WITH IT'S infamous fireplace scene of two men wrestling naked, it was, in
its day, one of the most controversial films ever made in Britain, with
audiences flocking to cinemas to be shocked and scandalised. Ken
Russell’s 1969 screen adaptation of D. H. Lawrence’s Women In Love
was a vivid celebration of sensuality and sexuality.
THE STORY of the
lives and loves of two sisters, Ursula and Gudrun Brangwen, it was
provocative and erotic, and the abundant nudity – both female and male –
provoked outrage. An updated version of Lawrence’s story was produced and broadcast by the BBC in 2011. Beautifully made and
brilliantly acted, it has no less flesh on view than in Russell’s film
and yet no one batted an eyelid.
IT WAS a sign of the times and an irony that was not lost on Linden. Her luminous beauty lit up the screen and set male pulses racing the
world over. Although nominated for a Bafta for her performance in Russell’s film,
she gave up the chance of Hollywood because she wanted to
bring up her son Rupert in England. . . .
BUT, before all this drama and promise of super-stardom, back
in 1965 Jennie played Barbara, niece to Peter Cushing's Dr Who in the
first of AARU's big screen adaptions of the BBC television series Dr
Who. The programme and it's most popular aliens. THE DALEKS were taking
the country by storm, and DALEKMANIA had started. Sadly, when the
producers decided to make another Dr Who Dalek film, Jenny's role was
taken by another actress, Jill Curzon . . . the reason? Maybe in time,
we may all find out!
IMMEDIATELY,
after work on 'Dr Who' with Cushing, Linden followed him onto the
stage in a production of Ben Traver's 'THARK' from August 3rd at the
Garrick theatre and then in the West End at the Yvonne Arnaud, until
December 1965.
IN AN INTERVIEW at the time the play was running in Guildford, Cushing remembered that his character Sir Hector was called to share a four poster bed with his nephew, Ronnie (Alec McCowen) in the 'Haunted House' of 'Thark'. The rake (slope) of the stage was exceptionally steep and the bed, on castors, would edge closer and closer to the edge of the stage. 'We were, in danger of going 'Over The Top'! Director, Ray Cooney suggested that they push the bed back up stage, to the encouragement of the audience..!
JENNIE LINDEN was born in Worthing to Marcus and Freida Fletcher, an
architect and housewife. She attended the Central School of Speech and
Drama at the age of 17 on a scholarship. Her classmates included Julie
Christie and Vanessa and Lynn Redgrave. Her earliest film appearances
were as the heroine in Hammer Film's 'Nightmare' (1964) and Barbara in
'Dr. Who and the Daleks' (1965).
HER MOST widely known film role was as Ursula in Women in Love (1969),
for which she received a BAFTA nomination, and she also appeared
opposite Lee Remick and Ian Holm in the film version of Iris Murdoch's
novel 'A Severed Head' (1970). Her later film appearances included
'Vampira' (1974), 'Hedda' (1975), 'Valentino' (1977), and 'Charlie
Muffin' (1979).
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