The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was a group of artists founded in 1848 by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John Everett Millais, William Holman Hunt, William Michael Rossetti, James Collinson, Frederic George Stephens, and Thomas Woolner. They were influenced by the Romantic literature of the time that emphasized connection with nature and emotional self-expression. The painters in the group often based their works on historical, Biblical, and mythical themes.
The actual “brotherhood” only lasted until 1853, but their ideas inspired many artists through the rest of the 19th century. The lives of the original PRB have inspired a few onscreen stories, often emphasizing the artists’ rebellious natures and unconventional love lives. The style of artwork has also inspired a few movies with original stories or by interpreting the visual style.
Here’s five frock flicks where I’ve found Pre-Raphaelites inspiration!
Ophelia (2018)
First up, a Shakespearean story that looks like Pre-Raphaelite paintings come to life. The movie starts out with the main character, Ophelia, recreating one of the most famous Pre-Raph paintings:
See?
The costume designs by Massimo Cantini Parrini hint at a medieval setting, by way of Pre-Raph art.
The long draping gowns in rich colors look like right out of these paintings.
The costume designer even pointed out his Pre-Raphaelite inspiration, telling Vogue: “Most significant were probably the paintings of John William Waterhouse.”
Possession (2002)
The flashback half of this movie is set among fictional Victorian artists, focusing on a poet Christabel LaMotte (Jennifer Ehle), based on Christina Rossetti. This character’s lover, Blanche Glover (Lena Headey), is a Pre-Raphaelite style painter. The studio at their home is covered with Pre-Raph sketches and photos similar to those by Pre-Raph photographer Julia Margaret Cameron.
Blanche Glover’s paintings use colors and historical designs that typified Pre-Raph work.
Compare the setting and figures with this Rossetti painting:
Christabel LaMotte is her lover’s muse, showing up in this unfinished painting. Christabel is dressed in a renaissance-ish gown with her hair flowing free as Pre-Raph artist models would do.
Compare that center painting in the film with this unfinished Rossetti work:
More Pre-Raph art can be seen around their home:
And while she often appears buttoned-up like a standard mid-Victorian lady, Christabel dabbles in artistic dress.
Her robe reminds me of another Rossetti painting:
Effie Gray (2014)
OK, finally some frock flicks about the actual Pre-Raphaelites, but starting with one that doesn’t have as much of a Pre-Raphaelite look, IMO. Euphemia “Effie” Gray was unhappily married to art critic John Ruskin, and he was very influential to the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Effie (Dakota Fanning) has swirly kinda Pre-Raph hair and wearing so much of it down at dinner would be an artsy, rebellious choice in this period.
Pre-Raph art is better represented in the background of this movie.
On the left is a painting by Collins, who had met the Brotherhood in 1850.
On the right is a painting by Millais, who fell in love with Effie. She got an annulment to her unconsummated marriage with Ruskin, so she and Millais could marry in 1855.
In her movie review, Kendra gave this hair “a pass” because Effie’s in Venice and, y’know, the whole Pre-Raphaelite thing.
I too can stretch an allusion, so maybe the flowers on her hat are emblematic of the flowers in her hair in this painting?
Then there’s the painter John Everett Millais (Tom Sturridge) himself.
Check out what’s on his easel:
The Love School (1975)
And now, the first big BBC production all about the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood — it’s hard to find, not on streaming and only on DVD. I’ve watched some of it via questionable websites and found lots of screenshots, and this looks like a pretty fantastic representation of the lives of the main artists of the group. The six-part series features a TON of their artwork too, beginning with John Everett Millais (Peter Egan) in the studio working on “Cymon and Iphigenia.”
Compare the live models to:
The creation of Millais’ iconic “Ophelia” is shown too, with Elizabeth Siddal (Patricia Quinn) laying in a tub for so long she gets pneumonia.
William Holman Hunt’s painting is shown in the background while he (Bernard Lloyd) and Annie Miller (Sheila White) get it on.
Miller was a frequent model for Hunt’s work, and she puts up with his posing.
Millais takes to the outdoors with paintings like “The Blind Girl.”
But as Millais turns to more traditional portraiture to support his new family with Effie, others of the Brotherhood like Hunt are shown going deep with their historical works.
Queen Victoria actually admires this one!
There’s so much more Pre-Raph art shown in this series, but I’ve got to stop somewhere, and Dante Gabriel Rossetti (Ben Kingsley) is a good spot. After Lizzie Siddal’s death, Jane Morris (Kika Markham) becomes his muse. He’s shown photographing Jane, although it was John Robert Parsons who did so.
Compare with:
Desperate Romantics (2009)
Folks these days might know the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood best from this more-recent BBC series. It’s more of a period romp than the ’70s version and much less detailed about the actual art. And yet it’s also 6 hours long. If I had a better version of the first one, it’d be cool to do a more in-depth side-by-side comparison, but hey, this is just supposed to be a Top 5 Friday ;)
Early on, William Holman Hunt (Rafe Spall), John Everett Millais (Samuel Barnett), and Dante Gabriel Rossetti (Aidan Turner) show off their paintings to each other.
Left to right, they are:
The scene where Elizabeth Siddal (Amy Manson) poses in a freezing tub for Millais’ “Ophelia” painting is recreated again.
Rossetti gets a lot of screentime in this series, including at the easel.
Along with the model (who Rossetti found in a bar the night before) posing in costume:
For the resultant painting:
Hunt displays “The Awakening Conscience” with his model Annie Miller (Jennie Jacques) at his side, describing the woman in the painting as a “sad, humiliated, helpless victim.” Miller justifiably slaps him for that.
Later, Hunt is seen painting “The Light of the World,” in front of which he and Miller have another fiesty scene.
And after returning from the Holy Land, Hunt exhibits this new painting:
I like how this series shows Lizzie Siddal as an artist in her own right, not just a Pre-Raphaelite muse. She’s shown sketching and painting in several episodes.
On her easel is this sketch:
At another point, John Ruskin (Tom Hollander) visits Rossetti at the studio but is distracted by Siddal’s painting.
Which appears to be this:
Do you enjoy Pre-Raphaelite art? Are there more movies and TV shows about the PRB worth watching?
