in my pathway i will be looking at the intertexuality between Virginia Woolf's 1928 novel and Sally Potter's 1992 flm Adaptation.
Intertextuality is the shaping of texts' meanings by other texts. It can refer to an authors borrowing and transformation of a prior text or to a readers referencing of one text in reading another. the story of Orlando, in Virgina Woolfs novel, is spread across several centuries from the Tudors, Stuarts, Georgians, Victorians and finally the early 1900s. In these handwritten notes Sally Potter breaks down Orlando into what she considers the key scenes with events, characters and locations. As we see from this note, Sally Potter adds a scene called 'coming into the present'. In Virginia Woolf's novel Orlando, the story ends on the 11th October 1928, the exact day of the books publication. in the film, Sally potter uses this idea to bring Orlando right up to 1992, the year of the films release, pitching the idea of a book, of her own life, to a publisher and taking a public tour of her stately home, most likely now own by the national trust, which Knowle house now is.
in these notes sally potter plans out key locations and settings in Orlando.
here is a hand drawn sketch of Orlando's bedroom by Christopher Hobbs.
another production design by Christopher Hobbs of the library at Orlando's house.
as hobb's says these pictures are for artistic presentation and not frames for the film.
the use of Hatfield house as Orlando's family residence is an interesting one. it is the house Elzabeth I grew up in and it is said she was informed of the death of her half sister Mary I underneath an Oak tree on the estate, later renamed the Queen Elizabeth Oak. Sally Potter's film beings with Orlando underneath a great oak before the arrival of Elizabeth I. her successor James I did not care of it though. Including Orlando, Locations at Hatfield house have been used in other movies, such as the exterior of Wayne Manor in Batman and Batman Returns, the Lara Croft Movies, and the sequel to Elizabeth, the Golden Age
Scene underneath the great oak before the arrival of Elizabeth I.
Knole house as the exteriors for Orlando's family extend back to Elizabethian times, when it came into the possesion of Thomas Sackville, Elizabeth I's cousin. the house was the residence of the sackville family from 1603 . it was the home of Virginia Woolfs friend and lover Rita Sackville West, the character of Orlando is based on her with several pictures of herself in the first publication of the novel. Woolf found inspiration in the history of the house, the ancesentry of the Sackville's and also use events in Rita Sackville West's own life. for example, the laws of primogenture prevented Rita Sackville West from inheriting the house upon the death of her father in 1930, the house was passed on to her uncle. A similar occurance happens to Orlando, when the character has become female, that her family home is to be taken from her because she is now female.
Sally Potter and Christopher Shappard, the films producer, walking round one of the estates, most likely Knole house
this is an artists rendering of the Great Frost in 1608, showing the thames frozen over. Written about in Woolf's novel but also a genuine occurance in 1608. Since the 15th to the 19th century, the thames has frozen over 26 times.
in comparison to the artwork, novel discription and what we see in the movie, i find it fascinating how basic it appears in the script.