Women in Love 4K 1969

A man and a woman are two strands of DNA spiraling around each other, coming closer and moving apart in a dance of love. Newlyweds Tibby and Laura flit about like moths, unaware of anyone around them, oblivious to danger. Two other couples in love are not so self-absorbed. Two male friends, one of whom talks constantly, the other silent and sullen. Two sisters: the intelligent one and the slightly less so, more withdrawn and more open—the contrasts are not so clear-cut, not black and white, but rather shades of gray.

Russell observes the characters' behavior like a zoologist studying the life of a lion pride.

Spontaneity is the most important quality in any relationship. It is important to follow your emotions and throw yourself into the whirlpool of fashionable dance or sex. But for those who live according to preconceived plans, who are irritated by the slightest unpredictability, such a scenario is not at all welcome. Their forte is performances according to a pre-written script, their credo is staging. And so, Hermione enters the scene and soon disappears from the film in true English fashion: the director is no longer interested in characters incapable of uncontrolled behavior.

Openness. The need to say everything without holding back, to pour it all out and then hug again a second later. Ursula and Rupert, who are more simple-minded, can do this, but not Gudrun and Gerald, who are self-centered and ambitious.

Friendship. Director Russell directly avoids talking about homosexuality, but his character Rupert often uses the word “love” in a clearly non-Christian sense. Love for a woman does not replace male friendship; it is not just communication, it is a struggle. The duel between the naked Rupert and Gerald is no accident—the fight tempers both their characters.

Games. Role-playing games are interesting, exciting, and can be seen as a form of self-expression or simply as a way to pass the time. Talk of long stamens and beautiful little pistils is, of course, vulgar, but it arouses excitement because it makes us realize that humans are as much a part of nature as any other creature and should not set themselves apart from it.

Types. Rupert claims that there are people who are made to be husbands, and others who are made to be lovers. There are femme fatales; they lead men to rash actions and, ultimately, to their downfall. Their fate is sealed; it is an evil fate from which there is no escape.

Words. As Erich Fromm said, “Modern man is a realist who has invented a separate word for every type of car, but only one word, ‘love,’ to express the most diverse emotional experiences.” The characters in this film are no exception; they say the word “love,” but each understands it in their own way. Misunderstanding is the root of all evil; a man's misunderstanding pushes a woman into the arms of a strange, most likely perverted man, but this only widens the gap between the lovers.

Do you love me? Say you love me? What is love? These simple questions are asked here, as they are asked many times in life. What role does love play in a person's life? Is love sex or something more? Love and marriage, love and death—all these questions, in one way or another, are touched upon in what is perhaps the most famous work by the most unusual English director. He does not give direct answers, but rather indirect ones, through the actions and words of his characters in love.

Russell put too much into this film: thoughts, feelings. There are a huge number of interesting visual solutions, from beautiful landscapes to shots against the sun, when the edge of a face is illuminated from behind by the light of the daytime star. However, the limited plot is unable to contain such a large number of questions raised.