Orlando - 2003-06-03

Orlando - 2003-06-03. Director: Sally Potter. Britain, 1993, Color, 92 minutes. This film is based on the extraordinary novel by the renowned English author Virginia Woolf and is filled with intellectual ideas about the anatomy of the human body, gender, ownership, and history, raising questions without necessarily seeking to answer them. The presentation of sometimes feminist questions within the context of a historical tale gives the film an enchanting feminist mythological aspect. The main character of the film is initially seen as a young, handsome, and immature individual in Britain during the reign of Queen Elizabeth. The last time we see him, he is a contemporary writer. One of the important features of Orlando is that, for obvious reasons, he never dies nor does old age come upon him, and throughout a century, his gender changes multiple times. At one point, he appears as a woman, and at another time as a young man. Orlando, on an epic journey over this century in search of self-knowledge, explores the artificiality of gender roles and ultimately separates identity from gender, liberating it. The adventures of Orlando include his encounter with Queen Elizabeth I, who, although very old, has not lost any of her passionate love, and her only advice to Orlando is: 'Do not grow old, do not wither.' Then, in another part, we see Orlando's love for a Russian princess, and again in another part, a passionate and tumultuous relationship with an adventurous character reminiscent of Walt Whitman. Sally Potter addresses the complexities of this film with sharp insight and a very chic style, resulting in a film that is digestible for everyone.