A review of the 2014 film”Effie Gray”
In 1848, Euphemia ‘Effie’ Gray (portrayed here by Dakota Fanning) was 19 when she married the famous critic John Ruskin (Greg Wise), but he was a terrible husband and the marriage was never consummated, a further complication being her attraction to the Pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millais (Tom Sturridge). This famous Victorian love triangle is the stuff of drama, but sadly this version is slow and dull and languid to the point of limpness.
This is in spite of it being beautifully shot in English stately homes, Scotland and Venice and having a script from Emma Thompson plus a stellar supporting cast list including Thompson herself, David Suchet, Julie Walters, James Fox, Derek Jacobi and even Claudia Cardinale (now in her mid 70s). What a waste. What a disappointment.