Movie Review - The Invisible Woman

The Invisible Woman *½ (R) Horror fans should not get excited by this title. This is not even close to resembling a distaff version of the Claude Rains classic. It’s a costume drama based on the later life of Charles Dickens, and a young woman who may have become his mistress. English society took a dim view of such things in the late 1800s, making the possibilities for such a liaison fraught with moral dilemmas and dire consequences for the lionized author, actor and playwright (Ralph Fiennes), and the young actress (Felicity Jones) who inspired him creatively and carnally.

The film opens in 1883 after Dickens’ death, with Jones married, teaching drama at a school, showing signs of discontent with her life. Her husband is a bit of a drip; she takes long, brisk walks on a deserted beach. She’s not very happy about anything. The rest of the film fills in her backstory, especially as her hero worship of Dickens morphed into more, despite their age difference and his marriage to a woman who bore him a passel of progeny. Dickens loved his family and his fame, but still had room in his heart for this young acolyte, trying to balance their public images with bubbling private desires.

The erotic content is sparse, even compared to most other period pieces. In fact, there’s little apparent chemistry between the stars. The whole thing is surprisingly tedious for a relatively short running time, leaving viewers plenty of opportunity to notice how poorly it was edited. Some scenes were mysteriously chopped or eliminated, hurting the narrative flow, and undermining our chances for emotional connections with the players and their plight. The historical names wind up meaning little. An older, married big shot gets the hots for a lovely young thing who idolizes him. He tries to keep her by his side (and closer) without risking public scandal. Nothing unique about that. The resulting production is a romantic tale drained of its heat and heart. (1/24/14)