now have other things to do. the exasperation one feels in the beginning of the movie toward Viv becomes a deep sympathy for the middle-aged woman planted in a gilded cage with nothing and no one of her own.
The absence of incomplete details of the story
minsichan11 December 2020
A powerful message about psychiatric injustice
LarryB23 December 2003
This film demonstrates how easily the state uses the psychiatric profession to unjustly incarcerate citizens, with full permission of family members, and eventually the victim themselves.
The scene of the "mind police" taking Viv (Miranda Richardson) out of a restaurant in broad daylight, and her struggle that ends with pushing her purse into the hands of a friend as she is brought into submission, is heart-wrenching.
The scene of the "mind police" taking Viv (Miranda Richardson) out of a restaurant in broad daylight, and her struggle that ends with pushing her purse into the hands of a friend as she is brought into submission, is heart-wrenching.
Earns His Love, Inspires His Poetry, Tries His Patience
bkoganbing15 April 2009
Warning: Spoilers
The late American humorist Jean Shepherd once remarked that he admired T.S. Eliot, that you had to admire a man who would use those two initials his parents gave him as his name. It was like he was making a statement to the world.
He was no Emily Dickinson, he got acclaim for his poetry during his life, but I'm sure back in 1915 when this story starts Eliot didn't want fame or sought it. He wanted to teach, to write, and toward that end he found both his muse and love of his life.
And that's the person that Willem Dafoe is showing us when Tom & Viv starts. He's an eager, young scholar of no particular repute who is in love with Miranda Richardson as Vivienne Haigh-Wood. Father Philip Locke figures he's a fortune hunter, brother Tim Dutton likes him and they become close and mother Rosemary Harris is grateful that someone is taking her off their hands.
But they don't tell young Eliot about Vivienne's mental problems which grow more pronounced with age. Richardson earns Dafoe's love, inspires his poetry and tries his patience beyond measure. In the end she's put away in an asylum.
The real kicker though is a scene with an American doctor during the closing part of World War II when it is discovered that her problems could now have been treated medically. The doctors had it all wrong with her, but only recent advances in science have shown the error of their ways. By that time it's way too late for either Tom or Viv.
Tom & Viv got two Oscar nominations for Miranda Richardson for Best Actress and Rosemary Harris for Best Supporting Actress. Richardson is really fascinating to watch, a woman in the grip of something she cannot comprehend, but neither can anyone else. She lost to Jessica Lange for Blue Sky.
As for Harris, her final scene with Dafoe is what probably got her the nomination. She succeeds on so many levels, understanding her daughter, understanding why the marriage went bad, but still hurt at Dafoe's betrayal of her daughter. Harris lost to Dianne Wiest for Bullets Over Broadway.
Tom & Viv succeeds well in capturing the Great Britain of the two World Wars and the period between. The characters are sharply drawn and quite unforgettable in their way. Especially Richardson, this may wind up as her career role as an actress.
He was no Emily Dickinson, he got acclaim for his poetry during his life, but I'm sure back in 1915 when this story starts Eliot didn't want fame or sought it. He wanted to teach, to write, and toward that end he found both his muse and love of his life.
And that's the person that Willem Dafoe is showing us when Tom & Viv starts. He's an eager, young scholar of no particular repute who is in love with Miranda Richardson as Vivienne Haigh-Wood. Father Philip Locke figures he's a fortune hunter, brother Tim Dutton likes him and they become close and mother Rosemary Harris is grateful that someone is taking her off their hands.
But they don't tell young Eliot about Vivienne's mental problems which grow more pronounced with age. Richardson earns Dafoe's love, inspires his poetry and tries his patience beyond measure. In the end she's put away in an asylum.
The real kicker though is a scene with an American doctor during the closing part of World War II when it is discovered that her problems could now have been treated medically. The doctors had it all wrong with her, but only recent advances in science have shown the error of their ways. By that time it's way too late for either Tom or Viv.
Tom & Viv got two Oscar nominations for Miranda Richardson for Best Actress and Rosemary Harris for Best Supporting Actress. Richardson is really fascinating to watch, a woman in the grip of something she cannot comprehend, but neither can anyone else. She lost to Jessica Lange for Blue Sky.
As for Harris, her final scene with Dafoe is what probably got her the nomination. She succeeds on so many levels, understanding her daughter, understanding why the marriage went bad, but still hurt at Dafoe's betrayal of her daughter. Harris lost to Dianne Wiest for Bullets Over Broadway.
Tom & Viv succeeds well in capturing the Great Britain of the two World Wars and the period between. The characters are sharply drawn and quite unforgettable in their way. Especially Richardson, this may wind up as her career role as an actress.
Artistically Done
gemini_dremz13 February 2014
Warning: Spoilers
I love this film if only for the actors! Willem Dafoe has always been one of my favorites and his portrayal of T.S. Eliot is wonderful, but Miranda Richardson's role as Vivienne Haigh-Wood Eliot is phenomenal. At first you have sympathy for Eliot because you think he's married to a nut case though we're never really told what's wrong with Vivienne other than "women's problems". However, as the movie moves on and you listen to the occasional narration of Vivienne's brother Maurice, you turn your sympathy towards Vivienne. Remembering Tom Eliot is an American, it's tedious watching him turn into the perfect Englishman as he'd always wanted. I do love the period costumes, cars and decor; very beautiful scenery as well. It's a rather sad story of secrets, denial and betrayal and in the end you feel left unsatisfied because once Vivienne is committed, she never gets out. One must wonder if she didn't choose to stay by her own accord even after being seen by an American Dr. who questions her long stay at the asylum. Tom has apparently moved on and must not have had regrets because Vivienne tells her brother that "I haven't' heard from Tom in ten years". It is at this point Maurice realizes what a terrible mistake he's made and is deeply ashamed of his decision to go along with Tom in having his own sister committed; a woman who was obviously very intelligent. Vivienne is quite an interesting character that leaves you wondering what she'll do next whereas Tom is most predictable. I do recommend this film.
A tragic tale of creative power, love, and societal conformity in the mid-1900s.
kemmellie31 May 2005
Tom and Viv is a powerful story centered on one woman's fight to be an individual in mid-nineteenth century British society. Miranda Richardson does an excellent job of portraying the emotional depth of an intelligent, carefree woman forced into living a conventional, traditional life while her doctors, husband (acclaimed American poet T.S. Eliot), and family believe her to be suffering from mental illness. Richardson captures the rage, quirkiness, and strength of a woman trying to make a difference in the world when nearly everyone she meets tries to keep her in her place. William Dafoe, as Tom, brilliantly shows the effects of Viv's upstarts on a man seeking to maintain traditional societal values and blend into a conventional, though artistic and intellectual, world. While the movie does not delve too deeply into Eliot's poetry, it centers on his life and the life of the woman he claimed to love; perhaps, making a statement on how life blends into art. Ultimately, Tom and Viv is a tragic story about the inadequate health system offered to women in the 1930s and how societal conformity put a wrench in the love and marriage of two brilliant people. It enrages the feminist, humanitarian, and author in me, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in a deep and compelling story of both a poet and a woman's fall.
arty biopic
kerridv24 July 2000
I hardly recognized Willem Dafoe in this biopic about T.S. Eliot and his mentally ill wife Vivian. His face was very long, thin, and gaunt; with every lean on his cane Dafoe managed to capture the weariness Eliot must have felt. Miranda Richardson plays his wife, his poetic inspiration, his chief critic; however she suffers from an illness given a ridiculously silly name and tries to kill herself often. Today she would have been put on prozac and given a spot on Ricki Lake. But since this was post WWI-era, we instead get to watch Viv wave a gun around and pour melted chocolate into a mailslot. The movie takes place for the most part in London, moving to America when Eliot takes a position at Harvard. The other characters, a priest, a family friend, and a few socialites, seemed cardboard and uninteresting. This is not a fast-moving film; at times the sound was terrible and the plot a little confusing. We're never really quite sure what is making Vivian nuts; but then, I guess that reflects real life. It made for a great rainy afternoon flick, especially for poetry lovers, art lovers, and biography lovers.
horrifyingly realistic portrayal of spousal poetic betrayal
mikel weisser29 October 2000
i had to start this movie like four times before i could stand its horrifyingly realistic portrayal of spousal poetic betrayal enough to watch it to the end. miranda richardson is staggeringly effective in portraying a xianthippe-ish thorn in t. s. eliot's side.
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