The Invisible Woman
Ralph Fiennes 2013 UK
Starring: Felicity Jones, Ralph Fiennes, Kristin Scott Thomas, Tom Hollander, Joanna Scanlan, Perdita Weeks, Amanda Hale
*SPOILER ALERT*
The wonderful British actress Kristin Scott Thomas recently announced that she will no longer be making films due to a combination of no longer being offered decent roles (perhaps due to her age) and often being hired purely for her name value. Looking at The Invisible Woman it's a difficult point to dispute. Back in 1996 she and Ralph Fiennes played lovers in The English Patient, now 18 years later she's playing the mother of his love interest. The age difference is commented on in the film and it's based on a true story but still. If indeed this does turn out to be her last film the title really will be a lot more ironic than intended. As it turns out she's not the only invisible woman here though; indeed, it's a phrase that could be attributed to a number of characters. Even if you disregard the previous Thomas' Mrs Ternan is still a contender as her opinion and disapproval are largely ignored both by her daughter and Dickens and neither seems to hold much weight. Following this she leaves midway through never to be so much as referred to again, even in the regular (and uneven) flash-forwards. There's also the obvious choice in Felicity Jones' Nelly who, despite the public rumour mill knowing who she is, Dickens is unable to acknowledge other than to protect her honour. At one point when a train they are on derails he is harangued by one of the guards to assist them with the gravely wounded even though Nelly lays bleeding in the field before them. Even when she gives birth to his (stillborn) baby he signs an assumed name on the death certificate unable to recognise it as a Dickens. And there's a third option too in Dickens' wife, and the mother of his 10 children, Catherine, played brilliantly by Joanna Scanlan. At first she seems utterly indomitable, even miserable, and completely at odds with the positively exuberant personality of her husband. When he walks in on her getting changed early on both seem shocked and embarrassed, and he quickly leaves, which really says it all. Within minutes he's being thoroughly open with both her and their daughter about having fallen in love with Nelly - in a surprising move they even advise him that the feelings will pass. Later he sends her to visit Nelly with a birthday present that had been mistakenly delivered to her, one which she hands over politely, never for a minute losing her resolve. It's a display of astonishing cruelty on his part and it only continues when he has wood nailed over a window that she is looking out of, gradually covering her image completely. When he finally does officially separate from her she only finds out via their oldest son reading his announcement in the newspaper. It's the first real display of emotion from her and you're absolutely on her side. Another point worth noting is that despite Nelly being the title character Fiennes is billed first, both on the posters and the credits. Admittedly Fiennes is a bigger star than Jones but it still points to a unappetising patriarchy in mainstream cinema. It doesn't exactly help the situation that Fiennes' performance isn't up to much, especially since all three of the aforementioned actresses are excellent, in Jones' case incredibly so. Tom Hollander fares rather better as Wilkie Collins but is ultimately underused (although still billed above Scanlan who arguably has a larger part). As a director Fiennes isn't anything special either, I certainly don't think I'll be rushing to see his next project in any case. It's disappointing because this really is a film that highlights the talent of British actresses but one that for many reasons seems unwilling to let them shine.
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