Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

I'm a sucker for a good romantic tale. It doesn't really matter what sort of story it is, as long as the emotions are honest, there's a good chance that I'll take it in. And controversy doesn't bother me at all either. That all said, I was very surprised at how much I enjoyed watching this adaptation of Sarah Waters' first novel, Tipping the Velvet.

Starting in a seashore town in Kent, we meet Nancy Astley (Rachael Stirling). She works in the family oyster shop, labouring away in the back, opening up oysters and finding life, well, a bit cramped. She has a steady beau, Freddie, but she doesn't feel too much in his arms. Nan doesn't quite know what she wants, she just knows that it's not going to be happening here in Whitstable. But very soon, things are going to be in an uproar, especially when her elder sister's fiance treats them all to a night at the music hall.

There on stage is the beautiful Kitty Butler (Keely Hawes), daring and luscious, dressed as a young man and singing about love. Nan is instantly smitten with a crush, unable to take her eyes from her. She's not quite sure what's happening, all she knows is that she wants a future with Kitty in it. Night after night she returns to watch, waiting for that moment when Kitty flings her rose into the audience and it lands in the lap of a young woman. But, alas, the rose never does come flying her way. At home, Nan is starting to realize that she's just not fitting in, and even her would-be suitor and sharp-eyed sister are starting to take notice.

On the last night of Kitty's appearance in the music hall, Nan finds herself the recipient of that rose, and an invitation to come and talk to Kitty in her dressing room. Why not, Kitty suggests, come to London with her to be her dresser? And Nan leaps at the chance, leaving behind her family, having already shed her boyfriend in a fit of pique.

Things are a bit awkward at first in the room that they share in the boarding house. But Kitty finds herself falling in love, not just with Kitty, but also with the theatre life. And Kitty's manager, Mr Bliss (John Bowe) encourages Nan to try for herself in dressing as a male impersonator and singing on the stage in a double bill with Kitty.

The result is, as they say, a hit. Soon the pretend kisses on stage are resulting in a fiery affair in bed as well, as Nan falls head over heels for Kitty -- that is until a visit home reveals that she simply doesn't fit in any more, and worse, her sister's firm repugnance and rejection of Nan's new lifestyle. Reeling, Nan returns to London, and finds Kitty in bed with their manager, and an impending marriage in the works. Heartbroken, Nan flees and right into the sordid underworld of prostitution in London. It's a lucrative trade, dressing as a boy, and relieving well-heeled toffs of gold soveriegns.

That is, until an encounter gone bad has the unlikeliest of rescuerers. Plucked from rape and disaster, Nan finds herself in the hands of Diana Lethaby (Anna Chancellor), wealthy aristocrat and a very dominant personality. Soon Nan is esconced in a very gilded, very dull cage, where she happily submits to any sort of desire that Diana can dream up. It's a decadent, depraved existance, and the excitement comes to a tumultuous end in a night of violence and abuse.

Back on the streets, Nan is penniless and alone. Can she possibly put her life back together and survive?

This is a strong, powerfully acted and directed drama. Director Geoffrey Sax gives the viewer a story that at times hinges on the pornographic, but never pushes it over into the realm of the tasteless. I'll admit it, I was entranced by Nan's story of survival and love. Adapted by Andrew Davies from Waters' novel, it's full of smart dialog, complex characters, and while not much is left to the viewer's imagination, there's more eroticism in this one than what you'd see in most adult fare. Call it tasteful, smart, soft-core porn if you will.

The acting from Keeley Hawes and Rachael Stirling is what really makes this film work. They're beautiful, seductive, but never quite trashy, and the backdrop of music hall life gives it a tawdry humor that you can laugh at, but not feel bad about. The rest of the cast is good as well, with Chancellor providing a real menace and danger with the character of Diana that was chilling at times.

Other good points are the details in the clothing and set design as well as the on-location shooting. Author Sarah Waters has a small cameo in the film, a rather nice touch. What I enjoyed the most about the film was that there wasn't any excuses made for the characters' sexual orientation, and that it's not there as a sordid bit of titillation for the audience. These women have embraced their lifestyle choice, and are revelling in it, at least as much as Victorian morality will let them. It's certainly is a bit freer than what there is today, without the sermonizing and damnation that the straight world provides in most films.

Yes, it's certainly not for children of any age, and I'd say that most adults would feel a bit uncomfortable with the subject matter, and especially as a sex toy plays a, ahem, prominent role in the film. But it's very tastefully done, and the sex itself is actually a smaller part of the story than you'd suspect. Rather it's the story of coming of age, and the very complicated relationships between Nan and the various people that she meets in her effort to find a home of her own.

Those who are curious may be surprised that male impersonators were a feature of music hall society, and while lesbianism wasn't accepted openly, it was far more common than most percieved notions would lead us to believe. Hawes and Stirling would work together on another BBC production, a modern day version of Othello.

The DVD has a few extras, including an interview with Sarah Waters and Andrew Davies, scene and episode selections, and a photo gallery, along with filmographies for the cast. The film itself is divided up into three episodes, and runs close to three hours in length. It also looks as though there is to be a theatrical version in 2009.

I would strongly suggest that parents be a bit wary in letting their children watch this one, as it is very adult material. The film itself is unrated, but I would give it a very hard R rating, given the topic.

Recommended.

This is an entry in JPS246's 2007 Gay Pride Month Write-Off.


Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age