WHO’S IN IT?
Dakota Fanning (Now Is Good), Emma Thompson (Saving Mr. Banks), Greg Wise (Sense and Sensibility), Tom Sturridge (The Boat That Rocked), Robbie Coltrane (Harry Potter), Julie Walters (Billy Elliott), Claudia Cardinale (Once Upon A Time In The West), David Suchet (The Bank Job), Derek Jacobi (The King’s Speech), James Fox (The Servant), Russell Tovey (Being Human), Riccardo Scamarcio (To Rome With Love)
WHO’S BEHIND THE CAMERA?
Richard Laxton (An Englishman in New York), director; Emma Thompson (Sense and Sensibility), writer; Andreas Roald (film debut) and Donald Rosenfeld (The Tree of Life), producers; Paul Cantelon (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly), composer; Andrew Dunn (The Perks of Being A Wallflower), cinematographer; Kate Williams (Frozen River), editor
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
The young, spirited Euphemia “Effie” Gray (Fanning) becomes trapped in a marriage to renowned Victorian art historian and critic John Ruskin (Wise), who refuses to consummate or even acknowledge his wife. As such, she embarks on an affair with pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millias (Sturridge), and her attempts to annul her marriage to Ruskin – as persuaded by her friend and art historian Lady Elizabeth Eastlake (Thompson) – causes a nationwide scandal…
IN ONE SENTENCE, WHY SHOULD YOU BE EXCITED?
Though Dakota Fanning is expected to once again excel as the titular historical character, and is backed up by a strong British supporting cast, Effie Gray is a chance to once again indulge in the witty and delightful writing of Emma Thompson (who also takes on a supporting role) – and seriously, who DOESN’T love her by this point?