For a film about
social impropriety, The Invisible Woman
is incredibly tasteful in its approach. Despite its R-rating, the physical
relationship between Charles Dickens and his much younger mistress takes
backseat to the emotional toll of the secret liaison. Rather than reveling in
gossip, as the film’s lovers were concerned that the Victorian society they
existed in would have, director Ralph Fiennes has a delicate touch in the
representation of sordid affairs. Unfortunately, much of the film then remains
quite singular in the showing of the secrecy’s emotional impact. While
fantastic for performances, The Invisible
Woman provides only slight variations on the same note for its 111-minute
running time.
Though Charles
Dickens (Fiennes) is clearly at the center of the storyline, this is actually
much more the story of Nelly (Felicity Jones). We first join Nelly in marriage
many years after her relationship with Dickens, a piece of her past which still
remains hidden from everyone including her husband. Through flashbacks we are
given screenwriter Abi Morgan’s details of the pair’s first meeting in the
theater and their slowly built love affair which followed. This relationship
did not come without cost, devastating the marriage Dickens was in upon their
meeting as well as Nelly’s ability for happiness in the years that followed.
Jones does a
magnificent job carrying the film with often little no more than a look of
distress to convey the emotional strain of the tenuous relationship she shared
with a man in a life of celebrity, but watching a woman’s discomfort is not
quite enough to tent pole an entire film. The attention to detail is fantastic
in terms of costuming and various set design, but this all feels like dressing
to hide an oversimplified storyline in the screenplay. Very little actually happens
to shift the direction or focus of the film, making it feel like a long train
ride with much of the same scenery along the way. It never stops from being
excellent in its assets, but also offers few surprises to make the last fifteen
minutes stand out from the first.
The Blu-ray
release includes a commentary track with Fiennes and Jones, as well as
additional interviews in the remaining three features. These include interviews
and red carpet footage from the Toronto Premiere and a SAG Foundation conversation
with Fiennes and Jones.
Entertainment Value:
6.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 7.5/10
Historical
Significance: 6/10
Special Features: 6/10
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