The Scandalous Lady W (2015)

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

England in 1782, and the true story ( unbelievable but it is true) of the unusual marriage between Lord and Lady Worsley. This is a time when a man's wife was his property, and he was free to do with her as he wished. The films beginning is a little confusing as it jumps back and forth but all becomes clearer as the film progresses.Natalie Dormer as Lady Seymour Worsley was a perfect casting and she not only looks like the real Lady Seymour Worsley but acts in just the right way as far as I can tell. I notice some have criticised how she spoke etc, but I doubt there are any original recordings of her voice so who can say for sure whether she was always grammatically correct? She was from a wealthy family but I doubt that they ALL spoke like Joanna Lumley.Shaun Evans is perfect as Lord Richard Worsley and portrays his weirdness as a perverted politician (has nothing changed?)What I liked about the film was the ending, which I won't give away although many who studied history may already know, but the court scenes showing the jury's decision was priceless.In all a good watchable film that deserves more credit than many seem to have given it.

The most important thing to realize about David Eldridge's adaptation of the book by Hallie Rubenhold was the lack of power given to any wife in the eighteenth century. They were simply regarded as a husband's property, denied any possibility for self- determination. This film explored the ways in which the eponymous central character (Natalie Dormer) tried to circumnavigate the law.Told through flashbacks, we learned how Lady Worsley had a sexless marriage to Sir Richard (Shaun Evans). Rather he forced his spouse to make love to a succession of titled nobles, while he watched them in the act through a keyhole - the supreme act of voyeurism. Unfortunately things go terribly wrong when Lady Worsley falls in love with Captain George Bisset (Aneurin Barnard). There follows a protracted court battle, where Sir Richard tries to obtain £20K in compensation from Captain George for hurt feelings, while steadfastly refusing to allow his wife a divorce.Natalie Dormer portrays Lady Worsley as a woman trying to make the best of an impossible situation. Forced into a series of unwanted relationships to satisfy her husband's vicarious lust, she has cultivated an inscrutable outward shell as a means of self- protection. During the act of love-making her face remains impassive as she looks to her right at her husband staring through the keyhole. In public she maintains a similar expression, especially when confronting her husband over the possibility of divorce. In one sequence she is shown walking away from his stately home, her face staring impassively at the camera. No one, it seems, can penetrate her tough exterior.Yet perhaps she needs to cultivate that facade in order to survive. Captain George comes across as something of a hypocrite who professes his undying love for Lady Worsley yet cannot accept the sexual humiliations she has undergone. He still believes in that patriarchal construction of female purity, especially in someone he hopes to marry. Eventually he decides to leave Lady Worsley as he proclaims in uncertain tones that he no longer loves her. Whether this is true or not is immaterial; we realize at this moment that he lacks any real moral or intellectual fiber, preferring instead to embrace the majority view that women should be servile to all males.Although set in the eighteenth century, THE SCANDALOUS LADY W makes some important points about the necessity for female self- determination. Even in our so-called enlightened world, there are millions of women worldwide who are faced with similar dilemmas as experienced by Lady Worsley, and have to find the best means to negotiate them.

We're back to England in 1782, and the true story of the unusual goings on between Lord and Lady Worsley, back in a time when a man's wife was his property, and he was free to do with her as he wished. A little bit of time hopping shows the scene, Evans meets heiress Natalie Dormer who comes with a hefty dowry. They quickly marry, and it's not long before we discover Sir Richard has some unusual sexual appetites.I am a big fan of Natalie Dormer plays Lady Seymour Worsley, she's proved she can play historical figures with ease, having given a superb performance as Anne Boleyn in the Tudors series, I've always thought she has something bewitching about her.Shaun Evans is excellent as the very stern, slightly sordid Lord Richard Worsley. Being a huge Morse/Endeavour fan, I'm always keen to see him in other things, he does not disappoint.The sets are stunningly lavish, with extremely high production values, the costumes are visually stunning, Dormer's green court outfit is fabulous.The story is unusual, who'd have thought these events occurred back in the 18th century. I applaud the BBC trailer for making it appear as if she was a black widow, and a scheming woman, when actually the story is vastly different.I must admit, I totally enjoyed the court scenes, sometimes when a drama switches to the courtrooms it can develop into melodrama, but the scenes are great. Why has the judge got a sheepskin rug on his head!!!Thank you BBC, I really enjoyed it, long may these Period dramas continue8/10

Natalie Dormer takes the title role of Lady W who on marriage was considered as chattel to her husband as wives tended to be at the time. Her Lord and Master was Sir Richard, a pompous politician as well as a voyeur and pervert to boot.In order to please him Lady W slept with 26 men while he watched through the keyhole. Lady W eventually fell in love with Captain George Bisset who she became pregnant with and eventually ran off with.Sir Richard felt aggrieved as he felt he was robbed of his property and sued Captain George for £20,000, a princely sum in those days. In the ensuing court case, Lady W turned the tables on her husband as she unveiled his fetishes to the world at large.This was a fun filled drama, slightly naughty here and there but brought out the hypocrisy and perversion of the ruling elite. although the language sounded modern we are told that the actual court case is based on the court transcripts.Dormer was strong, stubborn and sexy all in red. Shaun Evans had the difficult role as the cuckolded husband but he endeavoured to bring out his character's repression and perversion at the same time.Aneurin Barnard who appeared in Cilla last year as Cilla Black's husband looked unrecognisable without the grey/blond hairdo he was saddled with in that drama and was more gorgeous George here who eventually was also embarrassed of Lady W's bedroom antics.The BBC cuts that the corporation have had to endure for the last 5 years are now beginning to show. This was a low budget drama for BBC2, quickly shot and you can tell the director was doing their best with a meagre budget and whatever Georgian setting they could get access to.