Matcollis This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.

GazerRise Fantastic!

Sharkflei Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.

Lucia Ayala It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Lee Eisenberg I didn't know anything about Sally Potter's adaptation of Virginia Woolf's novel when I rented it, and that made "Orlando" even more of a treat. In a way, it predicted the era when gender definitions would be less defined, as Tilda Swinton's title character undergoes a significant change over the course of the movie. The changes that the eternally young Orlando personally experiences are as significant as those in society over the centuries.I wouldn't call it one of the greatest movies ever made, but I like how it shows the protagonist accepting who she is. Were "Orlando" more famous, it might now be an iconic movie among the people who don't conform to the gender binary spectrum.Anyway, it's a fine piece of work. A particularly impressive scene is Orlando running through a room full of works of art, having to move her dress from side to side to avoid hitting them. Those dresses must have been a pain to wear.Also starring Billy Zane (Titanic), John Wood (WarGames) and Toby Stephens (Die Another Day).

brchthethird Movies about transgender people don't number that many (at least in mainstream cinema), and even less so the further back you go, so ORLANDO is somewhat unique by virtue of its very existence. Based on a Virginia Woolf novel (which I haven't yet read, but definitely want to), it tells the story of Orlando, an English nobleman blessed/cursed with immortality and who changes sex from male to female. Without going into spoiler territory (e.g., when and why Orlando changes), the film is largely concerned with social roles and expectations of men and women, unfairness in how women have been treated, etc. I thought it was rather interesting to for Orlando to be possessive of a woman he fancies early in the film, only to be on the receiving end of a similar proposal later on as a woman. And then there was my favorite scene where Orlando sits in on a discussion between several famous writers/poets (including Alexander Pope). All of the feminist discussion and thematic content alone makes this worth a watch, but there are a few minor quibbles to be had. The chief one is due to the main character's immortality. You get several sections in different time periods that show Orlando's progress, but it gives the film an episodic feel at times. I also wasn't terribly satisfied with the way it ended, although I'd be at a loss to posit an alternate ending without extending the running time further (and I thought it was a good length already). Suffice it to say, this is one of the best performances I've ever seen out of Tilda Swinton, although she was less convincing as a man than a woman (for obvious reasons). Still, her character isn't the only fun the film has with gender fluidity, as Queen Elizabeth is played by Quentin Crisp and there are a couple castrati who provide some diegetic music. Aside from the performances, the production design, sets, costumes, and score were all equally good. For more open-minded viewers, I can wholeheartedly recommend this. It will definitely affect the way you think about gender/gender roles.

Vihren Mitev It. The humanity. In the first case I did not like his outlook and in the second, I did not like her name. Otherwise brilliant play.Playful, interesting, my first of this kind and with very good sound-track. Very good historical retrospective told in its cultural context also. Kingdom with a queen, society of men, poetry, science, adventures, future, windy job, time for conscious choice.High level of abstractness that gets down to the contemporary viewer through different big talks. With the purpose to show him what he looked like, what he is now and to be asked what he wants to be for now on. Historical load showed to us as being left aside the road. Not forgotten. One of the possible ones but came real.More social concepts in the rubric "it happened like this". Again, interesting, moving. Lovely surprise and amusement.http://vihrenmitevmovies.blogspot.com/

ifasmilecanhelp Absolutely superb movie...just saw it right before writing this...remember having seen the clip on YT,and it gave me the feeling I should enjoy it :I definitively did ! As say others comments, mesmerizing, mysterious, delicate...and very profound even though quiet hidden at the beginning...It reveals this aspect, like all the movie, like a woman in love,slowly, enigmatically, words after words, with great sensitivity...And Tilda Swinton, wow ! what an actress !Plus she's beautiful ! I didn't see any movie with her before,but for sure gonna see some more...Not at all a usual Jimmy Somerville fan, I just love his part too ;and last song leaves you full of hope in our humanity.Music, cinematography, set design and costuming are absolutely exquisite and stunning.But unfortunately guess this exceptional movie is not for everyone's taste..In one sentence, Sally Potter made a movie that you won't forget !Her film eventually expresses what Orson Welles wrote with so much accuracy :"a film is never really good unless the camera is an eyes in the head of a poet"