This famous novel by Viriginia Woolf, first published in 1925, presented quite a challenge to adapt for film. For a start, the writing style is approaching stream of consciousness. Nothing much happens in the plot, as the content is focused on the memories, gestures and thoughts of the characters. Moreover, Woolf had an interesting approach to time; she could draw out a single moment over several pages, or condense geological ages into a paragraph, looking far ahead to the future when humanity is over.

This film, starring Vanessa Regrave as older Mrs Dalloway and Natascha McElhone as the younger, is about as close as we could possibly get to the essence of the book. Some of the thoughts are instead expressed in dialogue. The story takes place over just one day, which in the book seems a little outlandish, but works very well for a film. Clarissa Dalloway prepares for hosting a party, for no reason but that she likes parties and has been ill. We follow other characters too, who are either going to the party or are linked in some way. For example, Peter Walsh, who has come back from India and whom Clarissa decided not to marry because she could not share everything. Her daughter Elizabeth, who is out in society but is under the influence of a poor religious friend, Miss Kilman. Septimus Warren Smith, a young man who is traumatised by his experiences in the War and feeling survivors’ guilt.

In the book, of course, we get much more background on the characters. The film enhances certain aspects of the story, such as Clarissa’s relationship with her friend Sally (it’s obvious that if it were allowed, then Clarissa would have married Sally, not Peter or Richard) and the effects of the War upon Septimus. I think the film is very well done and would be an effective substitute if you can’t get on with the writing style of the book.

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