Women in Love

This two-part BBC 4 drama is an adaptation of D.H. Lawrence's novels The Rainbow and its sequel Women in Love. The drama tells the story of school teacher Ursula Brangwen (Rachael Stirling) and artist Gudrun Brangwen (Rosamund Pike) as they attempt to find love in all its forms; emotional and physical. Their main love interests come in the form of vicar and scholar Rupert Birkin (Rory Kinnear) and in hedonistic aristocrat Gerald Crich (Joseph Mawle).

The first part focused on the breakdown in Ursula's relationship with Anton Skrebensky (Joseph Kennedy) because he does not 'fulfil' her, an assertion he does not take well; a journey that is mirrored in the relationship between her parents, Anna (Saskia Reeves) and Will (Ben Daniels), in which Anna worries that she does not please her husband any more. In London, Gudrun is a somewhat accomplished artist, having an affair with a married man, who she thinks she loves; a feelings she thinks he shares. Meanwhile, Rupert and Gerald begin their opposites attract friendship, much to the distaste of Rupert's slightly obsessive ex-lover Hermione Roddice (Olivia Grant).

The second comes some years later, after the first world war. Gudrun has returned home, and Gerald is instantly attracted to her, hiring her as a drawing tutor for his younger sister. Meanwhile, Ursula attempts to understand the changing relationship between her and Rupert. The drama really begins to bubble when the two couples head to Africa for Gerald's mining venture, where the two relationships become more strained with tragic consequences.

I've never read any D.H. Lawrence novels, slightly put off by the 'Lady Chatterly' connection. It seems that these pieces deal with the relationships between men and women in a rather, physical manner. The idea of power-play between men and women is heavily explored; as is the relation between sex and love. All the characters are very interesting; with maybe the exception of Hermione, all the characters are fully formed, with their own flaws.

Something that enables the characters to be so three dimensional, is because of the great acting within this drama. Rachael Stirling brings a wonderful earthiness and vulnerability to Ursula, and as the younger Gudrun, Rosamund Pike puts in a wonderfully carefree performance with her apparent understanding of men ultimately getting the better of her. Rory Kinnear gives probably the best performance as the very confused Rupert-he's confused about how he wants to live, about religion and even about his sexuality (a factor that is apparently more latent in the novel) and his performance makes me really regret missing his performance as the title role in Hamlet. Joseph Mawle completes the quartet with good characterisation as a man whose aristocratic, live-dangerously sheen is ultimately reveled to be covering a dark secret. Olivia Grant also seemed to be having a great deal of fun as the slightly mad Hermione.

I quite enjoyed Women in Love, although maybe not quite as much as Christopher & His Kind; I'm not a prude but I dislike gratuitous sex scenes, and the amount of unnecessary (c.f. Rupert and Gerald wrestling on a beach) nudity all seemed a bit much. However, having good acting makes the drama clip along well.