Vita & Virginia
Vita & Virginia is a 2018 biographical romantic drama film directed by Chanya Button. The screenplay, written by Button and Eileen Atkins, is adapted from the 1992 play Vita & Virginia by Atkins.[2] The film stars Gemma Arterton, Elizabeth Debicki, and Isabella Rossellini. Set in the 1920s, Vita & Virginia tells the story of the love affair between Vita Sackville-West and Virginia Woolf.
Vita & Virginia | |
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Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Chanya Button |
Produced by |
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Screenplay by |
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Based on | Vita & Virginia by Eileen Atkins |
Starring | |
Music by | Isobel Waller-Bridge |
Cinematography | Carlos De Carvalho |
Edited by | Mark Trend |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | Thunderbird Releasing |
Release date |
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Running time | 110 minutes |
Country |
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Language | English |
Box office | $789,095[1] |
The film had its world premiere as a Special Presentation at the Toronto International Film Festival on 11 September 2018.[3][4] It was released in the United Kingdom on 5 July 2019, and in the United States on 23 August 2019.
Plot
Poet and novelist Vita and literary icon Virginia run in different circles in 1920s London. When the two cross paths, the magnetic Vita decides the beguiling, stubborn and gifted Virginia will be her next conquest, no matter the cost. Vita and Virginia forge an unconventional affair, set against the backdrop of their own strikingly contemporary marriages; an affair that inspires one of Virginia's most iconic novels, Orlando.[5]
Cast
- Gemma Arterton as Vita Sackville-West
- Elizabeth Debicki as Virginia Woolf
- Isabella Rossellini as Lady Sackville
- Rupert Penry-Jones as Harold Nicolson
- Peter Ferdinando as Leonard Woolf
- Gethin Anthony as Clive Bell
- Emerald Fennell as Vanessa Bell
- Adam Gillen as Duncan Grant
- Karla Crome as Dorothy Wellesley
- Rory Fleck Byrne as Geoffrey Scott
- Nathan Stewart-Jarrett as Ralph Partridge
Production
On 30 June 2016, Deadline Hollywood reported that British director Chanya Button[lower-alpha 1] was to direct Vita and Virginia from a script by Eileen Atkins,[7] with Evangelo Kioussis of Mirror Productions and Katie Holly of Bl!nder Films as producers.[7][8][9][10] The screenplay is based on Atkins' stage play Vita & Virginia.[6] Gemma Arterton, who also became an executive producer of the film, had received the first draft from Atkins years before and showed it to Button; and Button subsequently co-wrote the final script with Atkins.[6]
On 8 February 2017, it was announced that Eva Green and Gemma Arterton had been cast in the film.[11][12][lower-alpha 2] In May 2017, it was reported that Green had left the project due to scheduling conflicts. Green was replaced by Andrea Riseborough.[13] Elizabeth Debicki was eventually cast in the role of Woolf in August 2017, with Isabella Rossellini also joining the production.[14][15][16]
Financing was procured from the Irish Film Board, Piccadilly Pictures, Sampsonic Media, and Lipsync Productions; with Protagonist Pictures handling international sales.[6] Principal photography began in September 2017 in Dublin, Ireland.[17][6]
In August 2017, Thunderbird Releasing acquired the distribution rights for the United Kingdom.[16][18] Distribution rights for Germany were acquired by NFP, Australia and New Zealand by Transmission Films, Czech Republic and Slovakia by CinemArt, Greece by Seven Films, Hong Kong by EDKO, Israel by Forum Film, Poland by M2 Films, Portugal by Lusumundo, and in the former Yugoslavia by MCF.[14]
The first film still was released by Protagonist Pictures on 1 November 2017.[19][20]
Release
The world premiere was held at the Toronto International Film Festival on 11 September 2018.[21][4][22][23] It was selected as the opening night film of the 2019 Frameline Film Festival in San Francisco.[24]
Vita and Virginia was released theatrically in the United Kingdom and Ireland on 5 July 2019 by Thunderbird Releasing.[25][26] It was released in the United States on 23 August 2019 by IFC Films.[27]
Home media
The film was released on video on demand (VOD) in the US on 30 August 2019.[27]
See also
- Orlando: A Biography (1928 novel by Woolf, inspired by her relationship with Sackville-West)
- Portrait of a Marriage (1990 BBC miniseries about the love affair between Sackville-West and Violet Keppel)
Notes
- Sacha Polak had come on board as director in 2014 but withdrew from the project soon after.[6]
- Romola Garai was originally cast in the role of Virginia Woolf.[6]
References
- "Vita and Virginia (2019)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services. 2019. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
- Atkins, Eileen (1995). Vita & Virginia (PDF). Samuel French, Inc. ISBN 0-573-13012-4.
- Kay, Jeremy (14 August 2018). "Toronto unveils Contemporary World Cinema, more Galas and Special Presentations". Screen Daily. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
- White, Peter (7 September 2018). "'Vita & Virginia': Gemma Arterton and Rupert Penry-Jones Duel In First Clip Of Chanya Button's Period Drama". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
- Vita & Virginia – Synopsis. (2019). Protagonist Pictures.
- McCarthy, Esther (18 February 2018). "'Vita & Virginia' with Gemma Arterton, Elizabeth Debicki: exclusive new image and set report". Screen Daily. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
- D'Alessandro, Anthony (30 June 2016). "Story About Virginia Woolf & Vita Sackville-West Love Affair Headed To The Big Screen". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
- Knox, Kirsty Blake (2 February 2017). "Woolf's love story gets Irish producer's touch". Irish Independent. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
- McNeice, Katie (13 February 2017). "Blinder Films to Co-Produce 'Vita & Virginia' starring Eva Green & Gemma Arterton". Irish Film & Television Network. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
- "Final Cast Announced for Irish/UK Creative Co-Production, Vita and Virginia". Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland. 25 August 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
- Staff (8 February 2017). "Eva Green, Gemma Arterton to Star in Virginia Woolf Movie 'Vita & Virginia'". Variety. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
- Pulver, Andrew (8 February 2017). "Gemma Arterton and Eva Green cast in Virginia Woolf lesbian romance". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
- The Playlist [@ThePlaylist] (19 May 2017). "Andrea Riseborough Replaces Eva Green In 'Vita & Virginia' With Gemma". Twitter. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
- Grater, Tom (23 August 2017). "Elizabeth Debicki replaces Eva Green in lesbian romance 'Vita & Virginia'". Screen Daily. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
- Roxborough, Scott (23 August 2017). "Elizabeth Debicki to Play Virginia Woolf in 'Vita & Virginia'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
- Mitchell, Robert (23 August 2017). "Elizabeth Debicki, Isabella Rossellini Join Virginia Woolf Biopic 'Vita & Virginia'". Variety. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
- Evry, Max (1 November 2017). "First Look at Debicki & Arterton in Vita & Virginia". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
- "Vita & Virginia". Thunderbird Releasing. 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
- Horst, Carole (1 November 2017). "AFM First Look: Elizabeth Debicki, Gemma Arterton in 'Vita & Virginia'". Variety. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
- Murphy, Niall (1 November 2017). "#IrishFilm: First image from Chanya Button's Vita & Virginia, produced by Blinder Films". Scannain. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
- "Vita & Virginia". Toronto International Film Festival. 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
- Kiang, Jessica (18 September 2018). "Toronto Film Review: 'Vita & Virginia'". Variety. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
- Miller, Julie (18 September 2018). "Meet the Woman Bringing Virginia Woolf's Notorious Love Affair to the Screen". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
- Dry, Jude (30 April 2019). "Frameline 2019: Judy Garland, Virginia Woolf Movies Head Up San Francisco LGBTQ Film Festival". IndieWire. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
- Alexander, Ella (16 April 2019). "Watch: the trailer for Vita & Virginia is here". Harpers Bazaar. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
- "Vita and Virginia". Launching Films. Film Distributors' Association. 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
- "Vita & Virginia". IFC Films. 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
External links
- Vita & Virginia on IMDb
- Vita and Virginia at BlinderFilms.com
- Vita and Virginia at Mirror Productions
- Vita and Virginia at British Council Film
- Vita & Virginia at Rotten Tomatoes