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Just perfect...

Absolutely Fantastic

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

The 1992 independent movie Orlando is directed by Sally Potter. The main character, the omni-sexual hero-heroine of the story, Orlando, is played by Tilda Swinton. Orlando is based on Virginia Woolf's 1928 novel about an Elizabethan nobleman who remains youthful and changes sex as he lives through four centuries. The story begins in 1603 when Queen Elizabeth I tells Orlando to never grow old before awarding him with a grand estate. He starts his journey of love, poetry, finding his place in society, and searches for a meaning in life. The story follows Orlando's life experiences of love, life, and gender issues.In this film, there are some important aspects to reflect upon. Orlando includes the audience in the story as he/she speaks to us during a significant point or gives us a telling look. I thought that it was unnecessary to address the audience because when she slowly turns her head and gives us the deadpan expression, it seems strange and creepy. The film offers no explanation as to why Orlando suddenly changes from man to woman overnight. The intertitles over the course of the movie helped because it announces or labels the main focus and century during that time period that Orlando is living in. ***Spoiler*** The ending in the film leaves the audience questioning what would happen next as well as wondering why there were signing baby angels in the sky.The audience can identify the sexual roles during the different centuries. Orlando is a man in the beginning and exhibits feminine qualities and traits like poetry and love. It becomes a reversal as Orlando changes into a woman. She is independent, strong, and more masculine in some ways. We see that when Orlando was a man, he had the legal right to own property but when he returned as a woman from his ambassador trip in the Far East, she lost it all. This reinforced the belief that women are the second sex. In the late 20th century, we see that Orlando is driving a motorcycle and returning to the mansion that was once hers with her child in tow. Women and gender have changed throughout the centuries. It was also interesting to see Orlando as a man being disappointed in love and opening up to love again as a women.I really liked the settings in the movie. They really helped enhance the story. I was impressed by the historical detail and some of the notable moments, for example, Queen Elizabeth's entrance, the royal party on the lake, and the gardens. The background music and the costumes were a very important aspect during throughout the film. We can see that in the beginning of the movie, men's fashion and vanities exceeded the women during Queen Elizabeth's reign. The music helps create a dreamy atmosphere throughout the whole movie as Orlando drifts from century to century.I thought that this film was alright but very interesting at the same time and I would still be willing to watch it a second time because the story was confusing at first. I would like to read the novel by Virginia Woolf someday because I like to compare and contrast the movie and book. Overall, the movie is filled with beautiful scenes, great actors and actresses, and a good representation of how gender is viewed throughout the centuries. It is an interesting movie and If you like fantasy and gender-benders then I recommend it!

This movie is about an hour and a half of staring at Tilda Swinton as she stares back at you. Saying that Orlando turned into a woman because he couldn't handle killing another human being is retarded. Women kill people too. They have been doing it as long as men have.I love the book, love it, and I am usually quite open to loose adaptation, but this is one case where the director was in love with showing the different time periods and had skewed ideas about gender.I understand that the book is odd, that it isn't the most cinematic, but maybe that's why the director/writer should have let this project alone. Having Tilda Swinton stare at the camera every five minutes did not add to any themes or ideas, nor did it enhance the plot. It was just creepy and slow moving.Also, what was with the weird singing angel at the end? I mean, what could that have possibly meant? P.S. I wanted a Fly Loo scene.

As someone who knows nothing at all about Virginia Woolf and her writing career, I found this film rather vacuous. Sure the costumes and sets were great, I do love much of those eras clothing styles, but that hardly makes a great film. Hollywood has this thing with books and IMHO if you need to know the book prior to seeing the movie then the movie is at fault either the screenwriter or director failed to make a film that can stand on its own. Maybe it was an impossible task I don't know since I haven't read the book.Too much seems to depend upon knowing the author and her relationship with her friend but without that foreknowledge it loses any irony or bite.Tilde Swinson simply cannot make a convincing male and for 2/3 of the movie that simply got in the way.

Absolutely superb movie...just saw it right before writing this...remember having seen the clip on YT,and it gave me the feeling I should enjoy it :I definitively did ! As say others comments, mesmerizing, mysterious, delicate...and very profound even though quiet hidden at the beginning...It reveals this aspect, like all the movie, like a woman in love,slowly, enigmatically, words after words, with great sensitivity...And Tilda Swinton, wow ! what an actress !Plus she's beautiful ! I didn't see any movie with her before,but for sure gonna see some more...Not at all a usual Jimmy Somerville fan, I just love his part too ;and last song leaves you full of hope in our humanity.Music, cinematography, set design and costuming are absolutely exquisite and stunning.But unfortunately guess this exceptional movie is not for everyone's taste..In one sentence, Sally Potter made a movie that you won't forget !Her film eventually expresses what Orson Welles wrote with so much accuracy :"a film is never really good unless the camera is an eyes in the head of a poet"