Leave it to D. H. Lawrence to pen a story about a lesbian relationship that really does ring true without coming across as an exploitation film. In fact, the film is so subtly presented that you wonder how they ever marketed it back in the '60s in order to give its subject matter a wider market.
All of it is low-key--the settings in a rustic cabin, the Canadian wilderness, the warmth of a fire, the chill of the winds adding the proper atmosphere to a story that becomes more tense as the relationship between the two women deepens. SANDY DENNIS is the more fragile of the two and a bit of a shrew in knowing how to win the sympathy of ANNE HEYWOOD when they both feel threatened by the arrival of KEIR DULLEA, a young man who used to work on the farm they both strive to run.
***** POSSIBLE SPOILER AHEAD *****
The subtlety of their involvement with each other is played with great style and nuance, all of them at their best. The tree cutting sequence provides the most chilling moment as it becomes a clash of wills between Dennis and Dullea and leads to a tragic ending.
Summing up: Intriguing story is given first class treatment, handsomely produced and photographed with exquisite taste.
All of it is low-key--the settings in a rustic cabin, the Canadian wilderness, the warmth of a fire, the chill of the winds adding the proper atmosphere to a story that becomes more tense as the relationship between the two women deepens. SANDY DENNIS is the more fragile of the two and a bit of a shrew in knowing how to win the sympathy of ANNE HEYWOOD when they both feel threatened by the arrival of KEIR DULLEA, a young man who used to work on the farm they both strive to run.
***** POSSIBLE SPOILER AHEAD *****
The subtlety of their involvement with each other is played with great style and nuance, all of them at their best. The tree cutting sequence provides the most chilling moment as it becomes a clash of wills between Dennis and Dullea and leads to a tragic ending.
Summing up: Intriguing story is given first class treatment, handsomely produced and photographed with exquisite taste.