Both D. H. Lawrence and Ken Russell have had a love-hate relationship with the critics, and as many would castigate as commend the director for his bold attempt at visualising the raw power of the writer’s prose.
There’s no doubt Russell was seduced by the contrasting landscapes against which the tale unfolds, and Billy Williams photographs them with an intriguing mix of traditional British realism and heritage gloss. But the set-pieces are more successful than the storytelling, while the performances are curiously uneven, with Alan Bates and Glenda Jackson outshining Oliver Reed and Jennie Linden respectively.