The Invisible Woman
2014
Rated R
111 minutes
Starring Ralph Fiennes, Felicity Jones, Kristin Scott Thomas, Tom Hollander
Directed by Ralph Fiennes
At the height of his career, Charles Dickens meets a younger woman who becomes his secret lover until his death. [IMDb]
A scant two years prior to my entering college, the juicy morsels of Charles Dickens’ private life surfaced in a new biography (by Claire Tomalin). When I studied his work at university, the details of his messy separation and his secret relationship with Nelly Ternan were a hot topic. From what I understood, Dickens was no picnic to be around. He was believed by many to be temperamental, vindictive, ego-centric, and insensitive – all of which was counter to his books and his philanthropic habits. So naturally, I expected to encounter an unlikable Dickens in Ralph Fiennes’ The Invisible Woman.
There is certainly enough evidence, especially regarding the details of Dickens’ cruel treatment of his wife prior and post separation, to prove this depiction of Dickens is not historically accurate. But, Ralph Fiennes does do a fine job of painting the popular image of the famed author with a deft brush. He captures the man’s genius, which garnered adoration not entirely dissimilar to that of today’s A-List celebs. But, perhaps, he’s treated too reverentially in this portrait…because there’s really no getting around his dirty laundry.
Felicity Jones, who portrays Dickens’ young mistress (she was 18; he 45 when they met), brings us a brooding and haunting performance of a woman forever chased by her past. She does a good job of expressing the conflicts of her unique relationship with Dickens. At first, she balks at the idea of being the other woman, but through no lack of encouragement on her family’s part (specifically her mother, played by Kristin Scott Thomas, who saw Dickens as a financial shelter for her struggling family), but eventually she acquiesces into what is clearly devotion.
The film does offer us an interesting peek into Dickens’ private life, but I’d recommend reading some of the historical accounts to gain a fuller perspective. On its own standing though, it’s a fine period piece that’s satisfyingly engrossing.
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