Tipping the Velvet (2002)

Directed by: Geoffrey Sax | 180 minutes | drama, romance | Actors: Rachael Stirling, Keeley Hawes, Anna Chancellor, Jodhi May, Hugh Bonneville, Johnny Vegas, Alexei Sayle, John Bowe, Sally Hawkins, Louis Alderton, Nick Bartlett, Diane Beck, Di Botcher, Carl Chase, Edward Clayton

Strapons, lesbian sex and a prostitute dressed in men’s clothes: sounds like the recipe for a bad American adolescent comedy. Strangely enough, ‘Tipping the Velvet’ is a series from the respected BBC stable. Has the British quality channel reduced itself to making sad sex farces or is there more to it?

‘Tipping the Velvet’ is set in Victorian times. The England of 1890 roughly consists of two population groups: rich and poor. While the less fortunate are desperately trying to make a living, the elite live in decadence. The beautiful Nan Ashley (Stirling) is not well off, but nevertheless she is quite content with her life. The girl lives with her family in a boring village. Our heroine’s life changes when she sees Kitty in a revue theater. Kitty performs in musicals in which she plays the role of male playboys. When Nan falls in love with the artist, she thinks she has finally found happiness. When Kitty turns out to have a double agenda, Nancy goes downhill.

Just to get straight to the point: ‘Tipping the Velvet’ is a strange series with unusual situations and characters. Is that bad? No, it isn’t, in fact the original structure and grotesque situations give the film a unique face. However you look at it, you will never see a series like ‘Tipping the Velvet’ again. The love story between Nan and Kitty is presented in a bold and strikingly stylish way.

Stylish with strap-on dildos? Sounds like a contradiction you might think, but ‘Tipping the Velvet’ never gets rancid. The camera work is original and tasteful, there is no explicit sex. The focus is on Nan’s character development and the etiquette of Victorian England. Old British society has a clear distinction between rich and poor, something Nan finds rather painfully behind. The girl ends up in the gutter from the theater world.

The decline from poor to rich has already been seen in many films and TV series, but the way in which Nan falls from her pedestal is very violent. The fact that our heroine is a lesbian doesn’t help her either. Homosexuals were not particularly popular in old England. Although the role of Nan is not played by a lesbian actress, Stirling manages to portray the tragedy of her character very convincingly.

In addition to Stirling, Hawes is also on a roll as the free-spirited revue artist Kitty. In fact, you can safely conclude that every actor and actress delivers a strong performance. The BBC has a strong nose for talent and ‘Tipping the Velvet’ is no exception. The soundtrack should also be there. The music is atmospheric, subdued and even cheerful. The tracks that you hear in the revue scenes are very well written and you can’t get it out of your head. The editing is smooth and creates an airy atmosphere that weakens the heavy drama. The series has struck a nice balance between melancholy and feel-good cinema.

Strong acting, an atmospheric soundtrack and a smooth editing: sounds like a classic! At least that’s what you would think, unfortunately ‘Tipping the Velvet’ has some beauty flaws. The structure of the series is rather weird. The series has been released in three parts. In the first part, you get to know Nan and see how her relationship with Kitty begins. The opening episode is sweet, moving and modest. So nothing to worry about. The second episode, however, is an entirely different story. The show is shocking, intense and slightly over the top. The series takes revenge at the final, but the story structure is strange.

The plot unfolds rather abruptly and that comes across as strange. What you also have to get used to is Starling’s somewhat plaintive voice. The actress does the voice overs and sometimes her vocal range gets on the nerves. Don’t let that stop you from checking out ‘Tipping the Velvet’ though. The shows are daring, moving and original. A better cliché like “A little strange, but nice” doesn’t apply to this BBC product.