Lady Chatterley

The Sunday Age

Sunday April 6, 2008

Iain McKay

3/5

LADY CHATTERLEY

(M, 168 mins) Hopscotch

Like adolescent boys who just can't wait to get to the dirty bits and get their pants down, the English have never been able to give us a decent version of the D. H. Lawrence story. The surprise here is that the French, of all people, should make a version that is almost devoid of eroticism, unless fumbling with baggy underpants counts. For other than a Norman Lindsay-style foray into the woods where they dance with flowers in their hair, any enjoyment these two tentative lovers might have shared is left strictly between the sheets. Fortunately, Marina Hands as the lady in question can act with or without her clothes on and gives a touching, intelligent performance that gives relevance and meaning to this rather solemn love story. Extras: Interviews.