A visually stunning screen adaptation of Virginia Woolf's 1928 novel. Writer and director Sally Potter has fashioned a cinematic masterpiece mixing a treasure house of dreamy images from different times and places, an imaginative meditation upon the genders, and a clever glimpse of English literary and social history. The story spans 400 years and not a moment is squandered.
In England during 1600, Orlando is a young aristocrat who wins the admiration and affection of Queen Elizabeth I. She gives him the deed to his ancestral home and warns him, "Do not fade. Do not wither. Do not grow old." Her words have a prophetic ring of truth as far as Orlando's destiny is concerned.
During the Great Frost of 1603, Orlando falls madly in love with Sasha, a Russian princess. Although he is willing to give up everything for her, she abandons him. He falls into a deep sleep and awakens in 1650.
Now a patron of the arts, Orlando invites the poet Nick Greene to his home. The artist's sole interest is to get a pension from him. Orlando shares his own poetic efforts and is stunned when Greene savages them.
By 1700, Orlando is ready for a change. He becomes ambassador to a central Asian country. At first the Khan is wary of this visitor noting that, "The English make a habit of collecting countries." But Orlando has no imperialistic intentions. In fact, he adapts easily to the Eastern way of life.
When the Khan's palace is attacked, however, Orlando finds himself incapable of joining in the battle. He falls into another swoon and this time wakes up as a woman. Looking into the camera, she notes, "Same person, no difference at all. Just a different sex."
Lady Orlando returns to England and is immediately attracted to the literary salons of the 1750s. However, seated beside Alexander Pope and other intellectuals of the day, she is taken aback by the vehemence of their male chauvinism.
She feels the sting of inequality again when she is informed that as a woman she has no rights to her ancestral home. Archduke Harry offers to marry her but Lady Orlando turns him down. The treachery of women has now been presented from both sides of the gender chasm.
A hundred years later, Lady Orlando finds love in the arms of Shelmerdine, an American adventurer. Shortly after he hits the open road, the pregnant Lady Orlando stumbles into the war-torn 20th century. She has a daughter and hands in a book about her exploits over the years. The editor at the publishing house tells her, "Increase the love interest and give it a happy ending." As for the finale of this film, we'll keep it secret so you can savor its mysteries.
There are many delights in Orlando including the sense luscious cinematography of Alexei Rodionov. The gender bending performance by Tilda Swinton is a marvel of sure-footedness and sensitivity. Her witty asides to the camera over the course of the 400-year journey are in keeping with the dreamlike quality of the story.
Quentin Crisp is quite a surprise as Queen Elizabeth I, while Heathcote Williams comes across effectively as the greedy poet Nick Greene. Lothaire Bluteau is enigmatic as the Khan. Charlotte Valandrey and Billy Zane fill the bill as Sasha and Shelmerdine, objects of Orlando's love.
As cultural commentator Judith Levine has reminded us, gender allows a person citizenship in only one country. Orlando gives us a passport to travel freely between masculinity and femininity. While it offers no blueprint for changes in sexual stereotypes, it does identify some of the limitations inherent in each role. Best of all, Orlando challenges us to honor the impulse of being "one with the human race." That's the essential spiritual message of this ageless magical mystery tour of gender.