Lunatic director Ken Russell and screenwriter Larry Kramer, adapting D. H. Lawrence's battle-of-the-sexes novel, give us two portraits of passion in "Women in Love", delineating how some desires can destroy lives while others come to be expected (usually by those who take love--or the romantic act of love--for granted). Glenda Jackson and Jennie Linden play close sisters in 1920s England who are curious about sex, though one may be searching for a semblance of true love while her sibling isn't so old-fashioned--she sees sex as a conquest. Russell isn't interested in character content as much as he is in creating a gorgeous-looking picture...and, indeed, this is a marvelous-looking piece of work. However, there isn't very much emotion in the narrative (not even under the surface), rendering the final tragic events cold, maybe even indifferent. The performances from the ladies are good, if not convincing; Jackson did win a Best Actress Oscar, but Alan Bates and Oliver Reed are more compelling as the men in their lives. The scenario is sexually-charged, but not with passion--the lust is always undercut with anger. The nudity and caressing images aren't even that erotic because the film is so aloof, with conflicts that aren't investigated and dialogue that doesn't reveal personality. **1/2 from ****