Invisible Woman

Director: Ralph Fiennes
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Felicity Jones, Kristin Scott Thomas, Tom Hollander, Joanna Scanlan, John Kavanagh
Distributor: Hopscotch Films
Runtime: 111 mins. Reviewed in Apr 2014

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Rating notes: Mature themes

While The Invisible Woman might sound like a science-fiction sequel to The Invisible Man, it is nothing of the kind. Which means that it is probably an unsatisfactory title, although it derives from the book by Clare Tomalin. The invisible woman this time is Ellen Lawless Teman, the mistress of author, Charles Dickens.

For audiences interested in Dickens, not only his books and celebrity but his private life, this film will be of great interest. For those less interested, it may prove tedious, even boring. The reason for this is that the film takes us back into the 19th century, immerses us in England in the latter part of the century, at Margate on the coast, in London. The costumes and decor, production design are meticulous in their re-creation. The language and the dialogue is that of the period, that of Dickens.

It is also the style of film-making that will entice or repel. It is the very antithesis of the contemporary fast-based action film and slick and rapid editing. Here we have long takes, a kind of portraiture for the characters, filmed from different angles, with screen compositions with characters at the side of the screen helping us to observe them as well as their background. Many of the sequences are long takes, dwelling on the characters and situations. On some occasions there is a musical score, but very often the long takes are presented in silence for our contemplation.

The screenplay is by Abi Morgan, who wrote such films as The Iron Lady and Shameless. The direction is by Ralph Fiennes, his second film as director (after his Coriolanus). He is clearly a man of fine taste in the way that he has created his world, the world of Dickens and of Nellie Turner.

And he himself plays the central role, Ralph Fiennes’ performance being recognisable but different, through the effect of his hair and beard style, that of the portraits of Dickens himself. He has the opportunity to put on a play and star in it, be a celebrity to his many fans, read some of his work, and be the author in the public eye. But he also has the opportunity to be the private Dickens, the husband with the large number of children, separating from his wife, wooing Nellie Turner, falling in love with her, sharing his life with her, grieving over the death of their child, finally installing her in a house in London so that he could keep his relationship with her but also his public image.

This means that the film does depend on the performance by Felicity Jones as Nellie. We first see her after Dickens’ death, married, walking the beach at Margate, putting on a play in the local school. These scenes recur but the main focus is on her past, her life with Dickens. We readily believe that Felicity Jones is Nellie. She is supported very strongly by her mother, played by Kristin Scott Thomas, a more genial role then she usually plays.

Something of the contradictions of the Victorian era and its formalities and properness is suggested by this relationship, as well as the relationship between Wilkie Collins (Tom Hollander) who does not believe in marriage and lives with his partner and child – something which Nellie is shocked at.

An important focus for the film is that of Dickens’ wife, Catherine, portrayed as a rather large and dowdy woman, mother of his many children, seemingly unresponsive to him, realising his life of celebrity and being present at so many functions. But, Dickens falls out of love with her and, in an extraordinary gesture, sends a letter to The Times explaining the rumours about his relationship with Nellie and his separation from his wife, seemingly oblivious to the pain that this latter causes her. Joanna Scanlan portrays Catherine perfectly and has several very moving scenes which make an impact, where she has to take a birthday gift to Nellie on behalf of her husband and speaks plainly to Nellie about him. The other sequence is her son reading out the letter in The Times and her weeping.

For those who are absorbed by this story and filmmaking, there is much to reflect on, a different era, its code of morals, private lives, as well as the genius of Dickens as an author and his celebrity in his times.