‘When the day is creeping up on us and we must put in order the chaos of the night...’
Despite the schlocky title, The Invisible Woman isn’t a Hammer horror or a dodgy B movie, but rather a studied meditation about one of the world’s most beloved writers. As an English teacher, I have spent a fair amount of time with the work of Charles Dickens (although probably not as much time as I should have) and in many ways his own life is just as interesting as that of many of his protagonists. The Invisible Woman – clearly a labour of love for Ralph Fiennes who both directs and stars here – focuses on Dickens’ scandalous relationship with Nelly Ternan and the effect it had on his reputation and family life. And as with many of Dickens’ novels, you have to suffer through the more tedious passages to get to the good stuff…
By the 1850s, Dickens (Fiennes) has become a worldwide celebrity and sought after public speaker. Bored by his incurious wife, he begins a tumultuous affair with Nelly (Felicity Jones), a young actress. The Invisible Woman charts this uneasy alliance from its charming beginnings to its much more complicated conclusion.
First off, Fiennes does a great job in bringing such an iconic figure to life, and he does so unsparingly. Dickens is presented in all his fallible glory here, his ego, his cruelty to his wife and his manipulations of Nelly are all left intact. This is key to the success of The Invisible Woman because a puff piece here really would have been unhelpful. That being said, Jones struggles to do anything worthwhile with Nelly because Fiennes as Dickens gets all the best lines. For all the noise of Nelly being granted the eponymous title of the film, this is really a film about Dickens.
Behind the camera, Fiennes does a great job in recreating the period, and on a personal level, I was thrilled to discover that Dickens once visited Doncaster Racecourse during his initial pursuit of Nelly – proving that if he was willing to go to Donny for her then he truly did love her – and this is just one of many scenes that evoke the Victorian era in a way that is feels lived in and convincing.
The Invisible Woman sank without a trace upon release in 2013, despite solid reviews. While it is admittedly a fairly niche subject, Dickens enthusiasts will find a lot here to enjoy. A competent if forgettable movie.