Cinematic adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s ‘Orlando’ by Sally Potter: A Review

Preview: Virginia Woolf’s Orlando was one of her most special novels because of its eccentric plot, story and narrative. It was regarded as the ‘The longest and most charming love letter in literature’ written by Woolf for her close friend and lover Vita Sackville-West. But besides its personal charm and eccentricity, the book has also been regarded in high esteem for the unusual themes and issues it covered with an unusual narrative. A character transcends centuries, countries and even gender in this book in the most peculiar fashion and meets different people throughout this journey gaining fascinating experiences. Along the years the “longest…love letter” has also come to be acknowledged for its potential to initiate conversations on issues of sexuality, gender, history, time, narratives, modernity and so much more.

64 years later Sally Potter, an English filmmaker adapted the novel into a film with Tilda Swinton playing the lead role. While filmic adaptations of literature are not unique, mostly realist or sci-fi narratives make it to the silver screen from books. To adapt this unusual narrative which was both realist and yet phantasmagorical was an interesting attempt which certainly yielded an interesting film to say the least. The film won many accolades and awards including “Audience prize for Best Film” at the Venice Film Festival. Translating transitions between centuries and genders could not have been easy. Following is an account of the techniques and processes that Potter used to achieve the same.

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