Fashion
Nearly Three Decades Later, Sally Potter’s ‘Orlando’ Is More Topical Than Ever
No mere costume drama, Sally Potter’s “Orlando” has depth and a message that matters today….
Gender fluidity is the main conceit of Orlando. About halfway through the plot, Orlando—born a man—falls into a deep sleep as into a chrysalis and emerges as a woman. As she looks into the mirror and discovers her new self, Orlando murmurs: “The same person, not different at all, just a different sex.” It’s a statement that suggests that our essential beingness exists apart from gender or its trappings. Potter implies that it is gender stereotypes—the association of masculinity and brawn, femininity and decorativeness—that are the most destructive. “Orlando’s change of sex in the film is the result of his having reached a crisis point, a crisis of masculine identity,” she has writted. “It is Orlando’s unwillingness to conform to what is expected of him as a man that leads, within the logic of the film, to his change of sex. Later, of course, as a woman, Orlando finds that she cannot conform to what is expected of her as a female either.” Though their gender changes, Orlando’s character remains intact.
Stay updated! Click the Google News follow button for more news and updates.
Follow on Google News