Based on DH Lawrence’s second (and lesser known) draft of his novel, Ferran’s sensual, lively adaptation deservedly won her 5 Césars (French Oscars), including Best Film, Best Actress and Best Cinematography.
The story of Constance Chatterley and Oliver Parkin, her groundskeeper and lover, remains essentially the same, but the class difference is downplayed whilst sensuality and nature (and nature’s instincts) take centre stage. Beautifully shot, intelligently acted and written, this is costume drama with a difference.
“A film whose imaginative freedom perfectly matches the liberation experienced by its heroine.” New York Times