Orlando

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Orlando

PG-13

Released Jun 9, 1993

1h 33m

Fantasy

History

Drama

LGBTQ+

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

84%

Tomatometer

64 Reviews

82%

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5,000+ Ratings

In 1600, nobleman Orlando (Tilda Swinton) inherits his parents' house, thanks to Queen Elizabeth I (Quentin Crisp), who commands the young man to never change. After a disastrous affair with Russian princess Sasha (Charlotte Valandrey), Orlando looks for solace in the arts before being appointed ambassador to Constantinople in 1700, where war is raging. One morning, Orlando is shocked to wake up as a woman and returns home, struggling as a female to retain her property as the centuries roll by.

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Critics Consensus

Orlando can't match its visual delights with equally hefty narrative -- but it's so much fun to watch that it doesn't need to.

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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

It sometimes teeters on the edge of complacency, but it has a trance-inducing strangeness and Swinton is insouciantly magnetic at all times.

Rated: 4/5

Mar 9, 2023

Full Review

Natalie Marlin

Bitch Media

Orlando’s story is not confined to 1928, nor 1992. It does not fade, it does not wither, it does not grow old. It lives as long as Orlando does.

Apr 1, 2022

Full Review

Richard Brody

New Yorker

Potter's ironies, veering between the blunt and the exquisite, the oblique and the confrontational, expose the cruel hazards of nature and the perversities of culture.

Nov 21, 2020

Full Review

Lynn C. Miller

Texas Triangle/TXT

Audiences who enjoy the process of unfolding that this movie affords, with its wry commentary on sex, love, and freedom, will enjoy Orlando.

May 7, 2023

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

A light and lively adaptation of the Virginia Woolf novel.

Rated: 3/4

Dec 5, 2022

Full Review

Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

'Orlando', Sally Potter's second film as director, strikes me as a period drama with noble intentions about gender identity and the long journey of female freedom, but its fantasy tale lacks grace and some vigor. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 6/10

Apr 30, 2021

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Maria G

Although it's a very beautiful movie, it lacks of plot and energy. It's a contemplative movie, but if your feeling sleepy, better watch something else. They really did a job reproducing Virgina Wolf troubling narrative.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

08/20/24

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Peepmo E

Completely unique... It's both pretentious and irreverent, beautiful, perfect and weird. Like a poem that lingers.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/05/24

Full Review

Diana Joy M

This film has stayed in my heart and mind for thirty years. It comes back to me time and again - the images and moments from it haunting me in the best ways.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/20/23

Full Review

neil f

It is a visual wonder...just an exceptional work of art. I love every single frame and the perfection of the sets, dress and acting...I am in the presence of true fine art. Amazing visuals and music. I am in awe. Ms. Potter!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I'm not going to go on and on about this and that symbolism, yada yada. Let's put it this way.. it's a Vampire movie without all the vampire stuff lol. Doesn't explain anything. Just happily goes through life like an idiot. Not showing an ounce of wisdom after 100s of years of life. But it's a cute amusing movie. I wonder how Cate Blanchett might have done in the lead role..

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

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Audience Member

At times confusing, but thoroughly entertaining. This would be a great vehicle for a Trans lead if they were to recreate it.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/23/23

Full Review

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Sally Potter

Director

Tilda Swinton

Orlando

Billy Zane

Shelmerdine

Lothaire Bluteau

The Khan

John Wood

Archduke Harry

Charlotte Valandrey

Sasha

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Synopsis

In 1600, nobleman Orlando (Tilda Swinton) inherits his parents' house, thanks to Queen Elizabeth I (Quentin Crisp), who commands the young man to never change. After a disastrous affair with Russian princess Sasha (Charlotte Valandrey), Orlando looks for solace in the arts before being appointed ambassador to Constantinople in 1700, where war is raging. One morning, Orlando is shocked to wake up as a woman and returns home, struggling as a female to retain her property as the centuries roll by.

Director: Sally Potter
Producer: Christopher Sheppard
Screenwriter: Sally Potter
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: British Screen Productions, Rio, Adventure Pictures, Mikado Films, Lenfilm Studio, Sigma
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Fantasy, History, Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 9, 1993, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Jul 23, 2010
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $5.7M
Runtime: 1h 33m
Sound Mix: Surround

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