Wednesday, February 18, 1998
‘Mrs. Dalloway’ explores Woolf’s duality
FILM Vanessa Redgrave captures psychological nature of author’s
life
By Michelle Nguyen
Daily Bruin Contributor
The wave of recent British dramatic films has cloyed the public
with a grossly sweet aftertaste. Maybe because these films have a
packaged Americanness about them – complete with American leads and
directors and the tar of Hollywood sentimentality that is dumped
onto production.
But "Mrs. Dalloway," a film based on the Virginia Woolf novel,
hopes to offer a panacea to this overdose of frilly pictures by
changing the formula with the cream of English actors and
filmmakers.
The film revolves around Clarissa Dalloway, who confronts the
decisions she made 30 years earlier. In the the midst of 1923
London, she revisits her memories of long ago, when she was single,
hopeful and on the brink of making important decisions. Her life is
profoundly touched by Septimus Warren Smith (Rupert Graves), a
young soldier emerging shell-shocked from World War I.
For those who love Virginia Woolf’s writing, this film could be
a glimpse into the psychological duality of Woolf herself, embodied
in the characters of Mrs. Dalloway and Septimus. The character of
Mrs. Dalloway glimmers of the "shy but snobbish" social butterfly
side of which Woolf was very conscious. But Mrs. Dalloway and
Septimus together represent the troubled author who suffered a
series of mental breakdowns.
Fearing her own insanity and the coming of World War II, Woolf
committed suicide.
"She put that in both Septimus and Mrs. Dalloway, who, from a
very early age, was aware of a sort of lurking insanity," says
Director Marleen Gorris.
Veteran actress Vanessa Redgrave brings her interpretation of
Mrs. Dalloway’s conflicting sensibilities to the screen.
A patient and easy Redgrave sits in the Four Seasons Hotel with
the Los Angeles hustle down below. She attempts to describe her
close relationship with the title character in "Mrs. Dalloway,"
which will be released on Friday.
"I feel so close to Mrs. Dalloway that I feel like I know her
better than anybody," Redgrave says. The glaring, overcast sky
frames her white-blonde hair. Her mirthful blue eyes look away when
she speaks with the absolute involvement that radiates from a woman
whose acting career has spanned a strong four decades.
"I have to really work hard to find out why I feel that close. I
feel I know Mrs. Dalloway better than still I know my own daughters
or my own mother," Redgrave continues.
The actress’ passion for Woolf’s genius is readily apparent as
she exclaims, "I couldn’t believe what a mind like that could
do!"
She and the film’s screenwriter, Eileen Atkins, would pore over
Woolf’s work in long, late-night discussions when working together
on "Vita and Virginia," a play about Woolf.
That is where Atkins told Redgrave that she couldn’t see anybody
else playing the part of Mrs. Dalloway. But Redgrave is nothing
like Mrs. Dalloway. In fact, she sees more similarities between
Mrs. Dalloway and her own mother. Like Redgrave’s mother, Mrs.
Dalloway is a woman who is by turns pure and strongly soulful.
"My mother’s a very innocent woman coming from a country
background where the women had longings to do things but didn’t,"
Redgrave says. "My mother never had much of an education. … She
always felt a bit intimidated by (her husband) and his colleagues
who had all been to university … and who all had the means to
evaluate works of art and literature and she hadn’t. She had her
soul and she did respond in a wonderful, uncomplicated and simple
way."
Redgrave’s familiarity with Mrs. Dalloway stems from the
satori-like light bulb that comes from immersing oneself in
art.
"I see a chameleon change color, but that’s just a natural
process. It doesn’t involve the chameleon’s mind, right?" Redgrave
says. "But there are some works of art, and a character in a great
novel is a great work of art, as well. As you go close, your mind
comes up and merges with what the writer’s written, your whole mind
changes color and you become part of that, at least that’s how I
feel it.
"You stop talking about acting or preparing," Redgrave
continues. "It just becomes part of you."
Redgrave is not only a storyteller but a listener, hungry for
the journalists to engage her with their knowledge as much as she
does in turn.
"I’m still very ill-read, so I depend on my meetings with people
like yourselves," Redgrave admits. "I mean it was a journalist that
actually said to me about a week ago, ‘I think you should play
"Long Day’s Journey into Night."’ I was very grateful for
that."
FILM: "Mrs. Dalloway" opens Friday.
First Look Pictures
Vanessa Redgrave stars as Mrs. Dalloway in this film
adaptation.