Period pieces, especially those based on classic works of literature, tend to have a reputation for being rather stuffy, or even prudish.
But anyone who thinks that must not be familiar Lady Chatterly’s Lover, the notoriously explicit romance novel that’s been adapted into a steamy new Netflix film of the same name. And we’re pleased to report: It doesn’t skimp on the nudity!
Before we can get into the sexy bits, some context: Lady Chatterly’s Lover was written by author D.H. Laurence, and originally published (privately) in 1928. The rather simple story concerns itself with a young, well-to-do woman—the titular Lady—whose husband is paralyzed from the waist down during the Great War. She loves him, sure, but a woman has needs, and, unfortunately, he can no longer help her.
Enter: The “lover,” gamekeeper Oliver Mellors. Despite their difference in social standing, the two enter into a hot-and-bothered extramarital affair—they just can’t keep their hands off each other! (Or their clothes on!)
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And this is where things get really interesting, because Laurence’s purple prose goes into such specific detail about their flings that many were publicly decrying the novel’s obscenities, and labeling the author a “pornographer” (though we guarantee just as many were enjoying the hell out of it in private, if you know what we mean).
Due to its explicit nature, Lady Chatterly’s Lover was banned in North America, India, Australia, and Japan. It wasn’t until 1960 that an uncensored version of it even hit shelves in the U.K., where it became the center of a game-changing obscenity trial that was eventually won by publisher Penguin Books. Naturally, the book sold millions of copies.
All of that is to say, it’s no surprise that we’ve never really gotten an English-language film adaptation that could do justice to the novel’s sensuality and eroticism… until now.
Directed by french filmmaker Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, Lady Chatterly’s Lover made a relatively quiet debut on Netflix late last week, but currently ranks among the platform’s top five most-streamed movies. (It’s also fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, with an 87% rating.) And it’s not hard to see why audiences would be drawn to this scintillating adaptation, especially from the comfort of their own home.
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Relieved of their Princess Di duties on The Crown, queer non-binary performer Emma Corrin stars as the Lady Chatterly, with English actor and former party boy Jack O’Connell (Skins, Angelina Jolie’s Unbroken) as the jacked gameskeeper. The two share some real, crackling chemistry, and the film doesn’t shy away from the intimacy of their connection, or the many lurid sex scenes as described in the source material.
And okay, okay—enough of the edging—we’ll come out and say it: O’Connell gets very, very naked in the movie. Where to begin! There are multiple butt shots (including one featured in the trailer), many of which show him thrusting from behind, and there are plenty of scenes where he lets it all hang out, too.
One particularly memorable moment finds the Lady and her lover caught in the rain, at which point they shed their threads—underwear, too—to go frolic in the fields, body parts swinging around freely. It might seem like it’d be a cold, unpleasant scene to shoot, but it certainly doesn’t look cold.
So, yes, for the curious, Lady Chatterly’s Lover does have plenty of nudity, and you can check it out for those reasons if you’re so inclined. But the film adapts Laurence’s infamous novel with such artful eroticism, that you might actually find yourself swooning for its passionate love story, too!
But don’t just take our word for it—here’s what folks are saying online about Jack O’Connell and this very sexy film:
With Lady Chatterley’s Lover, Jack O’Connell is single-handedly ending the use of penis prosthetics on film >>>>> pic.twitter.com/qI9LBbTuSJ
— Meech (@MediumSizeMeech) December 4, 2022
jack o’connell said “look at me” and i was disoriented for the rest of the movie. i didn’t hear a single word out anybody’s mouth for the next hour of Lady Chatterley’s Lover pic.twitter.com/ks1xzqAQLM
— MIKSMAS SZN!!! ????? (@mwa06105245) December 4, 2022
the sluttiest thing a man can do is be jack o’connell in lady chatterley’s lover
— pussymus prime (@illegalbIonde) December 3, 2022
the new "lady chatterley's lover": very horny, much appreciated, thank you for your service to everyone involved (jack o'connell, if you read this, I'm free on thursday if you'd like to hang out on thursday, when I'm free)
— Lisa (@LislxD) December 2, 2022
Jack O’Connell in Netflix’s remake of Lady Chatterley’s Lover…I have no need for any further plans this afternoon #LadyChatterleysLover pic.twitter.com/EAwcOK88Cu
— Simon Duke (@simon_dukey) December 2, 2022
jack o’connell em lady chatterley’s lover pic.twitter.com/uVgZTlFyuH
— bia’s house 🙂 (@biamsousa) December 3, 2022
Lady Chatterly’s Lover is now streaming exclusively on Netflix.
theaterbloke
I saw the BBC version with Richard Madden and Holliday Grainger a few years back. It kept the nudity mostly above the waist but I thought it was a pretty decent adaptation and Richard Madden was sexy as hell. Of course, the only copy I had of the book was the censored version. I still don’t know which of my parents it belonged to.
bachy
There are some hot-as-hell shots of the breathtaking Nicholas Clay in the 1981 version! I will probably see this one as I love Love LOVE D.H. Lawrence. I can’t explain it, but reading his novels is akin to having a kind of cerebral orgasm. Pure genius.
Diplomat
How bout Mr. Chatterley’s lover. Het sex is so overdone.
nm4047
a plethora of website cater for this.
Lookyloo
“Netflix brings an infamously erotic novel to the big screen”
Nope. Sorry Cameron Sheetz but streaming to a television or device is NOT “the big screen”. That’s movie theater screens.
TV has literally been called the “small screen” since movies-for-tv have been made but now I guess smartphones and tablets are the real small screens these days. Either way, Netflix streaming something ain’t “the big screen” and as an Entertainment/Arts writer you should know that.
Joshooeerr
The best thing about this adaptation is Jack O’Connell, who is very definitely a rising star. He’s even better in SAS Rogue Heroes/. And, yes, there’s nudity. But the nudity is mostly soft-focus frolicking in the rain and almost demure shots of sexual encounters. It’s never erotic or as raw and urgent as D.H. Lawrence intended. In fact, there’s a kind of Mills & Boon aura to the film, which – with a feminist slant to the script and a female directors – is far more interested in Connie than it is in Mellors, who becomes largely a sex object. Funny how times change.
Caelestius
I’ll watch any adaptation of any British author. But no scene has yet surpassed the ejaculatory glow of Alan Bates wrestling with Oliver Reed in D.H. Lawrence’s “Women In Love.”
What. An. Eyeful.
The camera couldn’t keep up with the swinging weenies, and I couldn’t stand up until the theater was empty. Oliver Reed should have gotten two lines in the credits.
He didn’t even need an Academy Award after it was revealed he was already packing an Oscar. But I might need a cold shower after my, whoops, post.
Keebler ILF
Speaking of cold shower, in the 2013 film Starred Up, O’Connell was full frontal in two scenes. The prison shower fight scene was very revealing .
Wheelerman
Will be watching for Jack O’Connell. I saw him in a stage performance as Brick in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. He did frontal and posterior nudity. He looked gorgeous, and his acting was good, also.
I’ve been a fan since Unbroken.