Live Action: Tipping the Velvet

February 20th, 2004

Today’s review is a bit “off-topic” since it’s about a live-action DVD, and a western one to boot, rather than something animated or drawn. But, in all honesty, this was SO good, I thought you ought to know about it.

Tipping the Velvet is a truly excellent three-part costume drama based (with reasonable accuracy) on the novel by the same name. TtV was written by Sarah Waters, who also wrote Fingersmithing which was an incredibly surreal and wonderfully weird book…I’d love to see THAT made into a made-for-TV drama!

TtV is a costume play set in Victorian England, dealing with the ups and downs, fame, fortune, loves and lovers of Nan Astley, a fisherman’s daughter who grows up to be a famous stage actress and infamous lesbian. If you want to know more about the story, go visit the BBC website – it’s much more thorough than I could be here. I just want to note a few basic things, like:

1) Rachel Stirling is so amazingly hot as Nan, she’s breathtaking. She’s Diana Rigg’s daughter, and it shows – she has her mother’s sensuality, and her cheekbones but…that voice! She does a superb job and deserves some kind of award for looking that good in a tux.

2) The lesbian sex is very nice. ‘Nuff said.

3) The ending is slightly different from the book, but the outcome the same. To cut to the chase – the girl gets the girl and lives happily ever after.

4) Did I mention the copiuos sex scenes?

Anyway – this is a DVD at least worth a rent, if not a buy. Great story, fantastic acting, hot women…magnificent clothes and a yuri lover’s fantasy ending. This gets 10s all the way around. Put it on your “To Watch” list immediately and thank me later.

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