Women in Love (film) - Production

Production

The plan for the film adaptation of Lawrence's novel came from Silvio Narizzano, who had directed the successful Georgy Girl (1966), who suggested his idea to Larry Kramer, who then bought the book's film rights. Narizzano, intended as director, had to leave the project after suffering a series of personal set backs. He divorced his wife for a man who shortly after died tragically.

Kramer originally commissioned a screenplay from David Mercer, whose adaptation differed too much from the original book and he was bought out of the project. Ultimately Kramer himself wrote the script. With Narizzano out of the picture Kramer considered a number of directors to take on the project including Jack Clayton, Stanley Kubrick and Peter Brook all of whom declined the offer. Kramer's fourth choice was Ken Russell who had previously directed only two films and was better known then for his biographical projects about artists for the BBC. Ken Russell became committed to the project and made important contributions to the script.

Alan Bates, who had the leading male role in Georgy Girl, was interested from the start in being cast as Birkin, D.H. Lawrence's alter ego. Bates sported a beard, giving him a physical resemblance to D.H. Lawrence. Kramer wanted Edward Fox for the role of Gerald. Fox fitted Lawrence's description of the character ("blond, glacial and Nordic"), but United Artists, the studio financing the production, imposed Oliver Reed, a more bankable star, as Gerald even though he was not physically like Lawrence's description of the character. Kramer was adamant to give the role of Gudrun to Glenda Jackson. She was, then, well recognised in theatrical circles. As a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company she had gained a great deal of attention in the role of Charlotte Corday in Marat/Sade. United Artists was unconvinced to cast her considering her not conventionally beautiful enough for the role of Gudrun who drives Gerald to suicide. Jackson had her teeth fixed, had surgery for the varicose veins on her legs, and was given a flattering hair style. The last of the four main roles to be cast was the one of Ursula. Both Vanessa Redgrave and Faye Dunaway declined to take the role finding it the less interesting of the two sisters and that they would be easily eclipsed by Glenda Jackson's acting skills. It was by accident that Russell and Kramer came upon a screening test that Jennie Linden had made opposite Peter O'Toole for The Lion in Winter, for a part she failed to gain. Kramer and Russell went to visit her offering her the chance to be Ursula. Linden had recently given birth to her only son and was not eager to take the role but was ultimately persuaded.