I got this film in a free offer from a Sunday paper and I was glad that i did. I hadn't come across this film before , i watched it without any preconceived ideas so I had no bias to it one way or another. This film takes us on a whirlwind tour of history seen through the eyes of young nobleman Orlando who is told never to grow old by Queen Elizabeth 1 and who proceeds to do just that.His journey through immortality even includes a change of sex. Visually this film is breathtaking and though you don't stay in one time period very long you certainly get a decent historical view of each one. Some of the humour is spot on and the best scene is where Orlando sleeps for a week and about twelve people stand around his bed trying to wake him up. This is the first time i have seen Tilda Swinton in a movie but she was excellent and I am definitely a fan. The final scene with Orlando sitting under a tree where the camera lingers on her face for a couple of minutes before panning across to Jimmy Somerville in the sky,as an angel,singing the closing song really packs a punch.It also uplifts the viewer, gives you the feeling that Orlando has finally found herself and enables you to leave the film with a feeling of closure. Modern British film classic 8/10
Review of Orlando
