Lady Chatterley’s Lover – A Racy Period Romance (Early Review)

Looking to heat things up this winter? The answer may very well be Lady Chatterley’s Lover, another adaptation of the book of the same name by D.H. Lawrence. With such series as Bridgerton setting the precedent in terms of overall raciness on Netflix as it essentially offers a little bit of everything for everyone if that wasn’t already clear at this point. Those familiar with the source material and/or any of its countless adaptations over the last 8+ decades pretty much have an idea of what they are going into but for everyone else, get ready for a racy time worthy of its R rating which is admittedly generous therefore keep it away from the eyes of younger audiences obviously. That being said, the film has much more to offer than that for audiences looking for more, though the raciness will be more than enough for some. Its story may not be new by any means and predictable with or without knowledge of the source material, however, what makes it work are the terrific lead performances from Emma Corrin and Jack O’Connell and their dynamite chemistry that truly sells this tale of forbidden romance.

Based on the title of Lady Chatterley’s Lover, the story is fairly self-explanatory as it follows a recently-married woman named Connie Reid (Corrin) who marriage to Lord Clifford Chatterley (Duckett) saw some friction. Marrying into aristocracy, Connie was unlike her husband and unfamiliar with the pressures of her new position as the new Lady Chatterley. Unhappy, she sought the attention of the Chatterley estate gamekeeper Oliver Mellors (O’Connell). The contrast in status definitely made for some awkwardness on his part but over time, the two struck a friendship which would clearly become something more. With Oliver being in the position of having the most to lose, the two maintained their torrid affair through increasingly racy sex scenes under the nose of Clifford Chatterley. Both trying to balance double lives, each with their own sets of challenges, was easier said than done as their relationship grew stronger and the scrutiny on Connie grew as well.

As the story progressed, there was an element of tension regarding whether or not She and Oliver would get caught. Meanwhile, that tension was also cause for excitement as far as their romance was concerned but the ultimate end result was inevitable. Looking at the film from a macro level, it has plenty to say about class warfare through the inner workings of the surrounding town to add context to the divide between Connie and Oliver. If he offered her anything, it was perspective and that angle was compelling to watch as it helped break up the raciness and give the story stakes albeit predictable ones. With the gift of foresight, it was all about the future and who Connie wanted to spend hers with. Though either choice had their consequences, her choice was a predictable one. However, that predictableness did not undercut the emotion of it. Let’s face it, the chemistry between Connie and Oliver was a lot stronger than that with her husband. The difference was night and day.

Lady Chatterley’s Lover is a beautiful film boasting great cinematography using daylight to highlight the London countryside. In any period film, it’s all about the costumes and production design to recreate whatever period it hopes to depict. For the most part, the film is successful. While arguably not as deep as they maybe could have been, who still make it work in spite of that are the aforementioned Corrin and O’Connell as Connie and Oliver. Their terrific performances and chemistry are the best part of the film and help mask those possible issues. Corrin has a little more to work with as her character has to do a little more but she and O’Connell sell their romance and are compelling to watch together over the course of their predictable arcs. Duckett made a worthy foil who was just there as Lord Chatterley, however, Joely Richardson (a former Lady Chatterley) brings warmth as Mrs. Bolton.

At the end of the day, Lady Chatterley’s Lover has an audience and is unlikely to pull in others but as it stands, is a solid period romance uplifted by some stellar performances.

still courtesy of Netflix

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.