Based on the play by Michael Hastings, this arty biopic stars Willem Dafoe as poet Tom Eliot. The movie starts out with a simple courtship. Tom loves Vivienne Haigh-Wood and Vivienne loves Tom in return so despite her brother Maurice's (Tim Dutton) pleas not to, they go off and get married. While on their honeymoon, Tom sees the mental and physical problems Maurice tried to explain to Tom before they left but never could quite get out. Vivienne has what they called in those days "women problems." She not only had dementia but she had menstrual problems as well. Tom & Viv go back to her parents home where he explains to them he didnt mean to hurt their feelings. Viv's dad acted cold but Viv's mom Rose Haigh-Wood (Rosemary Harris) took tom into the yard to have a talk. She thinks Tom is a good man and he assures her that he loves Viv very much. The movie jumpes from 1915 to 1919 and then to 1932. In between, the strain of Viv's out bursts had taken its toll on Tom. She would harras people with a rubber knife, poured melted chocolate into his mail slit, and would continually talk out of place. The trips to the doctor for a diagnosis didn't help as they had no real cure for her ailments back then. Eventually, Tom can't take anymore so he accepts a postion at Harvard while Viv is sent to a mental hospital.
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The review of this Movie prepared by Bobby Blades
