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Orlando

PG-13 Released Jun 9, 1993 1h 33m Fantasy History Drama LGBTQ+ List
84% Tomatometer 64 Reviews 82% Popcornmeter 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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Orlando

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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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Critics Reviews

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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 Full Review 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 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (551) audience reviews
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 Full Review 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 rachel k What's the point of of this movie? What's the idea behind it? I can see beautiful actors and nice sceneries, but what is it all about? It definitely beyond my cinema lover's mind Rated 2 out of 5 stars 10/23/22 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 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

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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