The Hours

For me, this film was both a study and an art form and not a story in the sense of plot points, rising action, climax and resolution. As a study, it dramatized Virginia Woolfs manic-depressive illness and also superimposed a dramatization of that illness into two later chronological periods and two different sets of complex relationships. As an art form, it used the film media in an unusual way in order to compare behaviors in different periods and it examined emotions in microscopic detail. Stephen Daldry, the director was striving to create a film that could be interesting for several viewings and, indeed, I think he succeeded. It is his third film.

Virginias initial title for her famous stream-of-consciousness novel, Mrs. Dalloway, was The Hours. So I thought this film would be more her story. It was not and about this, I was disappointed. Woolf contributed to both literature and to the womens movement at the beginning of the 20th century in a profound way and both of these achievements are not in this film. It was only a documentary in that it did not contradict known facts about her life.

Regardless, this is a provocative presentation and one worth watching. It is also a showcase for three well-known actresses, Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman and Julianne Moore. They demonstrate one set of their abilities, because the emotional emphasis in the story segments is on the depressive manifestations of each characters illness. The film is based on the book by Michael Cunningham, and since I havent read it, I dont know if this emphasis is in the novel as well as the screenplay.

Kidman plays Virginia Woolf. She is exemplary as the sick and peculiar Woolf. Born in Hawaii of Australian parents, her performing career began in 1983. I saw her recently in Moulin Rouge (2001) and Eyes Wide Shut (1999). She is naturally left-handed and Woolf was right-handed, so she had to teach herself to write right-handed for this role. A bit of trivia, she is afraid of butterflies.

In terms of acting ability, Streep has more range and ability than most others. She is one of my favorites and she demonstrates her talent in this role as the present day Clarissa Vaughn. Streep has been nominated for Oscars 13 times and won twice. She graduated from Vassar, studied drama at Yale and is a perfectionist. In this film, she wore out the film team retaking a collapse scene in the kitchen until it was exactly what she wanted. I found her particularly good in The Bridges of Madison County (1995) and Music of the Heart (1999).

Julianne Moore plays Laura Brown in the 1950s segments. Although well done, I thought her role was slightly over-acted. She has recently appeared in Shipping News (2001) and Far From Heaven (2002).

The most interesting interviews appear in the section of the Special Features called The Mind and times of Virginia Woolf. This documentary like segment is worth the DVD rental. It includes anecdotes and commentary about Woolf as well as voice-over clips from her works.

Woolf had much to be angry about. She was excluded from the formal education she longed for and her family died around her. She was apparently miserable much of the time with delusions, pain and frequent headaches. For this reason, the experts in the Special Features section lauded her suicide as an act of strength and courage. I cannot agree with this. Eliminating your own life is a desperate act in the face of no other option. There are always options. Woolf was a champion of intellectual honesty and truth, a force in the world that we needed to keep. Her early death was a loss, not an act to be celebrated. Just my opinion.

Reviewed July 9, 2003