Plot
A look at the scandalous love triangle between Victorian art critic John Ruskin, his teenage bride Effie Gray, and Pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millais.
Release Year: 2014
Rating: 5.7/10 (514 voted)
Critic's Score: 51/100
Director: Richard Laxton
Stars: Dakota Fanning, Greg Wise, Tom Sturridge
Storyline
Based on the real-life scandal that shocked Victorian-era England, the film tells the story of Euphemia "Effie" Gray. At 19, she married the prominent art historian and critic John Ruskin, but Ruskin refused to consummate their marriage. Lonely and frustrated Effie is drawn to pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millais, and finds a friend and champion in Lady Elizabeth Eastlake. After five years trapped in a loveless marriage, Effie will defy the rules of Victorian society...
Cast: Dakota Fanning -
Euphemia 'Effie' Gray
Emma Thompson -
Lady Eastlake
Russell Tovey -
George
Claudia Cardinale -
Viscountess
Derek Jacobi -
Travers Twiss
Julie Walters -
Margaret Cox Ruskin
Robbie Coltrane -
Doctor
James Fox -
Sir Charles Eastlake
Tom Sturridge -
Everett Millais
David Suchet -
Mr. Ruskin
Greg Wise -
John Ruskin
Pip Torrens -
Times Journalist
Riccardo Scamarcio -
Rafael
Linda Bassett -
Anna
Lasco Atkins -
Wedding guest
Filming Locations: West Wycombe House, West Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England, UK
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia: Saoirse Ronan and Carey Mulligan were both previously attached. See more »
Goofs:
Effie Gray was married in 1848. In exterior shot, the train she then travels on is hauled by a locomotive of a design dating from 1934, consists of coaches dating from 1951 and is crossing a concrete viaduct the first of which was completed in 1898. See more »
User Review
Author:
Rating: 5/10
Effie Gray is the young bride of renowned art critic, John Ruskin. We
open with a brief prologue and their marriage, which seems happy
enough, though, as was common for that time, money and security seems
to have played a hand in the decision making process.
Things then quickly go south (literally and metaphorically) when they
move to Denmark Hill, not into a marital home, but Ruskin's parent's.
Two things are quickly established. Firstly, that the parents exert an
unnaturally high level of control on John and intend to do the same
with Effie. Secondly, this is no ordinary marriage - when Effie offers
herself to him, he leaves the room. The rest of the film is then
concerned with her wrestling with the predicament of her in-laws
interference and freeing herself from a loveless relationship, no easy
task, especially for the period.
This type of film is very reliant on well-wrought characters. Yet the
film seems very lacking in several crucial dimensions. The character of
John Ruskin as portrayed here seems relentlessly taciturn and one
dimensional, even when discussing the pre-Raphaelite movement,
something which should really get his juices flowing. What exactly his
problem is with Effie is hinted at but never really explored. Is he
impotent? Is he gay? Is he mad, as some seem to believe? There are
hints he could be gay, ie there is a scene when he seems to be
masturbating in bed, another later when there is a "moment" between him
and a young painter, and also his father seems very aware that there is
something which could have held him back which they have shielded him
from so he could become the famous art critic he became. Effie is
clearly expected to play her part in this.
The film mainly focuses naturally, then, on Effie, yet leaves out
crucial aspects. We never get enough of a sense of who Effie is, ie who
she was before marriage and losing her hair (from sheer neglect, it
seems.) So it's difficult to get a sense of the journey she has to go
through to liberate herself from a life of misery.
There is a metaphor used for this doomed relationship when they recall
a previous conversation about Diana the wood nymph turning into a tree
to escape Apollo's clutches. If anything, it cruelly underscores how
unlike this romantic Greek myth they really are. The type of possession
Effie seems subject to is not sexual but more akin to a pretty bird in
a cage. When she then hallucinates about turning into a tree later it
does seem to labour this point in a slightly puzzling way.
A bit of light relief is provided in the character of the worldly Lady
Eastlake (the Screenwriter Emma Thompson) who seems perceptive towards
Effie and sensitive to her plight, yet is strangely surprised on
learning the marriage was not consummated. She also seems to provide a
broader context to the plight of women during this period, but she is a
frustratingly fleeting presence, given that she is a mentor and a
revelation to Effie and a catalyst for her deliverance.
The dark heart of the film is certainly Ruskin's mother, played by
Julie Walters. Played as a mixture of pompous refinement and thuggery,
this is easily the strongest performance.
Those who are not especially interested in the subject matter (ie art,
pre-raphaelites etc) will find little to enjoy here. And the writing is
not accomplished enough to be genuinely thought provoking. Still, the
performances are good and it does hold your interest for the duration.
Be warned, though, it's not much of a giggle.
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