Orlando

This is the tale of the young aristocrat Orlando, who begins an epic quest for love and freedom in the court of Elizabeth I as a man, and completes the search 400 years later as a woman, shaking off their biological and cultural destiny along the way.

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.

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 honour the impulse of being 'one with the human race.' That's the essential message of this ageless magical mystery tour of gender.

Sunday morning screenings include a free cuppa and biscuits with your ticket.

This film is F-Rated. The F-Rating is applied to all films which are directed by women and/or written by women. Find out more about F-Rating.

Celebrate Pride at the Electric Palace:

This film is part of our collection of Pride celebration films screening during August.

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