The classic DH Lawrence novel has been given a new reading in this BBC adaptation. Director Jed Mercurio wanted to explore the relationship between Lady Constance Chatterly (Holliday Grainger) and her husband Sir Clifford (James Norton) in more depth, examining the effect of the war on Clifford's character. Not only has he returned paralysed from the waist down by a horrific spinal injury, but he's returned a different man from the one Constance married, rejecting her affection in frustration and bitterness.
Instead of painting Clifford simply as an ogre, this adaptation gives the couple a deeper back story, showing how they fell in love to begin with, which makes their disintegrating marriage even more complex and heartbreaking.
It portrays gamekeeper Oliver Mellors (Richard Madden) with more shades of grey -- not the perfect man, or hero, but another complicated option for Constance. It pulls the focus to the difficult decision Constance has to make between the intellectual life she has with Clifford, or the sensual and emotional life she has with Mellors, coloured by class and propriety of course, and her history with her husband.
When: Monday, 8.30pm
Where: Vibe
What: A new interpretation
