Lady Chatterley (TV serial)
Lady Chatterley is a 1993 BBC television serial starring Sean Bean and Joely Richardson. It is an adaptation of D. H. Lawrence's 1928 novel Lady Chatterley's Lover, first broadcast on BBC1 in four 55-minute episodes between 6 and 27 June 1993. A young woman's husband returns wounded after the First World War. Facing a life with a husband now incapable of sexual activity she begins a passionate affair with the groundskeeper. The film reflects Lawrence's focus not only on casting away sexual taboos, but also the examination of the British class system.
Cast
- Joely Richardson - Lady Chatterley
- Sean Bean - Mellors
- James Wilby - Sir Clifford Chatterley
- Shirley Anne Field - Mrs Bolton
- Hetty Baynes - Hilda
- Ken Russell - Sir Michael Reid, Lady Chatterley's father
Reception
Donald Liebenson, a Chicago-based film critic said "Those who believe British miniseries to be too proper and corseted may want to make an exception for Ken Russell's 1992, four-hour BBC adaptation of D.H. Lawrence's scandalous novel...The production is impeccably mounted--no pun intended--and the performances impassioned."
In September 1994, Adrian Martin said "Russell brings not a skerrick of art or craft to this project."
Dennis Lim of The [New York Times] called it "a sudsy...mini-series".
The Independent said "What actually happened was perilously close to cartoon."
In 2005, the BBC reported that the show's dramatisation "toned down" the book's "more explicit scenes".