Mrs. Dalloway MPAA Rating: PG-13 Entertainment: +2 Content: -1/2

Clarissa Dalloway (Vanessa Redgrave), a middle-aged upper class English woman, seems preoccupied with the party she is planning for that night. The setting is London, 1923, five years after World War I, and social standing is of utmost importance. Flashbacks of her carefree youth give us a feel for Clarissa's character. Her childhood home on a country estate is filled with parties and the close companionship of her two best friends, Sally and Peter. Peter dreams of traveling to exotic places and urges Clarissa to marry him so they can travel together. Instead, Clarissa marries dull but kind Richard (John Standing), who becomes a distinguished member of Parliament. Now Peter (Michael Kitchen) has come back to London after living in India, and Clarissa reminisces about choices made years ago. Meanwhile, a shell-shocked veteran wanders in and out of scenes around London, seeking relief from guilt feelings over a friend killed in combat. MRS DALLOWAY, adapted from the Virginia Woolf novel, is beautifully photographed and acted, but will not have wide audience appeal.

The film's dialogue has very little objectionable language, except for some profanities. The opening scene is a young soldier on the battlefield, followed by a tremendous explosion, which explains the shell-shocked veteran who commits suicide. We see him jump out a window, but do not see him land on the spiked fence below. Clarissa's friend, Sally, runs naked down a dark hall when they are teenagers. Obscured rear nudity is shown very briefly. As teenagers, the extremely close girls declare they prefer each other's company to men. In fact, they are shown kissing on the mouth once. However, they both marry, have families and go their separate ways as adults. Clarissa's grown daughter is encouraged by her evangelical Christian tutor to volunteer at a church, which upsets Clarissa, who has no use for religion. The tutor is portrayed as whiny, unattractive and judgmental. That negative treatment of Christians and Clarissa and Sally's homosexual tendencies give MRS DALLOWAY a slightly negative acceptability rating.

Preview Reviewer: Mary Draughon
Distributor: First Look Pictures, 8800 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles CA 9006