One of my all time favorite movies is probably not what you would expect. Then again, you might. Among my more modern favorite films like 'P.S. I Love You', 'Eat Pray Love', and even 'Roman Holiday' is 'Orlando'. Some of you may have never heard of the movie; less of you the book, but you may know the author; Virginia Woolf. Ring a bell?
In the late 1920's Virginia wrote a book partially based upon her friend. The book entitled Orlando chronicles a young man who is gifted with immortality and who one morning awakes by some process which we don't understand, and becomes a woman.
The 1992 movie is a stunning retelling of Virginia Woolf's Orlando.
I've watched it many times, and can't speak to how much I enjoy Tilda Swinton in the role of Orlando. Orlando gains the favor of the queen, and with it great riches. He falls in love with a Princess, who in turn breaks his heart. He comes to a point where he despises women, until later in life and he is thrown into a situation where he has to judge his own humanity as a man. It's at this point Orlando is a woman, whether by choice or some other means we don't know. Clearly she, with her wisdom, understands the body is just a vessel and undertakes her new life with a unexpected acceptance. As if each person, could if upon the capability in doing so, would be fully able to choose, and successfully live a lifetime in both sexes. Later, Orlando falls in love with a man, loses everything she owns, and eventually has a child. By the end of the movie she has returned to being a male, with child.
It's a wonderful artistic movie with stunning visuals and an incredible dialogue. The dichotomy of the sexes, whether in politics, arts, or even law is as relevant in the 400 years of history starting in Orlando's time, as it is today.
I picked out a couple of my favorite scenes up top for sharing.... and it's definitely worth a read, or a video rental for the captivating tale of Orlando.
