Would you like to inspect the original subtitles? These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated:
1
00:00:06,600 --> 00:00:08,840
'In our modern world,
there's something
2
00:00:08,840 --> 00:00:12,960
'we've all searched for -
romantic love.
3
00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:17,000
'I've been investigating its history.
4
00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:20,200
'Seeing how the Georgians
and Victorians invented
5
00:00:20,200 --> 00:00:23,080
'so many of the traditions
of romance.'
6
00:00:23,080 --> 00:00:25,680
# I wish a falling star
7
00:00:25,680 --> 00:00:27,080
# Could fall forever...#
8
00:00:27,080 --> 00:00:30,320
'But the main revolution
is yet to come.'
9
00:00:30,320 --> 00:00:34,560
# And sparkle through the clouds
and stormy weather...#
10
00:00:34,560 --> 00:00:36,560
'When the idea of finding The One
11
00:00:36,560 --> 00:00:40,960
'would become the central focus
of our desires.'
12
00:00:40,960 --> 00:00:43,360
During the first
half of the 20th century,
13
00:00:43,360 --> 00:00:48,200
there was more social upheaval than
at any point in history.
14
00:00:48,200 --> 00:00:51,960
And out of this turmoil came
romance as we know it today.
15
00:00:52,960 --> 00:00:57,840
'As women became indispensible,
their needs began to matter.
16
00:00:57,840 --> 00:01:02,160
'A new kind of fiction
emerged for a new kind of woman.
17
00:01:02,160 --> 00:01:04,640
'It was racy, explicit.
18
00:01:04,640 --> 00:01:09,000
'It was devoured avidly
and lived out in reality.
19
00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:13,520
'It didn't stop at boundaries
of class, or sexuality.
20
00:01:13,520 --> 00:01:17,880
'This new kind of romance was
based on the idea that a soulmate
21
00:01:17,880 --> 00:01:20,520
'was essential
to personal fulfilment.'
22
00:01:22,320 --> 00:01:27,400
By the end of the century,
romance wasn't just highly desirable,
23
00:01:27,400 --> 00:01:31,640
it had become a right,
to be demanded by everybody.
24
00:01:31,640 --> 00:01:35,200
Welcome to the age of modern romance.
25
00:01:35,200 --> 00:01:37,880
# And let's never
26
00:01:37,880 --> 00:01:41,960
# Stop falling in love. #
27
00:01:47,360 --> 00:01:51,640
'It's 1917 and the Great War
is at its peak.'
28
00:01:53,720 --> 00:01:57,000
Millions of men have been taken away.
29
00:01:57,000 --> 00:02:00,320
Not just from home,
but from a generation of women.
30
00:02:01,960 --> 00:02:04,560
The sixth formers
of the Bournemouth Girls' School
31
00:02:04,560 --> 00:02:09,440
have assembled for an important
address from their senior mistress.
32
00:02:09,440 --> 00:02:13,040
Girls, I have something
terrible to tell you.
33
00:02:13,040 --> 00:02:17,480
Only one in ten of you
can ever hope to marry.
34
00:02:17,480 --> 00:02:22,960
The men who might have married you
have all been killed.
35
00:02:22,960 --> 00:02:27,840
You will have to make your way
in the world as best you can.
36
00:02:32,840 --> 00:02:37,400
Sitting amongst the pupils in that
classroom was Rosamund Essex.
37
00:02:37,400 --> 00:02:40,680
And years later, when she came
to write her autobiography,
38
00:02:40,680 --> 00:02:43,680
she remembered what a significant
moment that had been.
39
00:02:43,680 --> 00:02:49,200
"It was one of the most
fateful statements of my life.
40
00:02:49,200 --> 00:02:52,880
"Quite simply,
there was no-one available."
41
00:02:52,880 --> 00:02:54,880
"There would be no husband,
42
00:02:54,880 --> 00:02:58,040
"no children, no sexual outlet,
43
00:02:58,040 --> 00:03:00,520
"no natural bond of man and woman.
44
00:03:00,520 --> 00:03:03,320
"It was going to be a struggle
indeed."
45
00:03:05,080 --> 00:03:07,200
And it turned out
that only one in ten
46
00:03:07,200 --> 00:03:09,960
of Rosamund's classmates
would get married.
47
00:03:09,960 --> 00:03:12,400
And she was among those who didn't.
48
00:03:14,400 --> 00:03:17,600
The gulf between the sexes
had never been greater.
49
00:03:20,080 --> 00:03:22,040
Many of the men who had survived
the war
50
00:03:22,040 --> 00:03:25,320
were physically
or emotionally broken.
51
00:03:27,080 --> 00:03:31,880
A generation of so-called
surplus women were left unmarried
52
00:03:31,880 --> 00:03:34,880
and were also left
holding things together.
53
00:03:34,880 --> 00:03:38,120
'Romance seemed far out of reach.
54
00:03:38,120 --> 00:03:40,720
'Fortunately, help was at hand.'
55
00:03:41,840 --> 00:03:44,760
In 1919, many thousands
of British women
56
00:03:44,760 --> 00:03:46,880
indulged in a little light relief.
57
00:03:46,880 --> 00:03:48,400
The Sheik.
58
00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:51,200
It was the 50 Shades of Grey
of its day.
59
00:03:51,200 --> 00:03:55,200
It was a steamy, erotic,
sensational tale.
60
00:03:55,200 --> 00:03:58,880
It was a must-read,
whether you admitted it or not.
61
00:04:02,520 --> 00:04:04,320
'The Sheik was so successful
62
00:04:04,320 --> 00:04:07,880
'that Hollywood studios fought over
the movie rights.
63
00:04:07,880 --> 00:04:12,440
'Within a couple of years, the film,
starring Rudolph Valentino,
64
00:04:12,440 --> 00:04:15,240
'was breaking box-office records.
65
00:04:15,240 --> 00:04:18,760
'It offered exactly the escapist
thrill that women needed.
66
00:04:20,400 --> 00:04:24,720
'A journey to a world that couldn't
be further from reality.
67
00:04:24,720 --> 00:04:27,400
'So, what's it all about? Well...'
68
00:04:27,400 --> 00:04:31,240
The fiercely-independent
Miss Diana Mayo
69
00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:33,960
has rejected many offers of marriage.
70
00:04:33,960 --> 00:04:37,800
She's chosen instead to go travelling
in the Sahara Desert.
71
00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:40,720
But now she's been captured
by the dangerous
72
00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:43,720
Sheik Ahmed Ben Hassan
and his followers.
73
00:04:43,720 --> 00:04:45,400
This woman, who swore
74
00:04:45,400 --> 00:04:49,640
that she would never bow down
to the authority of a man,
75
00:04:49,640 --> 00:04:52,680
is completely at the mercy
of the sheik.
76
00:04:53,680 --> 00:04:56,720
Here was a physically impressive
alpha male.
77
00:04:56,720 --> 00:05:01,520
A fantasy figure for women who wanted
their men to be strong once again.
78
00:05:04,120 --> 00:05:07,680
"She was trapped!
Powerless, defenceless.
79
00:05:07,680 --> 00:05:09,960
"And behind the heavy curtains
near her
80
00:05:09,960 --> 00:05:13,400
"was the man waiting to claim
what he had taken."
81
00:05:16,760 --> 00:05:20,320
"There was no help to be expected.
No mercy to be hoped for.
82
00:05:20,320 --> 00:05:23,560
"She clenched her hands in anguish!
83
00:05:26,040 --> 00:05:29,440
"The flaming light of desire
burning in his eyes
84
00:05:29,440 --> 00:05:31,520
"turned her sick and faint.
85
00:05:31,520 --> 00:05:33,760
"Her body throbbed
with the consciousness
86
00:05:33,760 --> 00:05:36,040
"of a knowledge that appalled her.
87
00:05:36,040 --> 00:05:38,840
"She understood his purpose
with horror.
88
00:05:38,840 --> 00:05:42,440
" 'Oh, you brute! You brute!'
she wailed,
89
00:05:42,440 --> 00:05:46,000
"until his kisses silenced her."
90
00:05:46,000 --> 00:05:50,720
'But hang on a minute! Our hero
is forcing himself upon our heroine?
91
00:05:50,720 --> 00:05:54,840
'It doesn't make
for an easy read today.
92
00:05:54,840 --> 00:06:00,280
'But in 1919, this was the only way
that readers could accept Diana
93
00:06:00,280 --> 00:06:04,160
'embarking on a sexual relationship
without being married.'
94
00:06:07,040 --> 00:06:10,360
'And it's one that she ends up
enjoying.'
95
00:06:12,600 --> 00:06:17,520
The novel celebrates female
sexual desire without any guilt.
96
00:06:17,520 --> 00:06:20,720
"She lay shaking
with passionate yearning,
97
00:06:20,720 --> 00:06:25,160
"hungry for the clasp of his arms.
Faint with longing."
98
00:06:27,120 --> 00:06:30,160
This spicy page-turner
was the debut novel
99
00:06:30,160 --> 00:06:32,640
of the wife of a pig farmer
from Derbyshire.
100
00:06:34,320 --> 00:06:37,200
Edith Maude Hull,
whose husband, Percy,
101
00:06:37,200 --> 00:06:40,360
had been called up
at the outbreak of war.
102
00:06:40,360 --> 00:06:44,920
The bored and frustrated Edith
wrote the book to distract herself
103
00:06:44,920 --> 00:06:47,040
at a time when she felt
all on her own.
104
00:06:48,480 --> 00:06:50,360
And she obviously struck a chord.
105
00:06:50,360 --> 00:06:52,960
Royalties for The Sheik
and her later novels
106
00:06:52,960 --> 00:06:56,200
came to the equivalent of
£50 million.
107
00:06:56,200 --> 00:06:57,720
Ker-ching!
108
00:06:59,680 --> 00:07:02,680
The 20th century was putting the sex
into romance.
109
00:07:02,680 --> 00:07:05,560
And females everywhere
were lapping it up.
110
00:07:08,560 --> 00:07:10,720
EM Hull understood what women,
111
00:07:10,720 --> 00:07:14,440
both married and unmarried,
wanted in the post-war years.
112
00:07:14,440 --> 00:07:18,440
Her novel was tapping into
a curiosity about sex.
113
00:07:18,440 --> 00:07:20,640
A subject that had been off-limits.
114
00:07:21,800 --> 00:07:24,400
'It was also a topic
that was exercising the minds
115
00:07:24,400 --> 00:07:26,880
'of Britain's scientific community,
116
00:07:26,880 --> 00:07:30,160
'where women were beginning to have
an impact.
117
00:07:30,160 --> 00:07:32,880
'It was from this world of academia
118
00:07:32,880 --> 00:07:35,840
'that a new manifesto
of love emerged.'
119
00:07:37,560 --> 00:07:40,040
At its heart was a radical idea.
120
00:07:40,040 --> 00:07:44,800
That romantic happiness lay in
sexual satisfaction within wedlock.
121
00:07:46,000 --> 00:07:48,280
Of the marriages that had survived
the Great War,
122
00:07:48,280 --> 00:07:50,120
many had been put under strain.
123
00:07:50,120 --> 00:07:52,960
This book promised to reignite them.
124
00:07:54,400 --> 00:07:57,080
"Every heart desires a mate.
125
00:07:57,080 --> 00:07:59,760
"We are incomplete in ourselves.
126
00:07:59,760 --> 00:08:03,720
"There is nothing for which
the innermost spirit yearns
127
00:08:03,720 --> 00:08:06,480
"as for a sense of union
with another soul."
128
00:08:08,080 --> 00:08:10,800
Behind all this flowery,
romantic language
129
00:08:10,800 --> 00:08:12,600
lay a very practical purpose.
130
00:08:14,120 --> 00:08:17,320
Married Love
was an out-and-out sex manual.
131
00:08:17,320 --> 00:08:19,360
It was full of really explicit
detail.
132
00:08:19,360 --> 00:08:21,720
I love the fact that
all this sexy stuff
133
00:08:21,720 --> 00:08:25,960
isn't coming from some exotic
continental psychoanalyst,
134
00:08:25,960 --> 00:08:30,840
it was the work of a highly-respected
expert in prehistoric plants.
135
00:08:32,240 --> 00:08:34,960
Dr Marie Stopes was the embodiment
136
00:08:34,960 --> 00:08:37,400
of the new emancipated woman.
137
00:08:37,400 --> 00:08:41,560
But she believed she'd suffered
as a result of sex ignorance.
138
00:08:41,560 --> 00:08:45,000
'She claimed that her first husband
had been impotent
139
00:08:45,000 --> 00:08:47,320
'and that marriage ended in divorce.
140
00:08:47,320 --> 00:08:51,520
'So she was inspired to explore
a new line of research.'
141
00:08:51,520 --> 00:08:55,200
Marie Stopes' Marriage Manual
is dedicated to,
142
00:08:55,200 --> 00:08:59,560
"Young husbands, and all those
who are betrothed in love".
143
00:08:59,560 --> 00:09:03,200
She set out to educate couples
that having a good sex life,
144
00:09:03,200 --> 00:09:05,200
a satisfying sex life,
145
00:09:05,200 --> 00:09:08,320
was central to the physical
and emotional wellbeing,
146
00:09:08,320 --> 00:09:12,760
both of the man and, here's the
surprising bit, of the woman, too.
147
00:09:13,920 --> 00:09:17,640
"So complex, so profound,
are woman's sex instincts
148
00:09:17,640 --> 00:09:21,360
"that in rousing them, the man
is rousing her whole body and soul.
149
00:09:21,360 --> 00:09:23,960
"And this takes time.
150
00:09:23,960 --> 00:09:28,040
"More time indeed than the average
husband dreams of spending upon it."
151
00:09:28,040 --> 00:09:32,760
OK, then, Marie, so, what's
he actually supposed to do?
152
00:09:32,760 --> 00:09:36,520
"The kissing and the tender fondling
with the lips of a woman's breasts
153
00:09:36,520 --> 00:09:39,600
"is one of the first and surest ways
to make her ready
154
00:09:39,600 --> 00:09:42,680
"for complete
and satisfactory union."
155
00:09:42,680 --> 00:09:44,280
Just to be absolutely clear,
156
00:09:44,280 --> 00:09:48,360
what is it that you mean by,
"complete and satisfactory union"?
157
00:09:48,360 --> 00:09:52,480
"The half-swooning sense of flux
which overtakes the spirit
158
00:09:52,480 --> 00:09:55,640
"in that eternal moment
at the apex of rapture
159
00:09:55,640 --> 00:09:57,840
"sweeps into its flaming tides
160
00:09:57,840 --> 00:10:00,120
"the whole essence of the man
and woman.
161
00:10:01,920 --> 00:10:05,160
"The heat of the contact
vaporises their consciousness
162
00:10:05,160 --> 00:10:08,120
"so that it fills
the whole of cosmic space."
163
00:10:09,520 --> 00:10:14,240
# Fly me to the moon
and let me play among the stars. #
164
00:10:15,440 --> 00:10:17,200
'Wow!
165
00:10:17,200 --> 00:10:21,200
'The book became a massive
talking point and a bestseller.
166
00:10:22,560 --> 00:10:26,960
'The scientist had succeeded in her
intention to electrify the public.'
167
00:10:29,560 --> 00:10:33,280
Marie Stopes had rewritten
the rules of romance.
168
00:10:33,280 --> 00:10:38,360
Traditionally, the wedding had been
seen as the climax of romantic love,
169
00:10:38,360 --> 00:10:41,240
but now it was just the beginning.
170
00:10:41,240 --> 00:10:44,840
If you followed Marie Stopes' advice
and had great sex,
171
00:10:44,840 --> 00:10:48,840
you could keep alive the excitement
of courtship within marriage.
172
00:10:48,840 --> 00:10:53,760
She was suggesting that your spouse
could be a sort of one-stop shop
173
00:10:53,760 --> 00:10:57,040
for all your emotional
and physical needs.
174
00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:02,640
'It was such a powerful idea
that, after publishing her book,
175
00:11:02,640 --> 00:11:05,600
'Stopes received up to 500 letters
a day
176
00:11:05,600 --> 00:11:09,560
'from people desperate to know
the secret to a satisfying marriage.'
177
00:11:12,760 --> 00:11:15,840
The Wellcome Library has a large
collection of this correspondence
178
00:11:15,840 --> 00:11:19,720
and Leslie Hall, Senior Archivist,
has agreed to show me some.
179
00:11:19,720 --> 00:11:22,280
So here is some...just some
of the letters...
180
00:11:22,280 --> 00:11:24,320
Tiny sample... ..written in, to her.
181
00:11:24,320 --> 00:11:27,880
..of the - what, something
like 10,000 letters we have here.
182
00:11:27,880 --> 00:11:32,280
Golly. This is a young woman
who's engaged to a young man -
183
00:11:32,280 --> 00:11:35,360
"..and during this weekend
we were discussing our future
184
00:11:35,360 --> 00:11:37,440
"and my fiance revealed to me
185
00:11:37,440 --> 00:11:41,120
"that he could not reconcile himself
to having children, as he felt
186
00:11:41,120 --> 00:11:44,800
"no sexual desire towards me,
although he loves me exceedingly."
187
00:11:44,800 --> 00:11:48,600
Well, it's a good job she's
discovered that at this stage!
Yes, yes, yes
188
00:11:48,600 --> 00:11:51,720
and I think Stopes responds to that,
pretty much saying,
189
00:11:51,720 --> 00:11:53,840
"I don't think
you should marry him."
190
00:11:53,840 --> 00:11:56,200
"Don't do it! Run!"
191
00:11:56,200 --> 00:11:59,920
A marriage was such...this thing
that people did,
192
00:11:59,920 --> 00:12:02,680
that you feel a lot of people
married
193
00:12:02,680 --> 00:12:06,120
even if they didn't particularly
feel sexual desire either towards
194
00:12:06,120 --> 00:12:09,560
the person they were about to marry,
or at all. Yeah.
195
00:12:09,560 --> 00:12:13,040
This letter over here - he says,
"My wife is now 53 years old.
196
00:12:13,040 --> 00:12:14,960
"We've been married for 14 years
197
00:12:14,960 --> 00:12:18,840
"and she has never experienced
any pleasure in married life -
198
00:12:18,840 --> 00:12:20,920
"what I believe you call orgasm,"
199
00:12:20,920 --> 00:12:23,760
and then he admits that "we've both
done little to induce it.
200
00:12:23,760 --> 00:12:24,840
"What should we do?"
201
00:12:24,840 --> 00:12:26,800
There are lots of letters like that
202
00:12:26,800 --> 00:12:30,520
and you even get people writing to
her who had completely failed
203
00:12:30,520 --> 00:12:36,280
to consummate their marriage for,
you know, long periods of time,
204
00:12:36,280 --> 00:12:37,920
and saying, well, you know,
205
00:12:37,920 --> 00:12:40,680
"Is there any way
we can finally achieve this?"
206
00:12:40,680 --> 00:12:43,160
Yeah. So what Marie Stopes is doing
is fantastic.
207
00:12:43,160 --> 00:12:47,160
She's putting all these people
in touch with their sexual selves.
Exactly. Yes.
208
00:12:47,160 --> 00:12:50,320
Does that suggest to you that
people at the time were desperate
209
00:12:50,320 --> 00:12:53,320
to know this sort of information,
they were thirsty for it?
210
00:12:53,320 --> 00:12:54,800
Absolutely, yes, there was
211
00:12:54,800 --> 00:12:58,720
a real desire for the kind
of information she was giving
212
00:12:58,720 --> 00:13:01,160
in the way that she was giving it.
213
00:13:01,160 --> 00:13:05,680
She's sort of wrapped it up
in this very kind of idealistic
214
00:13:05,680 --> 00:13:09,760
marriage-focussed way
that makes it very acceptable
215
00:13:09,760 --> 00:13:14,560
in a way that I think going straight
to the explicit would not have done.
216
00:13:14,560 --> 00:13:18,600
Yeah. What do you think was the gift
that Marie Stopes gave to couples?
217
00:13:18,600 --> 00:13:22,520
She brought, as it were,
a kind of romance into marriage.
218
00:13:22,520 --> 00:13:25,240
It wasn't just
the precursor to the union.
219
00:13:25,240 --> 00:13:27,840
It was embedded within marriage.
220
00:13:27,840 --> 00:13:30,520
She's opened up the genie's
bottle a bit, hasn't she?
221
00:13:30,520 --> 00:13:31,600
Oh, she has, yes.
222
00:13:31,600 --> 00:13:34,680
I mean, she's saying
it's good for you to experience...
223
00:13:34,680 --> 00:13:37,040
She's saying it's good
and it's important
224
00:13:37,040 --> 00:13:40,120
and everybody should be having
this wonderful experience.
225
00:13:40,120 --> 00:13:42,000
Of course, lots of people couldn't.
226
00:13:42,000 --> 00:13:44,440
What's going to happen?
All sorts of trouble ahead.
227
00:13:44,440 --> 00:13:46,040
All sorts of trouble ahead.
228
00:13:48,760 --> 00:13:52,760
Marie Stopes had bound together
romance and sexuality
229
00:13:52,760 --> 00:13:57,720
and in doing so has helped fashion
the modern notion of what a soulmate
could be.
230
00:14:00,440 --> 00:14:04,120
A very different writer wanted to
explore similar territory
231
00:14:04,120 --> 00:14:08,760
but he wasn't going to kowtow to
contemporary moral convention.
232
00:14:10,240 --> 00:14:14,160
DH Lawrence was a romantic maverick.
233
00:14:14,160 --> 00:14:16,640
In his infamous book,
Lady Chatterley's Lover,
234
00:14:16,640 --> 00:14:19,760
he rips up the rulebook of romance.
235
00:14:19,760 --> 00:14:24,320
He believes the pursuit
of the perfect union shouldn't be
236
00:14:24,320 --> 00:14:27,560
constrained by marriage or by class.
237
00:14:27,560 --> 00:14:31,720
His heroine, the aristocratic
Lady Constance Chatterley,
238
00:14:31,720 --> 00:14:34,880
is married, but she finds
her soulmate
239
00:14:34,880 --> 00:14:37,200
in the gamekeeper Oliver Mellors.
240
00:14:37,200 --> 00:14:40,360
When they finally get together,
it's explosive.
241
00:14:41,360 --> 00:14:46,120
"Her whole self quivered unconscious
and alive, like plasm.
242
00:14:46,120 --> 00:14:48,200
"She could not know what it was.
243
00:14:48,200 --> 00:14:50,880
"She could not remember
what it had been.
244
00:14:50,880 --> 00:14:54,800
"Only that it had been more lovely
than anything ever could be."
245
00:14:54,800 --> 00:14:58,360
It's often remembered
for being a steamy, sexy book
246
00:14:58,360 --> 00:15:03,520
but I think that Lady Chatterley
sits squarely in the great tradition
of British romance.
247
00:15:05,320 --> 00:15:08,920
And it's said to have been
inspired by the real-life love affair
248
00:15:08,920 --> 00:15:11,480
of one of Lawrence's acquaintances.
249
00:15:15,000 --> 00:15:18,240
This is Lady Ottoline Morrell.
250
00:15:18,240 --> 00:15:20,760
She was a very striking-looking
person.
251
00:15:20,760 --> 00:15:24,280
She had a habit of wearing
red high-heeled shoes.
252
00:15:24,280 --> 00:15:27,080
Some people said that she had
strong features,
253
00:15:27,080 --> 00:15:30,360
others that she looked like a horse!
254
00:15:30,360 --> 00:15:32,840
This picture in the
National Portrait Gallery
255
00:15:32,840 --> 00:15:36,120
was painted by her one-time lover
Augustus John.
256
00:15:37,640 --> 00:15:44,800
DH Lawrence said there was only one
Ottoline and "she has moved one's
imagination".
257
00:15:44,800 --> 00:15:48,680
Lady Ottoline was a ferocious
socialite.
258
00:15:48,680 --> 00:15:51,960
In 1902, she'd married
the MP Phillip Morrell
259
00:15:51,960 --> 00:15:57,080
but her happiness ended the minute
she took off her wedding dress.
260
00:15:57,080 --> 00:16:00,040
On their wedding night,
Phillip suddenly announced
261
00:16:00,040 --> 00:16:03,000
that he didn't want to have
a sexual relationship with her.
262
00:16:03,000 --> 00:16:04,840
Bit of a downer!
263
00:16:04,840 --> 00:16:08,000
But just like Lady Chatterley
in Lawrence's novel,
264
00:16:08,000 --> 00:16:10,880
Ottoline found comfort elsewhere.
265
00:16:10,880 --> 00:16:12,920
She had so many affairs that
266
00:16:12,920 --> 00:16:18,080
Lady Ottoline Morrell
earned herself the nickname
of Lady Utterly Immoral.
267
00:16:19,600 --> 00:16:23,640
But there was one affair
that she kept deeply secret.
268
00:16:23,640 --> 00:16:28,160
In 1920, a young stonemason called
Lionel Gomme came to carry out
269
00:16:28,160 --> 00:16:32,520
repairs at her country house,
Garsington Manor.
270
00:16:32,520 --> 00:16:37,320
The aristocrat was immediately drawn
to this handsome workman.
271
00:16:37,320 --> 00:16:42,200
# At last
272
00:16:44,560 --> 00:16:47,840
# My love has come along... #
273
00:16:47,840 --> 00:16:52,280
Ottoline wrote in her diary
that she'd discovered
this "remarkable boy".
274
00:16:52,280 --> 00:16:57,360
He was "extremely beautiful
with a very intelligent face".
275
00:16:57,360 --> 00:17:00,600
But there was a problem -
she was 47 years old,
276
00:17:00,600 --> 00:17:03,360
more than 20 years older than him.
277
00:17:03,360 --> 00:17:07,680
She wondered whether he would ever
show the slightest interest in her.
278
00:17:09,520 --> 00:17:13,720
The sexual adventuress was reduced to
a quivering schoolgirl.
279
00:17:16,080 --> 00:17:18,680
But Lionel did respond eventually
280
00:17:18,680 --> 00:17:21,080
and they embarked on
a passionate affair.
281
00:17:23,440 --> 00:17:27,640
The physical side of their
relationship was a revelation to her.
282
00:17:27,640 --> 00:17:32,640
She confessed that she'd never before
experienced such wild sexual abandon.
283
00:17:34,640 --> 00:17:38,160
In her diary, she describes
Lionel as the only man
284
00:17:38,160 --> 00:17:42,400
she had ever loved
sexually AND emotionally.
285
00:17:42,400 --> 00:17:46,400
But alas, this happiness
would be short-lived.
286
00:17:46,400 --> 00:17:52,000
In 1922, only two years after
Ottoline first set eyes on him,
287
00:17:52,000 --> 00:17:55,200
Lionel suffered a brain haemorrhage.
288
00:17:55,200 --> 00:17:59,920
He died at her home in Oxfordshire,
being cradled in her arms.
289
00:18:04,800 --> 00:18:08,960
Despite Ottoline's efforts to keep
her tragic love affair secret,
290
00:18:08,960 --> 00:18:12,480
rumours of it reached Lawrence.
291
00:18:12,480 --> 00:18:17,440
His novel celebrated the idea of
passion breaking free of constraint.
292
00:18:18,440 --> 00:18:23,080
But it was too much for its time,
and in 1928, it was banned.
293
00:18:25,520 --> 00:18:29,320
However, other people in other
places were also challenging
294
00:18:29,320 --> 00:18:30,800
romantic boundaries.
295
00:18:36,320 --> 00:18:38,600
If you knew where to look
in 1920s London,
296
00:18:38,600 --> 00:18:43,240
you may have spotted a new social
phenomenon - a lesbian scene.
297
00:18:43,240 --> 00:18:46,400
For centuries, there had been
a male homosexual subculture,
298
00:18:46,400 --> 00:18:49,000
but now it was the turn of
the ladies.
299
00:18:49,000 --> 00:18:53,600
RAGTIME PIANO MUSIC
300
00:18:53,600 --> 00:18:55,520
Women's freedom was growing
301
00:18:55,520 --> 00:18:58,280
and many were now
earning their own salary.
302
00:18:59,720 --> 00:19:02,120
After work, they could be found
drinking
303
00:19:02,120 --> 00:19:05,440
and letting off steam
in bars and nightclubs.
304
00:19:07,240 --> 00:19:10,360
Their new independence
was also reflected in a trend
305
00:19:10,360 --> 00:19:12,240
for boyish clothing and hair.
306
00:19:17,720 --> 00:19:23,640
You'd have seen plenty
of androgynous-looking women in
fashionable circles in the 1920s.
307
00:19:23,640 --> 00:19:26,000
For some of them, the style took hold
308
00:19:26,000 --> 00:19:29,000
because it expressed
their sexuality.
309
00:19:29,000 --> 00:19:33,800
It was a visible way of turning
their backs upon traditional
gender roles
310
00:19:33,800 --> 00:19:37,320
and flirting with a new-found
confidence.
311
00:19:37,320 --> 00:19:39,280
# Masculine women, feminine men
312
00:19:39,280 --> 00:19:41,640
# Which is the rooster,
which is the hen
313
00:19:41,640 --> 00:19:45,400
# It's hard to tell 'em apart today
and say... #
314
00:19:45,400 --> 00:19:47,320
Women in masculine attire
315
00:19:47,320 --> 00:19:51,040
and their partners graced the
dance-floors of bohemian nightclubs
316
00:19:51,040 --> 00:19:54,400
like the Orange Tree
and the Cave of Harmony.
317
00:19:56,520 --> 00:20:00,640
# Now we don't know who is who
or even what's what... #
318
00:20:00,640 --> 00:20:03,360
One such couple was the novelist
Radclyffe Hall
319
00:20:03,360 --> 00:20:05,280
and her partner, Una Troubridge.
320
00:20:06,960 --> 00:20:11,080
OK, I know they may not look like
they're the life and soul of the
party here
321
00:20:11,080 --> 00:20:13,560
but their lives were anything
but glum.
322
00:20:16,240 --> 00:20:19,440
Within their social circle, they -
and others like them -
323
00:20:19,440 --> 00:20:23,200
were able to conduct their
relationships without drawing
attention.
324
00:20:23,200 --> 00:20:27,320
But the rest of society
wasn't so open-minded.
325
00:20:30,640 --> 00:20:34,840
Radclyffe Hall was tired of living
a semi-secret life.
326
00:20:34,840 --> 00:20:38,600
She decided to risk her successful
career as an author
327
00:20:38,600 --> 00:20:43,440
by writing a novel about
what she called "sexual inversion".
328
00:20:43,440 --> 00:20:46,640
The book's title was
The Well of Loneliness.
329
00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:51,680
Radclyffe Hall wanted to take
things overground.
330
00:20:51,680 --> 00:20:55,520
She thought that her romance was as
valid a romance as anyone else's
331
00:20:55,520 --> 00:21:00,120
and what better way to prove it
than by using the
form of the romantic novel?
332
00:21:01,560 --> 00:21:05,000
The book's protagonist,
Stephen Gordon, has all the
333
00:21:05,000 --> 00:21:08,200
qualities you'd hope for
in a romantic hero -
334
00:21:08,200 --> 00:21:13,520
expert rider, keen scholar,
successful novelist
335
00:21:13,520 --> 00:21:17,040
and a war veteran
with a passion for sharp suits
336
00:21:17,040 --> 00:21:19,200
and an eye for the ladies.
337
00:21:19,200 --> 00:21:22,600
There's just one difference -
Stephen Gordon is a woman.
338
00:21:28,280 --> 00:21:33,360
After a series of doomed affairs,
she finds romantic love with Mary,
339
00:21:33,360 --> 00:21:36,600
whom she meets while driving
ambulances during the war.
340
00:21:38,640 --> 00:21:41,160
But living under society's
disapproval,
341
00:21:41,160 --> 00:21:45,280
they miss having a complete
and normal existence.
342
00:21:53,560 --> 00:21:56,200
Radclyffe Hall wanted to
draw attention to the
343
00:21:56,200 --> 00:21:59,840
loneliness and the isolation that
could be experienced
344
00:21:59,840 --> 00:22:04,120
by anyone living beyond the
boundaries of heterosexuality.
345
00:22:04,120 --> 00:22:06,280
She knew that by coming out
like this,
346
00:22:06,280 --> 00:22:09,360
her life would never
be the same again.
347
00:22:09,360 --> 00:22:11,360
But she felt it was worth it
348
00:22:11,360 --> 00:22:14,440
to convey something of the doubt
and the self-hatred
349
00:22:14,440 --> 00:22:19,000
that might be felt by
these so-called sexual deviants.
350
00:22:20,560 --> 00:22:24,680
She told her publisher that her new
book required complete commitment.
351
00:22:26,440 --> 00:22:28,600
Not a single word was to be altered.
352
00:22:30,320 --> 00:22:33,920
"Then Stephen took
Angela into her arms,
353
00:22:33,920 --> 00:22:39,280
"and she kissed her full on the lips,
as a lover.
354
00:22:39,280 --> 00:22:42,120
"Through the long years of life
that followed after,
355
00:22:42,120 --> 00:22:46,000
"Stephen was never to forget this
summer when she fell quite simply and
356
00:22:46,000 --> 00:22:51,040
"naturally in love, in accordance
with the dictates of her nature."
357
00:22:52,640 --> 00:22:57,800
When the novel was published in 1928,
there was instant controversy.
358
00:22:57,800 --> 00:23:00,040
One particularly vicious campaign
359
00:23:00,040 --> 00:23:04,480
was orchestrated by James Douglas
of the Sunday Express.
360
00:23:04,480 --> 00:23:08,800
"I", he said, "would rather give
a healthy boy or a healthy girl
361
00:23:08,800 --> 00:23:11,720
"prussic acid than this novel."
362
00:23:13,920 --> 00:23:18,320
Some powerful contemporaries
came springing to
Radclyffe Hall's defence.
363
00:23:19,840 --> 00:23:22,760
The novelist EM Forster
led the protest
364
00:23:22,760 --> 00:23:26,040
by drafting a letter in support
of The Well Of Loneliness.
365
00:23:27,400 --> 00:23:31,400
Despite this, on 9th November,
the book became the subject
366
00:23:31,400 --> 00:23:33,080
of an obscenity trial.
367
00:23:34,280 --> 00:23:38,760
Radclyffe Hall renewed her vow to
smash "the conspiracy of silence"
368
00:23:38,760 --> 00:23:40,240
on the lesbian issue
369
00:23:40,240 --> 00:23:44,960
and to defeat censorship
"on behalf of English literature".
370
00:23:44,960 --> 00:23:50,400
At the trial, Radclyffe Hall's
lawyer tried to argue that there was
nothing wrong with the book -
371
00:23:50,400 --> 00:23:54,360
it just showed innocent friendship
between women.
372
00:23:54,360 --> 00:23:56,840
Radclyffe Hall herself
was pretty furious.
373
00:23:56,840 --> 00:23:59,440
She saw this
as a betrayal of her work.
374
00:24:00,440 --> 00:24:04,800
She said, "I am proud and happy
to have taken up my pen
375
00:24:04,800 --> 00:24:07,600
"in defence of the persecuted."
376
00:24:07,600 --> 00:24:09,560
Like many women of her generation,
377
00:24:09,560 --> 00:24:15,440
her sexuality - lesbian or not - now
formed a key part of her identity.
378
00:24:15,440 --> 00:24:17,040
She wasn't going to deny it.
379
00:24:19,040 --> 00:24:22,040
Radclyffe Hall believed that
she and others like her
380
00:24:22,040 --> 00:24:24,920
should not be deprived
of the right to love.
381
00:24:26,680 --> 00:24:30,280
The book's only real sexual reference
consisted of the words
382
00:24:30,280 --> 00:24:33,480
"and that night,
they were not divided",
383
00:24:33,480 --> 00:24:35,800
But she lost her battle
and it was banned.
384
00:24:36,960 --> 00:24:41,160
The establishment made sure those
at the leading edge, like DH Lawrence
385
00:24:41,160 --> 00:24:46,080
and Radclyffe Hall, would have to
wait to get their ideas out.
386
00:24:46,080 --> 00:24:50,600
But even in the mainstream,
people were beginning to liberate
themselves.
387
00:24:53,560 --> 00:24:58,080
By the 1930s, a less inhibited
generation were coming of age.
388
00:24:59,920 --> 00:25:04,160
They wanted a romantic night out
but with a greater level of intimacy.
389
00:25:06,120 --> 00:25:10,360
So much so that it's come to be
seen as a golden age of courtship.
390
00:25:14,360 --> 00:25:18,960
The cinema offered excitement,
glamour and romance.
391
00:25:18,960 --> 00:25:20,120
Ticket, please!
392
00:25:23,160 --> 00:25:27,840
But it wasn't just the escapist
entertainment on screen
that appealed.
393
00:25:27,840 --> 00:25:32,440
To young people, the cinema also
promised a different kind of
pleasure.
394
00:25:35,200 --> 00:25:38,200
Its dimmed lighting,
comfortable seating
395
00:25:38,200 --> 00:25:42,200
and hidden corners provided
the perfect environment for hands to
396
00:25:42,200 --> 00:25:46,160
roam and for members of the audience
to get to know each other better.
397
00:25:47,520 --> 00:25:51,760
My date for this evening is cinema
expert Lawrence Napper.
398
00:25:51,760 --> 00:25:54,760
What was it like for people
in the 1930s,
399
00:25:54,760 --> 00:25:58,000
going into a dark room
full of other people?
400
00:25:58,000 --> 00:26:01,360
Cinema's important in terms of
client of courtship, partly because
401
00:26:01,360 --> 00:26:04,320
it is... it's a public space,
so, you can say, well, you know,
402
00:26:04,320 --> 00:26:07,040
"I wasn't doing anything untoward.
Everyone was around me.
403
00:26:07,040 --> 00:26:10,680
"They could see me," but it's also a
bit private, cos it's quite dark and
404
00:26:10,680 --> 00:26:14,840
you CAN sort of get up to nefarious
things without really be noticed.
405
00:26:14,840 --> 00:26:16,400
Perfect for a date, then?
406
00:26:16,400 --> 00:26:18,880
Perfect for a date,
and of course, you know,
407
00:26:18,880 --> 00:26:22,040
to enhance that feeling of romance
you might want from the date,
408
00:26:22,040 --> 00:26:24,880
you've got a film that's showing
romantic activities,
409
00:26:24,880 --> 00:26:27,520
which is kind of encouraging
ideas of romance and glamour.
410
00:26:27,520 --> 00:26:28,840
Just to get you into the mood.
411
00:26:28,840 --> 00:26:30,960
To get you into the mood,
absolutely.
412
00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:40,520
British audiences were being
dazzled by Hollywood's version
of romance.
413
00:26:40,520 --> 00:26:44,480
Film had now replaced the novel
in teaching us the rules of love.
414
00:26:46,560 --> 00:26:49,760
What's the secret of the
success of a film like Top Hat?
415
00:26:49,760 --> 00:26:55,240
Well, it offers you an idea
of an exciting physical encounter
416
00:26:55,240 --> 00:26:59,520
with a member of the opposite
sex that is pleasurable.
417
00:26:59,520 --> 00:27:04,040
# Heaven, I'm in heaven
418
00:27:04,040 --> 00:27:09,680
# And my heart beats
so that I can hardly speak... #
419
00:27:09,680 --> 00:27:12,640
And the dance, to a certain extent,
is a kind of seduction
420
00:27:12,640 --> 00:27:16,360
so you get these dance sequences
where at the beginning,
421
00:27:16,360 --> 00:27:18,560
she's slightly resistant,
he does a few taps,
422
00:27:18,560 --> 00:27:22,240
she sort of, like, moves forward,
she sort of mirrors him a bit.
423
00:27:26,760 --> 00:27:29,920
But by the end of a number
like Cheek To Cheek, of course,
424
00:27:29,920 --> 00:27:32,680
she's completely submissive to him.
425
00:27:32,680 --> 00:27:35,600
She's striking poses,
she's doing all those jumps,
426
00:27:35,600 --> 00:27:37,880
where actually,
she is supported by him.
427
00:27:37,880 --> 00:27:39,560
She couldn't physically do them
428
00:27:39,560 --> 00:27:42,440
if he wasn't there supporting her
in those dance moves.
429
00:27:42,440 --> 00:27:46,440
You can think of the dance
as a kind of metaphor for sex.
430
00:27:46,440 --> 00:27:47,640
Well, totally.
431
00:27:47,640 --> 00:27:50,600
There's that bit when she swoons
and she's practically dead
432
00:27:50,600 --> 00:27:52,400
and we all know
what's happened there.
433
00:27:52,400 --> 00:27:55,000
Absolutely, and Cheek To Cheek
absolutely does that.
434
00:27:55,000 --> 00:27:57,640
That number, you know,
it builds up to climax where...
435
00:27:57,640 --> 00:27:59,840
and as you say, she's like...
HE INHALES
436
00:27:59,840 --> 00:28:02,920
..just breathing
and then it's sort of,
437
00:28:02,920 --> 00:28:06,560
the climax is the end of the dance,
more or less.
438
00:28:06,560 --> 00:28:10,160
People of all classes are flocking to
the cinema, aren't they?
They love it.
439
00:28:10,160 --> 00:28:13,280
Yes, absolutely. I mean,
it's definitely something that
440
00:28:13,280 --> 00:28:16,800
appeals to people across the board.
The cinema is somewhere where
441
00:28:16,800 --> 00:28:19,480
you can kind of fantasise
about a different life,
442
00:28:19,480 --> 00:28:24,000
a life where romance is about having
a really hot dancing partner,
443
00:28:24,000 --> 00:28:27,720
as opposed to maybe the slightly
drab blokes who are knocking
around... Yeah!
444
00:28:27,720 --> 00:28:29,960
..that you actually might be
able to go out with.
445
00:28:29,960 --> 00:28:33,200
Well, good luck to them.
I don't think they'll find
a partner that good!
446
00:28:33,200 --> 00:28:35,520
Though she went backwards
and in heels, remember.
447
00:28:35,520 --> 00:28:37,160
She did go backwards and in heels
448
00:28:37,160 --> 00:28:39,640
and she was a pretty good dancer,
it has to be said.
449
00:28:44,440 --> 00:28:47,960
The cinema wasn't the only place
where the new codes of dating
450
00:28:47,960 --> 00:28:49,200
were being explored.
451
00:28:51,080 --> 00:28:53,240
Amid the glitz of London's West End,
452
00:28:53,240 --> 00:28:58,240
you could find another type of
romantic encounter being perfected.
453
00:28:58,240 --> 00:29:00,240
# Have you seen the well-to-do
454
00:29:00,240 --> 00:29:03,360
# Up on Lennox Avenue
455
00:29:03,360 --> 00:29:05,360
# On that famous thoroughfare
456
00:29:05,360 --> 00:29:07,680
# With their noses in the air... #
457
00:29:07,680 --> 00:29:12,400
A tryst that couldn't have happened
just a few decades earlier.
458
00:29:12,400 --> 00:29:14,960
It would have been completely
unacceptable
459
00:29:14,960 --> 00:29:19,480
for a respectable young lady
to be wined and dined
all by herself by a gentleman.
460
00:29:21,200 --> 00:29:24,480
But now, glamorous new
eateries were opening up
461
00:29:24,480 --> 00:29:28,440
and a table for two was
the ultimate romantic date.
462
00:29:28,440 --> 00:29:32,520
# Oh, come with me
and we'll attend their two bits
463
00:29:32,520 --> 00:29:36,600
# Puttin' on the Ritz. #
464
00:29:36,600 --> 00:29:41,000
Quaglino's opened its doors
in 1929
465
00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:44,320
to cater for this new market of
courting couples,
466
00:29:44,320 --> 00:29:47,400
and it quickly became
the place to be seen.
467
00:29:49,960 --> 00:29:54,880
I'm lucky enough to be stepping out
tonight with food writer
James Pembroke.
468
00:29:54,880 --> 00:29:56,440
There's your friend, the maitre d'.
469
00:29:56,440 --> 00:29:58,880
Exactly. Maitre d'!
470
00:29:58,880 --> 00:30:01,200
Perfect.
471
00:30:01,200 --> 00:30:03,160
Very good.
472
00:30:03,160 --> 00:30:04,520
Now, let's get some champagne.
473
00:30:04,520 --> 00:30:06,200
Excuse me! Champagne.
474
00:30:06,200 --> 00:30:08,320
Ah, here we go. Wahey!
475
00:30:09,720 --> 00:30:13,640
I guess that this was a pretty
intimate new situation that men
476
00:30:13,640 --> 00:30:15,280
and women would find each other in?
477
00:30:15,280 --> 00:30:18,920
Absolutely. I think there was
also a great ritual about it.
478
00:30:18,920 --> 00:30:22,200
They'd all seen the big screen,
they'd seen their film stars
479
00:30:22,200 --> 00:30:25,280
descending on a table,
they'd seen a man pull up a chair.
480
00:30:25,280 --> 00:30:28,320
They knew how to do it.
They'd seen this in action. Mmm.
481
00:30:28,320 --> 00:30:30,960
And also,
restaurants were dimly lit. Yes.
482
00:30:30,960 --> 00:30:34,080
You also had a very sexy waiter
which made you feel better.
SHE LAUGHS
483
00:30:34,080 --> 00:30:39,040
and he'd definitely, definitely not
be English. So the chaperone, your
old maiden aunt, has turned into...
484
00:30:39,040 --> 00:30:40,560
Turned into... ..a sexy young man.
485
00:30:40,560 --> 00:30:43,000
..has basically turned into
a very sexy Italian.
486
00:30:43,000 --> 00:30:45,800
It's amazing to think that
this is the first time that men
487
00:30:45,800 --> 00:30:47,680
and women are sort of going out
488
00:30:47,680 --> 00:30:50,960
and eating in each other's company
on a really widespread scale.
489
00:30:50,960 --> 00:30:53,960
It's not that long ago, is it?
No, it's not at all. Not at all.
490
00:30:53,960 --> 00:30:56,640
Going out alone with a man
in a restaurant
491
00:30:56,640 --> 00:30:58,800
really would have been
a risque thing to do,
492
00:30:58,800 --> 00:31:01,400
a certain type of woman
would have done that. Yes.
493
00:31:01,400 --> 00:31:04,360
They certainly wouldn't walk
into a restaurant until basically
494
00:31:04,360 --> 00:31:07,400
after the First World War. They just
wouldn't, in any way alone.
495
00:31:07,400 --> 00:31:09,840
It was disreputable.
Absolutely, disreputable.
496
00:31:09,840 --> 00:31:13,000
Some pretty loose characters
in there and it was known for that.
497
00:31:13,000 --> 00:31:15,440
How would a date work in the 1930s?
You would ask me?
498
00:31:15,440 --> 00:31:18,800
I would ask you and then we'd either
meet for cocktails somewhere,
499
00:31:18,800 --> 00:31:23,800
or we'd meet at the restaurant, but
what's different from nowadays is
we wouldn't probably look at menus.
500
00:31:23,800 --> 00:31:26,360
I would have rung ahead
and I would have chosen the menu
501
00:31:26,360 --> 00:31:30,440
with the maitre d' and I'd
probably try and find out if you
didn't like fish or anything,
502
00:31:30,440 --> 00:31:35,000
but everyone ate everything then,
there were no allergies, so you kept
going and collapsed if necessary.
503
00:31:35,000 --> 00:31:38,200
They'd start with caviar, a typical
menu would start with caviar.
504
00:31:38,200 --> 00:31:42,840
They'd then move on to turtle
soup... Turtle soup? Turtle soup.
505
00:31:42,840 --> 00:31:45,360
Wow! Left over from the sort of
Georgian era.
506
00:31:45,360 --> 00:31:49,080
And then they'd have a salmon mousse
and then, which is
507
00:31:49,080 --> 00:31:52,360
still on the menu now, supreme
de volaille. Chicken supreme.
508
00:31:52,360 --> 00:31:55,040
This is it. This is it.
Absolutely, same thing.
509
00:31:55,040 --> 00:31:58,120
And then after that, they would
even have a little asparagus salad
510
00:31:58,120 --> 00:32:02,040
and after that, a little light
pudding and some frivolites,
511
00:32:02,040 --> 00:32:05,200
so little petit fours or cakes or
something. Frivolities. Frivolites.
512
00:32:05,200 --> 00:32:07,320
Exactly.
I would have chosen the wines.
513
00:32:07,320 --> 00:32:11,560
Probably a different wine with every
course. And wine was cheap.
514
00:32:11,560 --> 00:32:15,280
My goodness! So going out was not
that expensive, across the board.
515
00:32:15,280 --> 00:32:19,120
It's a lot more expensive today,
as a proportion of people's incomes.
516
00:32:19,120 --> 00:32:22,160
Massively more expensive. 150 times
more expensive... Wow! Yeah.
517
00:32:22,160 --> 00:32:25,120
Absolutely. And it was always
the men that paid. Always.
518
00:32:25,120 --> 00:32:28,680
It would have always been.
This is why people in the novels
of the 1930s are going out
519
00:32:28,680 --> 00:32:31,320
the whole time, they can afford
to do it. Absolutely.
520
00:32:31,320 --> 00:32:34,160
When it came to - let's go out
tonight, love, the flicks was
521
00:32:34,160 --> 00:32:36,880
all very well, but what they really
wanted was a bit of glamour.
522
00:32:36,880 --> 00:32:39,400
They'd seen on the flicks people
eating in restaurants,
523
00:32:39,400 --> 00:32:41,720
it was the breakthrough
and it was very widespread.
524
00:32:41,720 --> 00:32:44,560
Obviously Quaglino's
was for the rich, definitely,
525
00:32:44,560 --> 00:32:47,520
but all over Soho, there were
tonnes of little cheap restaurant,
526
00:32:47,520 --> 00:32:50,880
for two and six, serving five course
dinners, so there was a major
527
00:32:50,880 --> 00:32:54,560
restaurant boom, cos basically
people wanted to party.
It was the jazz mania.
528
00:32:54,560 --> 00:32:57,120
It was dancing, music,
and it was wild times.
529
00:32:58,720 --> 00:33:02,080
But the party looked
set to end in 1939,
530
00:33:02,080 --> 00:33:04,280
as another war broke out.
531
00:33:06,480 --> 00:33:10,480
Britain experienced mass casualties
on home soil for the first time.
532
00:33:11,760 --> 00:33:15,120
You didn't have to be on the
frontline to be at risk of death.
533
00:33:17,400 --> 00:33:21,600
The bombs brought fear,
but also a strange kind of thrill,
534
00:33:21,600 --> 00:33:24,520
as the danger drew people together.
535
00:33:24,520 --> 00:33:27,640
BOMBS EXPLODE
536
00:33:27,640 --> 00:33:29,720
One young woman who wrote frankly
537
00:33:29,720 --> 00:33:33,320
about her experiences during
the Blitz was Joan Wyndham.
538
00:33:34,440 --> 00:33:39,520
Huddled in her air raid shelter,
Joan wrote secretly and obsessively
539
00:33:39,520 --> 00:33:44,800
about the strange but exhilarating
times that she was living through.
540
00:33:44,800 --> 00:33:47,080
"The war," she remembered later,
541
00:33:47,080 --> 00:33:51,480
"was the most exciting thing
that had ever happened to me.
542
00:33:51,480 --> 00:33:54,680
"One never knew what one
was going to lose first -
543
00:33:54,680 --> 00:33:56,720
"one's life or one's virginity."
544
00:33:58,600 --> 00:34:01,720
In her memoirs,
Joan candidly details her social
545
00:34:01,720 --> 00:34:04,920
and sexual encounters
throughout the war.
546
00:34:07,960 --> 00:34:12,200
"I can't help feeling that
each moment may be my last."
547
00:34:12,200 --> 00:34:13,680
EXPLOSIONS
548
00:34:13,680 --> 00:34:16,960
"And as the opposite of
death is life, I think
549
00:34:16,960 --> 00:34:19,560
"that I shall get seduced
by Rupert tomorrow.
550
00:34:22,040 --> 00:34:25,480
"After lunch,
we laid down and tried to sleep,
551
00:34:25,480 --> 00:34:27,280
"but there was another air raid.
552
00:34:28,600 --> 00:34:31,520
"Then Rupert finally put his hand
under my jersey, took
553
00:34:31,520 --> 00:34:35,920
"hold of my right breast and said,
'Do you still want to be seduced?'
554
00:34:35,920 --> 00:34:38,120
" 'Yes,' I said."
555
00:34:39,480 --> 00:34:41,960
# Put your arms around me, honey
556
00:34:41,960 --> 00:34:44,480
# Hold me tight... #
557
00:34:44,480 --> 00:34:48,240
And it wasn't just Joan who
succumbed to war aphrodisia.
558
00:34:49,960 --> 00:34:53,680
As one British housewife put it,
"We were not really immoral.
559
00:34:53,680 --> 00:34:56,320
"There was a war on."
560
00:34:56,320 --> 00:34:59,680
Sexual restraint was
suspended for the duration.
561
00:35:02,000 --> 00:35:06,440
As the blackout came,
London became one vast double bed.
562
00:35:06,440 --> 00:35:09,440
That's how the writer
Quentin Crisp described
563
00:35:09,440 --> 00:35:13,520
the lowering of sexual standards
in the Second World War.
564
00:35:13,520 --> 00:35:16,440
There was the feeling
that you might die tomorrow.
565
00:35:16,440 --> 00:35:18,480
There is the adrenalin
of the air raids
566
00:35:18,480 --> 00:35:22,040
and then there was
the cover of the darkness itself.
567
00:35:22,040 --> 00:35:25,880
All these things encouraged some
people to lose their inhibitions,
568
00:35:25,880 --> 00:35:27,520
along with their underwear.
569
00:35:28,680 --> 00:35:33,400
But the war didn't just allow for
snatched moments of sexual intimacy.
570
00:35:33,400 --> 00:35:37,240
Women discovered other forms
of freedom that they'd previously
571
00:35:37,240 --> 00:35:39,600
been denied.
572
00:35:39,600 --> 00:35:45,000
In 1941, Joan Wyndham joined up with
the Women's Auxiliary Air Force.
573
00:35:45,000 --> 00:35:48,120
Well, you were living on equal
terms with men,
574
00:35:48,120 --> 00:35:51,840
you were working with them, you were
treated as an equal, totally.
575
00:35:51,840 --> 00:35:55,160
And because you were doing your bit,
you could go out
576
00:35:55,160 --> 00:35:56,680
and not feel guilty.
577
00:35:56,680 --> 00:35:58,640
She quickly rose through the ranks
578
00:35:58,640 --> 00:36:02,360
and ended up stationed here
at Bentley Priory in Hertfordshire.
579
00:36:04,360 --> 00:36:08,800
In Love Is Blue,
she describes her first day.
580
00:36:08,800 --> 00:36:14,680
"Well, here I am an officer and life
is absolutely the cat's whiskers.
581
00:36:14,680 --> 00:36:18,320
"When I walked into the officers'
mess, I nearly died of shock.
582
00:36:18,320 --> 00:36:22,160
"It was all chintz sofas
and roaring log fires.
583
00:36:22,160 --> 00:36:27,080
"And a suave blond said, "Hello,
Wyndham. How about a gin and lime?"
584
00:36:27,080 --> 00:36:31,160
"The food is wonderful,
the booze flows in abundance
585
00:36:31,160 --> 00:36:37,640
"and my fellow officers are fairly
glamorous and a gay, wild lot."
586
00:36:37,640 --> 00:36:42,000
This luxurious atmosphere provided
plenty of exciting encounters
587
00:36:42,000 --> 00:36:45,800
with the opposite sex.
Here, at Bentley Priory,
588
00:36:45,800 --> 00:36:50,680
what mattered was that women were
playing their part to win the war.
589
00:36:50,680 --> 00:36:55,440
What they got up to in their private
lives just wasn't a priority.
590
00:36:55,440 --> 00:36:58,920
The authorities were content
to turn a blind eye.
591
00:36:58,920 --> 00:37:02,680
You'd meet a man and you'd have
a passionate affair with him
592
00:37:02,680 --> 00:37:06,000
and then he'd be posted or
he might even be killed.
593
00:37:06,000 --> 00:37:08,080
Thank God,
that never happened to me.
594
00:37:08,080 --> 00:37:12,800
And so, being normal, you know,
healthy girls, in six months' time,
595
00:37:12,800 --> 00:37:16,240
we'd move on and find somebody else.
596
00:37:16,240 --> 00:37:20,520
Joan Wyndham is fascinating
because her memoirs, in some ways,
597
00:37:20,520 --> 00:37:23,480
show the Second World War
as a sort of trial run
598
00:37:23,480 --> 00:37:27,480
for the kind of relationships
that we think of as belonging
599
00:37:27,480 --> 00:37:30,360
to much later in the 20th century.
600
00:37:30,360 --> 00:37:34,000
That permissive, let it all hang out
behaviour of the
601
00:37:34,000 --> 00:37:37,720
'60s' generation was in fact
pioneered by their parents.
602
00:37:40,120 --> 00:37:43,920
This new emphasis on living
life to the full put increasing
603
00:37:43,920 --> 00:37:46,120
pressure on existing relationships.
604
00:37:47,680 --> 00:37:52,040
And during the war, marriages
broke down in record numbers.
605
00:37:53,080 --> 00:37:55,760
The divorce rate multiplied by ten.
606
00:37:57,520 --> 00:38:00,560
Even though the laws
surrounding divorce
607
00:38:00,560 --> 00:38:02,720
remained extremely restrictive.
608
00:38:04,120 --> 00:38:07,600
Even when both parties
wanted a divorce, it wasn't
609
00:38:07,600 --> 00:38:09,600
that easy to get one.
610
00:38:09,600 --> 00:38:14,880
The law did allow for divorce on the
grounds of insanity or desertion,
611
00:38:14,880 --> 00:38:17,280
but that was very rarely granted.
612
00:38:17,280 --> 00:38:21,480
The quickest way to get a divorce
was to go for adultery,
613
00:38:21,480 --> 00:38:24,520
but how did you go about proving
you'd committed adultery
614
00:38:24,520 --> 00:38:27,760
if either you hadn't or you
didn't really want to.
615
00:38:27,760 --> 00:38:29,880
Well, luckily,
616
00:38:29,880 --> 00:38:33,160
a novel had come out that took you
through the whole process.
617
00:38:33,160 --> 00:38:36,480
It was the perfect how to guide.
618
00:38:36,480 --> 00:38:40,960
Holy Deadlock focussed on a couple
who were desperate to divorce, but
619
00:38:40,960 --> 00:38:44,840
had to go to extraordinary lengths
to convince a court that the
620
00:38:44,840 --> 00:38:47,200
husband had been unfaithful.
621
00:38:47,200 --> 00:38:49,680
Even though he hadn't.
622
00:38:49,680 --> 00:38:54,520
If collusion was suspected,
their divorce would not be granted.
623
00:38:54,520 --> 00:38:58,720
The author, AP Herbert,
wanted to highlight the absurdity
624
00:38:58,720 --> 00:39:02,840
of a law that kept unhappy couples
shackled together for life.
625
00:39:02,840 --> 00:39:07,200
And he did this by detailing
a practice that became
626
00:39:07,200 --> 00:39:09,680
known as the Brighton Quickie.
627
00:39:09,680 --> 00:39:12,920
One member of the couple,
usually the man, would take part
628
00:39:12,920 --> 00:39:17,280
in a staged incident of adultery
with a professional co-respondent.
629
00:39:19,480 --> 00:39:24,840
As the book says, "As a rule, the
gentleman takes a lady to a hotel,
630
00:39:24,840 --> 00:39:30,120
"Brighton or some such place, and he
enters her in the book as his wife.
631
00:39:30,120 --> 00:39:32,000
"He shares a room with her
632
00:39:32,000 --> 00:39:36,440
"and then he sends the bill
to his actual wife back at home."
633
00:39:36,440 --> 00:39:40,480
The success of the whole thing
depends upon the real wife's
634
00:39:40,480 --> 00:39:44,640
agent being able to present
watertight evidence that her
635
00:39:44,640 --> 00:39:46,760
husband had been unfaithful.
636
00:39:51,120 --> 00:39:54,840
Thanks to the novel, this pantomime
became even more common.
637
00:39:56,120 --> 00:40:01,480
And by the 1940s, it had acquired
its own cast of key characters who
638
00:40:01,480 --> 00:40:05,000
could later be relied upon
as solid witnesses in court.
639
00:40:06,600 --> 00:40:10,240
# I've got my eyes on you
640
00:40:10,240 --> 00:40:14,600
# So best beware where you roam
641
00:40:16,160 --> 00:40:21,080
# I've got my eyes on you
642
00:40:21,080 --> 00:40:26,600
# So don't stray too far
from home.... #
643
00:40:26,600 --> 00:40:31,240
Firstly, there was
the private detective.
644
00:40:31,240 --> 00:40:34,600
The husband would hire a detective
to observe the couple
645
00:40:34,600 --> 00:40:36,600
going in to the hotel together.
646
00:40:36,600 --> 00:40:40,000
He might also follow them around
the town and hope to catch them
647
00:40:40,000 --> 00:40:42,000
having a kiss.
648
00:40:44,560 --> 00:40:48,800
Then, there was the hotel manager...
Ah, hello.
649
00:40:48,800 --> 00:40:52,280
Will you be Mr and Mrs Smith?
That's right. Please, come on in.
650
00:40:55,240 --> 00:40:58,560
..who would usually want a fee
for his or her cooperation.
651
00:41:04,880 --> 00:41:09,240
And lastly and most importantly,
there was the chambermaid, whose job
652
00:41:09,240 --> 00:41:11,760
it was to discover the couple in bed
653
00:41:11,760 --> 00:41:14,880
and be willing to
testify to the fact in court.
654
00:41:14,880 --> 00:41:16,480
I have seen you!
655
00:41:21,880 --> 00:41:25,760
The Brighton Quickie might have had
all the ingredients of a classic
656
00:41:25,760 --> 00:41:30,960
farce, but it was the only way
for many couples to obtain a divorce.
657
00:41:30,960 --> 00:41:34,440
For Lorraine Ferguson's parents,
it enabled them
658
00:41:34,440 --> 00:41:37,080
to start a new life together.
659
00:41:37,080 --> 00:41:40,160
Lorraine, tell me a bit
about this wartime romance.
660
00:41:40,160 --> 00:41:44,800
Well, my parents met in Austria
at the end of the Second World War.
661
00:41:44,800 --> 00:41:47,280
He was a surgeon
and she was a nurse.
662
00:41:47,280 --> 00:41:50,240
And they spent four amazing months
together in Austria
663
00:41:50,240 --> 00:41:53,160
before he was demobbed
about eight months before her.
664
00:41:53,160 --> 00:41:54,960
And so during those eight months,
665
00:41:54,960 --> 00:41:57,240
they wrote these letters
to each other.
666
00:41:57,240 --> 00:42:00,520
They more than wrote! They exchanged
hundreds of letters, didn't they?
667
00:42:00,520 --> 00:42:05,920
There are almost 300 letters here.
My mother gave them to me before she
died and they wrote every day,
668
00:42:05,920 --> 00:42:10,960
sometimes twice a day.
So, here, she's writing to him,
"forces overseas",
669
00:42:10,960 --> 00:42:13,520
it says,
and he's back at home in Shropshire.
670
00:42:13,520 --> 00:42:17,320
Yes, and you can see that she's
kissed the back of the envelope.
671
00:42:17,320 --> 00:42:20,840
There's lipstick! Look at that!
Sealed with a loving kiss. Mwah!
672
00:42:20,840 --> 00:42:22,560
That's beautiful.
673
00:42:22,560 --> 00:42:26,040
But there was one major problem
with this romance, wasn't there?
674
00:42:26,040 --> 00:42:29,520
My father had married
before he went abroad,
675
00:42:29,520 --> 00:42:31,800
as a lot of people did in the war.
676
00:42:31,800 --> 00:42:34,720
He married literally two weeks
before he was stationed abroad and
677
00:42:34,720 --> 00:42:36,520
when he did come back on leave,
678
00:42:36,520 --> 00:42:41,680
his first wife had actually met
somebody else. Oh, dear.
679
00:42:41,680 --> 00:42:44,560
So by the time he met my mother,
the marriage,
680
00:42:44,560 --> 00:42:47,680
as far as both parties
were concerned, was over.
681
00:42:47,680 --> 00:42:50,200
What's to be done?
A Brighton Quickie! That's right.
682
00:42:50,200 --> 00:42:51,960
That's exactly what had to be done.
683
00:42:51,960 --> 00:42:54,520
So obviously he's read the book
Holy Deadlock,
684
00:42:54,520 --> 00:42:56,960
because he mentions it
in this letter here,
685
00:42:56,960 --> 00:43:00,240
where he says, "Have you
ever read Holy Deadlock?"
686
00:43:00,240 --> 00:43:03,800
It's exactly what he's got to do,
he's got to provide evidence.
687
00:43:03,800 --> 00:43:07,880
He didn't want to sue his first wife
for divorce, because that would have
688
00:43:07,880 --> 00:43:11,040
been very shaming for her,
so he had to create
689
00:43:11,040 --> 00:43:14,600
an adulterous situation
so that she could sue him.
690
00:43:14,600 --> 00:43:17,280
He did the gentlemanly thing.
He did indeed, yes.
691
00:43:17,280 --> 00:43:19,920
But of course he couldn't do that
with the woman he loved.
692
00:43:19,920 --> 00:43:23,280
Because that would have dragged her
into the divorce courts. Precisely.
693
00:43:23,280 --> 00:43:25,840
So how did he go about it then?
694
00:43:25,840 --> 00:43:28,040
He says here, "To my mother,
695
00:43:28,040 --> 00:43:29,600
"if I picked up a common tart,
696
00:43:29,600 --> 00:43:33,520
"she'd immediately have suspected
something if I didn't sleep
with her.
697
00:43:33,520 --> 00:43:35,840
"If I failed to oblige,
she'd smell a rat.
698
00:43:35,840 --> 00:43:39,720
"If I did, I'd probably need
a large course of penicillin."
699
00:43:39,720 --> 00:43:43,080
So obviously, whoever you asked,
even if you paid them,
700
00:43:43,080 --> 00:43:47,160
they may well give the game away
if they felt like it.
701
00:43:47,160 --> 00:43:49,680
Because it was breaking...
They were being used to enable
702
00:43:49,680 --> 00:43:52,320
the breaking of the law,
weren't they? It was a subterfuge
703
00:43:52,320 --> 00:43:54,960
that was going to be produced
as a legal document.
704
00:43:54,960 --> 00:43:58,440
But then to this delight,
his sister Margaret,
705
00:43:58,440 --> 00:44:02,360
who is in with the theatre set,
706
00:44:02,360 --> 00:44:05,600
has a friend who will do
the deed with him.
707
00:44:05,600 --> 00:44:08,600
But not really do the deed.
Pretend to do the deed.
708
00:44:08,600 --> 00:44:11,520
And there's a lovely bit later
on in the letter where he says that
709
00:44:11,520 --> 00:44:14,600
"she was a lovely person but not
nearly as pretty as you, darling."
710
00:44:14,600 --> 00:44:16,720
Oh, good, so she won't be jealous.
711
00:44:16,720 --> 00:44:19,680
They didn't even hold hands,
he assured my mother.
712
00:44:19,680 --> 00:44:24,400
It's very funny to think of all
these people running rings around
the law, isn't it?
713
00:44:24,400 --> 00:44:26,240
It's quite said
that they have to do it.
714
00:44:26,240 --> 00:44:28,480
They felt it was sad, didn't they?
Yes, they did.
715
00:44:28,480 --> 00:44:30,680
They felt it was sordid
and unpleasant
716
00:44:30,680 --> 00:44:33,280
and I think uncomfortable for them.
717
00:44:33,280 --> 00:44:36,280
That more, I think, than sad.
718
00:44:38,160 --> 00:44:40,160
There was a happy ever after,
wasn't there?
719
00:44:40,160 --> 00:44:41,440
Yes, there certainly was.
720
00:44:41,440 --> 00:44:44,080
In March 1947, they were finally
able to get married.
721
00:44:47,040 --> 00:44:51,120
The war had ignited all sorts of
volcanic passions.
722
00:44:51,120 --> 00:44:55,080
It gave a glimpse of
what was to come in the 1960s.
723
00:44:55,080 --> 00:44:56,960
But in the post-war years,
724
00:44:56,960 --> 00:45:00,280
a lot of people were keen
to hold back the tide.
725
00:45:00,280 --> 00:45:03,160
They'd had enough of
cheap and dirty sex
726
00:45:03,160 --> 00:45:06,160
and they were ready
to re-embrace romance.
727
00:45:09,000 --> 00:45:11,920
A new morally conservative
mood took hold,
728
00:45:11,920 --> 00:45:15,880
and by the 1950s, "we'd never had it
so romantic."
729
00:45:17,520 --> 00:45:23,280
More people tied the knot than ever
before or since, and at younger ages.
730
00:45:23,280 --> 00:45:28,440
Commitment, it seems, was the perfect
antidote to the horror of war.
731
00:45:29,720 --> 00:45:31,080
It was at this point
732
00:45:31,080 --> 00:45:35,280
that our most potent expression
of romance was invented.
733
00:45:35,280 --> 00:45:41,000
# Under Orion's starry sky
734
00:45:41,000 --> 00:45:44,920
# I lie in the moonlit garden
735
00:45:44,920 --> 00:45:49,000
# Wondering where to cast my eye
736
00:45:49,000 --> 00:45:51,800
# For all that I see is heaven... #
737
00:45:51,800 --> 00:45:55,200
The De Beers corporation realised
that there might be a market
738
00:45:55,200 --> 00:45:57,800
for something symbolising permanence.
739
00:45:57,800 --> 00:45:59,960
Something indestructible.
740
00:45:59,960 --> 00:46:02,640
So they came up with
an advertising campaign
741
00:46:02,640 --> 00:46:07,120
with the most fantastic slogan -
"A Diamond is Forever."
742
00:46:07,120 --> 00:46:09,440
And in doing this, they created
743
00:46:09,440 --> 00:46:15,160
the 20th century's most enduring
and most sparkly love token.
744
00:46:15,160 --> 00:46:20,280
The diamond engagement ring was
a strictly post-war phenomenon.
745
00:46:20,280 --> 00:46:24,000
Jewellery expert John Benjamin
is fascinated
746
00:46:24,000 --> 00:46:26,720
by how quickly the idea took hold.
747
00:46:26,720 --> 00:46:30,640
This advert is produced by De Beers.
748
00:46:30,640 --> 00:46:32,560
It dates from the 1940s,
749
00:46:32,560 --> 00:46:36,560
and the campaign,
"A diamond is forever,"
it started in America, did it?
750
00:46:36,560 --> 00:46:39,120
It did, and it was
a brilliant strapline,
751
00:46:39,120 --> 00:46:42,360
because it just tapped in with
all the subliminal issues
752
00:46:42,360 --> 00:46:45,720
of what a diamond represents,
753
00:46:45,720 --> 00:46:49,960
and also what your marriage
will therefore represent.
754
00:46:49,960 --> 00:46:54,680
If you buy a diamond, it means that
your marriage will last
755
00:46:54,680 --> 00:46:58,600
for the rest of time as well, so it
was very clever in that respect.
756
00:46:58,600 --> 00:47:01,160
Very quickly, certainly
by the end of the '40s
757
00:47:01,160 --> 00:47:02,680
and the start of the 1950s,
758
00:47:02,680 --> 00:47:05,880
diamond jewellery becomes
the must-have item.
759
00:47:05,880 --> 00:47:08,440
So this all looks very aspirational,
but down here it says,
760
00:47:08,440 --> 00:47:11,640
"your diamond ring
need not be costly."
761
00:47:11,640 --> 00:47:14,160
Quite right too. At that time,
in the late '40s and '50s,
762
00:47:14,160 --> 00:47:18,120
when people got married,
they had no money.
763
00:47:18,120 --> 00:47:22,680
And it's worth showing this diamond
ring because this is the perfect way
764
00:47:22,680 --> 00:47:25,360
that diamonds are being set
in those days.
765
00:47:25,360 --> 00:47:27,120
OK, let's look at that.
766
00:47:27,120 --> 00:47:30,880
Absolutely teeny-weeny little
diamond chips.
767
00:47:30,880 --> 00:47:32,360
Where is the diamond even?
768
00:47:32,360 --> 00:47:36,720
It twinkles in the heart
of the setting.
769
00:47:36,720 --> 00:47:39,760
By carving the setting, you somehow
make the setting
770
00:47:39,760 --> 00:47:42,800
look like part of the diamond,
and that gives a sense,
771
00:47:42,800 --> 00:47:45,400
"Ooh, I've got a bigger diamond."
I like that!
772
00:47:45,400 --> 00:47:47,880
It works, it works, because
at first sight you think
773
00:47:47,880 --> 00:47:49,920
those are three diamonds,
but they're not.
774
00:47:49,920 --> 00:47:53,160
They're three teeny-tiny diamonds.
Teeny-tiny little stones.
775
00:47:53,160 --> 00:47:55,560
I feel really fond of
the tiny diamond ring now.
776
00:47:55,560 --> 00:47:59,800
I feel like this was a real purchase
made with feeling by somebody.
777
00:47:59,800 --> 00:48:03,880
The diamond ring tapped
into a need to establish
778
00:48:03,880 --> 00:48:06,400
a more stable world.
779
00:48:06,400 --> 00:48:09,640
People wanted to believe in
the power of love again,
780
00:48:09,640 --> 00:48:13,400
and so they reached for
the romance novel.
781
00:48:13,400 --> 00:48:16,640
There'd been a return
to the origins of the genre,
782
00:48:16,640 --> 00:48:21,120
as regency romances filled the
best-seller lists.
783
00:48:21,120 --> 00:48:26,760
One author in particular made it her
business to satisfy this desire.
784
00:48:26,760 --> 00:48:29,720
She clocked up
more than a billion sales.
785
00:48:29,720 --> 00:48:32,520
She was British history's most
prolific author,
786
00:48:32,520 --> 00:48:35,520
publishing 723 books
787
00:48:35,520 --> 00:48:38,960
and writing them at a speed
of one a fortnight.
788
00:48:38,960 --> 00:48:41,360
I think it's fair
to say that nobody else
789
00:48:41,360 --> 00:48:46,560
as precisely perfected the formula
for a successful romantic novel.
790
00:48:46,560 --> 00:48:51,720
Of course, I'm talking about the
indomitable Barbara Cartland.
791
00:48:53,200 --> 00:48:55,720
# I'll take romance
792
00:48:55,720 --> 00:49:00,080
# While my heart is young
and eager to fly
793
00:49:00,080 --> 00:49:03,120
# I'll give my heart a try
794
00:49:03,120 --> 00:49:04,880
# I'll take romance. #
795
00:49:04,880 --> 00:49:08,640
Love is this thing that happens to
everybody at one time in their life.
796
00:49:08,640 --> 00:49:12,920
I write about the moment when
everybody has stars in their eyes.
797
00:49:12,920 --> 00:49:17,520
She dictated book after book
to an army of secretaries...
798
00:49:17,520 --> 00:49:19,560
"Am I interrupting?" he said.
799
00:49:19,560 --> 00:49:24,400
A little hesitating voice replied,
"No, I'm alone."
800
00:49:24,400 --> 00:49:27,160
"Why are you not at the dance?"
he asked.
801
00:49:27,160 --> 00:49:29,320
"I had no partner," she answered.
802
00:49:29,320 --> 00:49:33,640
..and created a brand that reflected
the morals of an earlier age.
803
00:49:34,920 --> 00:49:36,760
Her characters inhabit a world
804
00:49:36,760 --> 00:49:40,760
that pre-dates the sexual excesses
of the Second World War.
805
00:49:40,760 --> 00:49:44,080
It's inhabited by wenches
and rakes,
806
00:49:44,080 --> 00:49:49,480
by impetuous duchesses and
by dastardly dukes,
807
00:49:49,480 --> 00:49:53,000
and there's the occasional guest
appearance by the Prince of Wales.
808
00:49:55,560 --> 00:49:59,600
The historical setting wasn't just
a style decision.
809
00:49:59,600 --> 00:50:04,960
Barbara Cartland
really wanted to turn back the clock.
810
00:50:07,080 --> 00:50:09,240
Born at the start
of the 20th century,
811
00:50:09,240 --> 00:50:13,880
she'd personally experienced
much of its social upheaval.
812
00:50:13,880 --> 00:50:19,640
She saw her mother widowed and lost
two brothers as a result of war.
813
00:50:21,360 --> 00:50:24,480
And her first marriage
ended in divorce,
814
00:50:24,480 --> 00:50:26,760
attracting lurid newspaper
articles
815
00:50:26,760 --> 00:50:31,320
because to its charges and
counter-charges of infidelity.
816
00:50:31,320 --> 00:50:35,680
Despite all this,
she retained her belief in romance,
817
00:50:35,680 --> 00:50:40,160
although she found it increasingly
lacking in the modern world.
818
00:50:42,040 --> 00:50:46,080
Society had moved on
and she felt it had gone too far.
819
00:50:49,160 --> 00:50:51,840
There was less and less restraint.
820
00:50:51,840 --> 00:50:54,920
The sexual freedom glimpsed
during the war
821
00:50:54,920 --> 00:50:58,800
had now fully exploded
into the mainstream.
822
00:50:58,800 --> 00:51:01,480
Explicit sex now seemed to be
everywhere,
823
00:51:01,480 --> 00:51:04,120
much to Barbara Cartland's
distress.
824
00:51:04,120 --> 00:51:06,880
We don't have to have all this
terrible promiscuousness.
825
00:51:06,880 --> 00:51:09,800
I'm so sick of naked bodies and
hairy chests rolling about on beds.
826
00:51:09,800 --> 00:51:13,400
I mean, it really does... I think
it's so revolting and so unromantic.
827
00:51:13,400 --> 00:51:16,800
If you have a lovely dream about
yourself, you may be half-naked.
828
00:51:16,800 --> 00:51:20,080
The man is always in full
regimentals with his spurs,
you know.
829
00:51:20,080 --> 00:51:23,400
Looking glorious and romantic
and exciting!
830
00:51:23,400 --> 00:51:27,400
Why we should have to have
the men naked,
831
00:51:27,400 --> 00:51:29,040
who does it attract? Not women.
832
00:51:30,240 --> 00:51:33,880
Barbara Cartland was almost
evangelical in her mission
833
00:51:33,880 --> 00:51:36,880
to take the actual sex
out of romance.
834
00:51:36,880 --> 00:51:39,680
She always left the couple
at the bedroom door
835
00:51:39,680 --> 00:51:41,960
on their wedding night.
836
00:51:41,960 --> 00:51:45,480
But the hero and heroine
were allowed a first kiss
837
00:51:45,480 --> 00:51:48,040
and that could be pretty special.
838
00:51:48,040 --> 00:51:52,200
"She felt a sudden flame shoot
through her body.
839
00:51:52,200 --> 00:51:55,240
"She felt her lips respond to his
840
00:51:55,240 --> 00:51:59,080
"and knew that this was a love which
would never alter or grow less.
841
00:51:59,080 --> 00:52:03,480
"She felt him draw her closer still
until they were one, indivisible -
842
00:52:03,480 --> 00:52:07,640
"one heart, one soul,
one love for all eternity."
843
00:52:09,360 --> 00:52:11,440
Goodness, if that's just
the first kiss,
844
00:52:11,440 --> 00:52:14,000
imagine what was going on
behind that bedroom door.
845
00:52:16,320 --> 00:52:21,080
Passionate stuff! No wonder she had
such devoted readers!
846
00:52:22,760 --> 00:52:25,840
In the 1970s, Barbara Cartland
and her fans
847
00:52:25,840 --> 00:52:29,320
were also able to get
their fix of romance elsewhere,
848
00:52:29,320 --> 00:52:32,840
as television adaptations
of classic love stories
849
00:52:32,840 --> 00:52:34,520
burst onto our screens.
850
00:52:36,800 --> 00:52:39,240
The most popular of them
featured the work
851
00:52:39,240 --> 00:52:42,280
of that real queen of British
romance, Jane Austen.
852
00:52:42,280 --> 00:52:46,920
The authors of romantic fiction
had originally used
853
00:52:46,920 --> 00:52:51,520
their writing to examine the
reality of life in their own time.
854
00:52:51,520 --> 00:52:56,040
But now they were providing escapism
for people who felt that romance
855
00:52:56,040 --> 00:52:59,160
was missing from modern life.
856
00:52:59,160 --> 00:53:01,680
It's a love affair
that's lasted.
857
00:53:01,680 --> 00:53:05,720
When it comes to romance, we seem to
prefer our heroes and heroines
858
00:53:05,720 --> 00:53:08,440
in crinolines and breeches,
859
00:53:08,440 --> 00:53:09,760
and I'm no exception.
860
00:53:11,240 --> 00:53:15,240
When I was a teenager
in the 1980s, there was one film
861
00:53:15,240 --> 00:53:17,680
that I watched again and again.
862
00:53:17,680 --> 00:53:22,320
It was the Merchant Ivory adaptation
of A Room with a View.
863
00:53:22,320 --> 00:53:25,680
I loved it, partly because the
heroine was called Lucy
864
00:53:25,680 --> 00:53:30,320
and had great hair, but mainly
because of one particular scene.
865
00:53:32,760 --> 00:53:36,200
The pivotal point in the poppy field.
866
00:53:36,200 --> 00:53:37,960
The beautiful setting
867
00:53:37,960 --> 00:53:42,000
and the surging Puccini give you
a great big gush of emotion.
868
00:53:43,640 --> 00:53:46,680
When George kisses Lucy
so masterfully,
869
00:53:46,680 --> 00:53:49,760
you know at once
that they are soulmates.
870
00:53:49,760 --> 00:53:52,560
Passion will eventually conquer all.
871
00:53:54,000 --> 00:53:56,320
As a schoolgirl
living in Nottingham,
872
00:53:56,320 --> 00:53:59,600
this was the most romantic thing
that I could imagine.
873
00:54:03,720 --> 00:54:05,000
For one moment,
874
00:54:05,000 --> 00:54:09,360
the characters break through
the rigid rules that govern society
875
00:54:09,360 --> 00:54:11,280
at the turn of the 20th century.
876
00:54:11,280 --> 00:54:14,240
There are no interfering
chaperones,
877
00:54:14,240 --> 00:54:17,000
there's no consciousness
of class.
878
00:54:17,000 --> 00:54:21,000
These are barriers to love that
my generation has never had to face,
879
00:54:21,000 --> 00:54:25,840
but they're the classic ingredients
of romantic period drama,
880
00:54:25,840 --> 00:54:27,680
and we love it!
881
00:54:29,720 --> 00:54:32,680
But there was one barrier
that did remain intact
882
00:54:32,680 --> 00:54:36,080
throughout the 20th century.
883
00:54:36,080 --> 00:54:39,640
It was the focus of the novel
that the producer/director team
884
00:54:39,640 --> 00:54:44,040
Merchant Ivory chose as their follow
up to A Room with a View.
885
00:54:44,040 --> 00:54:47,880
It was another adaptation
of an EM Forster novel.
886
00:54:49,600 --> 00:54:53,760
Maurice is radically different from
A Room with a View.
887
00:54:53,760 --> 00:54:58,000
It's still a passionate romance,
but this time it's between men.
888
00:54:58,000 --> 00:55:02,400
Without a doubt,
this was EM Forster's
most intensely personal work.
889
00:55:03,840 --> 00:55:06,720
It's a homosexual
coming-of-age novel,
890
00:55:06,720 --> 00:55:08,440
and just like Lady Chatterley,
891
00:55:08,440 --> 00:55:11,800
the protagonist's in love
with a working man.
892
00:55:11,800 --> 00:55:15,960
"He loved men and had always
loved them.
893
00:55:15,960 --> 00:55:19,560
"He longed to mingle his being
with theirs."
894
00:55:21,000 --> 00:55:25,680
The novel was so controversial
that it was only published in 1971,
895
00:55:25,680 --> 00:55:27,960
nearly 60 years after it was written.
896
00:55:30,400 --> 00:55:33,640
Like Maurice, the main character,
Forster was gay,
897
00:55:33,640 --> 00:55:37,760
and he deliberately suppressed
his own book during his lifetime.
898
00:55:39,120 --> 00:55:42,800
He knew that while homosexuality
remained illegal,
899
00:55:42,800 --> 00:55:45,920
a novel with a happy ending
for two men in love
900
00:55:45,920 --> 00:55:47,680
would not be tolerated.
901
00:55:48,920 --> 00:55:52,160
At one point, Maurice expresses
his loneliness,
902
00:55:52,160 --> 00:55:56,320
doubting that he will ever find
lasting love.
903
00:55:56,320 --> 00:55:58,880
"I suppose such a thing,"
he says,
904
00:55:58,880 --> 00:56:02,160
"can't really happen outside sleep."
905
00:56:05,720 --> 00:56:10,080
At the end, Forster's hero does get
it together with Scudder,
906
00:56:10,080 --> 00:56:12,720
the gamekeeper, his soulmate,
907
00:56:12,720 --> 00:56:17,080
but even so, it's a happy ending
tinged with sadness.
908
00:56:19,560 --> 00:56:23,200
The couple will be forced
to live apart from society.
909
00:56:25,200 --> 00:56:29,720
A self-imposed exile, which means
they have given up everything
for love.
910
00:56:31,200 --> 00:56:34,240
Maurice and Scudder
may have been united in love,
911
00:56:34,240 --> 00:56:37,560
but unlike couples
in traditional romantic fiction,
912
00:56:37,560 --> 00:56:41,440
they were denied the happy ending
of a wedding.
913
00:56:41,440 --> 00:56:45,520
Even as the restrictions fell away
during the 20th century,
914
00:56:45,520 --> 00:56:49,520
marriage between two men
was as impossible in the '80s,
915
00:56:49,520 --> 00:56:53,000
when the film came out, as it had
been when the book was written
916
00:56:53,000 --> 00:56:55,120
in Edwardian Britain.
917
00:56:56,440 --> 00:57:00,320
The gay rights movement had
been active since the 1960s,
918
00:57:00,320 --> 00:57:05,280
and in the 21st century, it focused
on this goal of equal marriage.
919
00:57:07,480 --> 00:57:10,040
When it was finally made legal
in the UK,
920
00:57:10,040 --> 00:57:14,480
it was with the sense that everybody
has the right to choose
a life-partner.
921
00:57:15,800 --> 00:57:18,160
A human-rights based approach
to love
922
00:57:18,160 --> 00:57:20,800
is an awfully long way
from where we started,
923
00:57:20,800 --> 00:57:24,760
when romance seemed mainly
to be about property interests.
924
00:57:24,760 --> 00:57:28,920
It would have been hard
for EM Forster to imagine it,
925
00:57:28,920 --> 00:57:31,640
but 100 years after
he wrote his novel,
926
00:57:31,640 --> 00:57:35,000
his heroes would no longer
be social outcasts.
927
00:57:35,000 --> 00:57:37,680
They too could settle down
and get married.
928
00:57:39,600 --> 00:57:41,320
For me, this change has happened
929
00:57:41,320 --> 00:57:45,600
because of the overwhelming
importance we now place
on romantic love.
930
00:57:48,840 --> 00:57:52,680
That idea that you should share your
life with a special someone
931
00:57:52,680 --> 00:57:56,360
is essential to our
notions of self-fulfilment.
932
00:57:59,080 --> 00:58:02,160
Over three centuries,
romance has taken us
933
00:58:02,160 --> 00:58:06,440
from being a nation where courtship
was rigidly controlled...
934
00:58:08,920 --> 00:58:13,600
..to a country where everybody has
the right to choose a soulmate,
935
00:58:13,600 --> 00:58:15,600
no matter who they are.
936
00:58:17,400 --> 00:58:20,680
Isn't it nice that the story
of British romance
937
00:58:20,680 --> 00:58:23,840
really does have a happy ending?
938
00:58:25,080 --> 00:58:29,240
# We got love power
939
00:58:29,240 --> 00:58:32,400
# It's the greatest power
of them all
940
00:58:32,400 --> 00:58:36,960
# We got love power
941
00:58:36,960 --> 00:58:40,040
# And together we can't fall
942
00:58:40,040 --> 00:58:42,920
# Sometimes we're up
943
00:58:42,920 --> 00:58:45,080
# Sometimes we're down
944
00:58:45,080 --> 00:58:49,040
# But our feet are always
on the ground
945
00:58:49,040 --> 00:58:51,040
# We always laugh
946
00:58:51,040 --> 00:58:53,120
# Don't have to cry
947
00:58:53,120 --> 00:58:56,960
# And this is the reason why. #
129930
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get subtitles in any language from opensubtitles.com, and translate them here.