Eight decades may have passed since Virginia Woolf's passing, but her literary legacy is still firing on all cylinders! A new wave of film adaptations is sweeping the nation, breathing fresh life into the classics. Take this Friday's release of Virginia Woolf’s Night and Day, a laugh-out-loud romantic comedy that reimagines Woolf's 1919 novel for modern audiences.
The star-studded cast, featuring Haley Bennett, Timothy Spall, Jennifer Saunders, Jack Whitehall, and Lily Allen, brings the story of Katharine Hilbery to life. A talented astronomer whose world is turned upside down by a love triangle, she must confront her desires and the societal constraints that held women back in Edwardian England. Bafta-nominated director Tina Gharavi (of I Am Nasrine fame) puts her own spin on Woolf's original work, with screenwriter Justine Waddell.
Gharavi has confessed to being deeply inspired by Woolf – an "iconic lesbian author who wrote about intimate personal experience" and navigated a world that often diminished women's narratives. She connected with Katharine's ambition and apprehension towards love, as well as her character's powerful perspective on existence through the metaphor of looking up at the stars.
As Gharavi astutely observed, there's more to Night and Day than meets the eye. The setting may be 1910, but Woolf's choice might have been deliberate – anticipating the devastating losses of war, which would soon ravage Europe. And what's even more remarkable? This "whip smart and funny" romcom was written while Woolf herself was institutionalised, highlighting the therapeutic power of comedy in difficult times.
Meanwhile, Clarissa, a modern retelling of Mrs Dalloway set against the vibrant backdrop of Lagos, Nigeria, is making waves at film festivals. Starring Sophie Okonedo, David Oyelowo, and Ayo Edebiri, this adaptation follows a high-society woman as she prepares for a party and confronts figures from her past. Directed by brothers Arie and Chuko Esiri, the film is set to be a major player on the autumn festival circuit – with its eerie parallels between 1920s England and present-day Nigeria adding an extra layer of depth.