Lady Chatterley (TV serial)

Lady Chatterley is a 1993 BBC television serial starring Sean Bean and Joely Richardson. It is an adaptation of D. H. Lawrence's 1928 novel Lady Chatterley's Lover, first broadcast on BBC1 in four 55-minute episodes between 6 and 27 June 1993. A young woman's husband returns wounded after the First World War. Facing a life with a husband now incapable of sexual activity she begins an affair with the groundskeeper. The film reflects Lawrence's focus not only on casting away sexual taboos, but also the examination of the British class system.

Cast

 * Joely Richardson - Lady Chatterley
 * Sean Bean - Mellors
 * James Wilby - Sir Clifford Chatterley
 * Shirley Anne Field - Mrs Bolton
 * Hetty Baynes - Hilda
 * Ken Russell - Sir Michael Reid, Lady Chatterley's father

Reception
The show had an audience of over 12 million, for the BBC.

Donald Liebenson, a Chicago-based film critic said "Those who believe British miniseries to be too proper and corseted may want to make an exception for Ken Russell's 1992, four-hour BBC adaptation of D.H. Lawrence's scandalous novel...The production is impeccably mounted--no pun intended--and the performances (particularly by the daring Ms. Richardson) impassioned."

In September 1994, Adrian Martin said "Russell brings not a skerrick of art or craft to this project."

Dennis Lim of The New York Times called it "a sudsy...mini-series".

The Independent said "What actually happened was perilously close to cartoon."

In 2005, the BBC reported that the show's dramatisation "toned down" the book's "more explicit scenes".

Distribution
The series was released on DVD.