The Scandalous Lady W (2015)

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

England in 1782, and the true story ( unbelievable but it is true) of the unusual marriage between Lord and Lady Worsley. This is a time when a man's wife was his property, and he was free to do with her as he wished. The films beginning is a little confusing as it jumps back and forth but all becomes clearer as the film progresses.Natalie Dormer as Lady Seymour Worsley was a perfect casting and she not only looks like the real Lady Seymour Worsley but acts in just the right way as far as I can tell. I notice some have criticised how she spoke etc, but I doubt there are any original recordings of her voice so who can say for sure whether she was always grammatically correct? She was from a wealthy family but I doubt that they ALL spoke like Joanna Lumley.Shaun Evans is perfect as Lord Richard Worsley and portrays his weirdness as a perverted politician (has nothing changed?)What I liked about the film was the ending, which I won't give away although many who studied history may already know, but the court scenes showing the jury's decision was priceless.In all a good watchable film that deserves more credit than many seem to have given it.

Natalie Dormer takes the title role of Lady W who on marriage was considered as chattel to her husband as wives tended to be at the time. Her Lord and Master was Sir Richard, a pompous politician as well as a voyeur and pervert to boot.In order to please him Lady W slept with 26 men while he watched through the keyhole. Lady W eventually fell in love with Captain George Bisset who she became pregnant with and eventually ran off with.Sir Richard felt aggrieved as he felt he was robbed of his property and sued Captain George for £20,000, a princely sum in those days. In the ensuing court case, Lady W turned the tables on her husband as she unveiled his fetishes to the world at large.This was a fun filled drama, slightly naughty here and there but brought out the hypocrisy and perversion of the ruling elite. although the language sounded modern we are told that the actual court case is based on the court transcripts.Dormer was strong, stubborn and sexy all in red. Shaun Evans had the difficult role as the cuckolded husband but he endeavoured to bring out his character's repression and perversion at the same time.Aneurin Barnard who appeared in Cilla last year as Cilla Black's husband looked unrecognisable without the grey/blond hairdo he was saddled with in that drama and was more gorgeous George here who eventually was also embarrassed of Lady W's bedroom antics.The BBC cuts that the corporation have had to endure for the last 5 years are now beginning to show. This was a low budget drama for BBC2, quickly shot and you can tell the director was doing their best with a meagre budget and whatever Georgian setting they could get access to.

Well, there's a hour-and-a-half of my life I shan't get back!.. Simply awful-wooden acting (standing stiffly and looking vacantly into the middle distance does not give you poise-it merely looks like you're suffering from haemorrhoids) stilted dialogue (and the wrong language used, at that-I don't think I heard a single use of 'shall', 'should' or 'I am', but rather 'will', 'would' and I'm. People just didn't speak this way-let alone the glottal stop used instead of a final 't'...)-It might have helped if Shaun Evans hadn't grunted every line through his nose, or did he just have very bad cold during the whole shoot?.. At least Cpt Leversuch (Alex Beckett) and Mr Wallace (Craig Parkinson) managed to speak properly-the rest of the cast could do with a course of elocution lessons...Too much makeup, bad costumes (this was 1782, not 1982-I half-expected Adam Ant to crawl ito view)... I suppose the set design was up to scratch, but the outdoor shoots were awful-this was not how pre-Regency London looked at all...There was a time, you know, when the BBC could do this sort of thing standing on its head-now... Meh... Hallie Rubenhold, who co-wrote the screenplay, and wrote the book upon which it was based, calls herself a historian?.. Polite Society simply didn't behave like this in public-in private, behind closed doors, perhaps, but face and honour were all (see Lady Caroline Lamb and Lord Byron, who conducted a scurrilous affair in public 30 years later)... Lord Rochester had been dead for over one hundred years when these events occurred...I've saved the worst for last-who, in (we assume) their right mind imagined that Natalie Dormer was right for this part?.. In addition to looking wrong, and dressing wrongly (see above), she was utterly incapable of delivering her lines without either a languid drawl, or a simper-I'm not sure which was worse... She wasn't even capable of walking properly in costume (see the final scene)!..Oh, and one final thing, BBC, please stop showing British judges banging gavels in court!.. It has never happened, nor will it ever!..I think we should demand our licence-payers' money back...

This is a period movie length drama from the BBC that others probably would have turned into a lengthy miniseries. It felt like there was certainly lots of possible material to pad it out if they had gone down that route. I gather the budget for this was quite tight due to current cuts at the BBC. It doesn't show mostly, but it felt a little under resourced at times.Nevertheless its well acted by the whole cast and a very enjoyable story, especially given its based on true, if very unusual, events.Natalie adds some glamor whilst Shaun Evans plays the eccentric husband in only a way he can. Recommended.