Stars: Gwyneth Paltrow, Aaron Eckhart, Jeremy Northam, Jennifer Ehle, Lena Headley, Holly Aird

Director: Neil Labute

Summary: An American poetry researcher, Roland Michell, travels to England and enlists the help of Doctor Maud Bailey, a British expert on the life of a famous but Victorian poet, to help him piece together the life and love affair of two poets. It's not long before they discover one of their very own...

An American poetry researcher, Roland Michell, travels to England and enlists the help of Doctor Maud Bailey, a British expert on the life of a famous but Victorian poet, to help him piece together the life and love affair of two poets. It's not long before they discover one of their very own...

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With its complex twists and turns, AS Byatt's doorstopper of a novel Possessionis hardly the kind of tale that translates easily to film, even though its switches in time across more than a century are intrinsically filmic. In this adaptation the basic story revolves around two modern-day academics, Maud Bailey (Gwyneth Paltrow, a class act, all ice and severe hair) and the young American Roland Michell (the charmingly diffident Aaron Eckhart). They find themselves thrown together as they track a secret love affair between two fictional Victorian poets, Randolph Henry Ash and Christable LaMotte (Jeremy Northam and Jennifer Ehle, both of them eminently convincing costume-drama veterans). As our two modern-day sleuths uncover the truth they (surprise, surprise) find themselves falling for one another.

Director Neil LaBute may have strayed from familiar territory (Nurse Betty) but he's managed to translate book to screen with compelling directness, and much credit should go not only to the four leads, but also to Lena Headey, who plays the tragic Blanche Glover, LaMotte's rejected lover. Overall it's a very lyrical movie, visually a treat for the eye, with the period detail beautifully caught and much beautiful scenery to be had. And the score itself, by Gabriel Yared, seems to encapsulate England in its pastoral beauty. Yes, of course the intricacies of the novel are much simplified, with some characters written out altogether, but its central spirit is retained and it makes for an ultimately compelling experience.

On the DVD:Possessionhas a pleasingly sharp and well-defined picture quality that makes the most of the fabulous visuals. However, extras are limited. As well as a list of cast and crew and the usual scene selections and theatrical trailer there's the option of watching the film accompanied by LaBute's commentary, which is enlightening first time around but probably not for repeated viewing. --Harriet Smith

Aspect Ratio:	2.35 Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Commentary By Neil LaBute, Interactive Menus, Scene Access, Trailer
Subtitles:	Arabic, Bulgarian, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish
Year:	2002
Release Date:	May 5, 2003
Runtime:	98 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	R D 022264
Keywords:	General, Possession, Romantic, Drama
Genre:	Drama