Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Download debut: Tom Hooper/Lucinda Coxon's THE DANISH GIRL

One of this past year's juiciest piece of "Oscar" bait, THE DANISH GIRL proved a relatively successful arthouse hit with audiences, even if many critics found the film wanting. TrustMovies is only catching up with the movie now, upon its video and streaming debut, but he can readily understand both how it turned heads and left something less than a fresh taste in certain mouths. Speaking of taste, the movie is every bit as tasteful as we would expect from Tom Hooper, the director who gave us Oscar winner, The King's Speech, and the filmed version of Les Miz.

Mr. Hooper (shown at right) and his screenwriter, Lucinda Coxon (shown below, who based her writing on the book by David Ebershoff), do their best work early on in telling this very "inspired-by" tale of one of the world's first transgendered women. That would be Einar Wegener -- who became Lili Elbe -- aided by his supportive and hugely long-suffering wife, Gerda Wegener. Both spouses are artists (he of landscapes, she of portraits), and both are talented and (eventually, in her case) successful. Exactly how much of this "story" is actually true I

couldn't begin to vouch for, but it is told in the manner of so many of Hollywood's highly tasteful and lovely-to-look-at historical bio-pics. So it's an easy watch. For awhile. The movie captures our attention via the lead performance of that very fine actor Eddie Redmayne, shown below, who plays Einar/Lili and is quite adept is showing us how this young husband is initially captivated by women and their clothing, and then, once his wife has persuaded him to pose in those clothes so that she can finish a painting, is quickly drawn first into cross-dressing and eventually into the all-out desire and need to become a woman.

Mr Redmayne and Alicia Vikander (below), who plays his wife, are both superb at keeping us alert, watchful and entertained, as well as making us believe that they are indeed soul-mates. The details of the couple's life together and their careers go some distance in making the first half of the film as compelling as it is.

Once Einar begins to get Lili-fied, however, either Ms Coxon did not have enough specifics to draw from or Mr Hooper could not bring these to much life because the movie soon begins to deal mostly in the obvious and the cliched.

As Lili engages in flirtation with an admirer (Ben Whishaw) and is reunited with an old friend and schoolmate (Matthias Schoenaerts, below) who soon bonds with Gerda, the filmmakers seem reduced to too much vamping -- dragging the film out to to fill the two-hour running time.

Yes, we understand how difficult it was back in that even-more-patriarchal-day for a man to relinquish his maleness, but instead of offering up some thoughtful ideas and intelligent dialog, the film instead is content with mostly standard stuff.

Still, this is quite a beautiful movie to look at; the cast is competent and often much more, and the subject is as timely as Caitlyn Jenner (and certainly more interesting than anything I've yet seen or read about her).  

From Focus Features and running 120 minutes, The Danish Girl has been available for digital download since February 16 and will make its DVD and Blu-ray (the transfer to the latter is excellent) this coming Tuesday, March 1 -- for purchase or rental.

DVDebut: The Munden/Coxon adaptation of THE CRIMSON PETAL AND THE WHITE

Not having the read the novel by Michel Faber from which this British television mini-series -- THE CRIMSON PETAL AND THE WHITE -- has been adapted, I will not ask you to skip the adaptation and read the novel, as did The New York Times critic who reviewed the mini series when it was first shown on American TV a week or so back. No doubt the novel was better than its filmed version. (When are they not, with the exception of John Fowles' The Magus?) I will only suggest that if you want to see a most unusual tale, filmed darkly and beautifully, well- (and in one major instance, surprisingly-) cast and acted, feminist and anti-class to its core yet strangely elusive, too, then take a chance on this story of 1870s London and its bordellos, bourgeoisie and bonhommie (the latter among men, at least; the women here are not so lucky).

Adapted by Lucinda Coxon and directed by Marc Munden, this story of a prostitute named Sugar who is determined to better her station in life and perhaps wreak revenge on the males who have tampered and toyed with her, the 244-minute, four-part series begins with Sugar visiting a prostie friend who's been beaten to near death by two clients. The dank, ugly ambiance, shown in brief, deft strokes, coupled with the utter sadness of this scene grabs us immediately and lets us know that we are in territory imagined with a good grip on reality.

Sugar is played by that excellent and increasingly versatile actress Romola Garai, above, and she is by turns lovely, frightening and exquisite. She keeps a part of Sugar's character from us, and this is all to the good, since she also learns about herself and about life as she moves along.

Garai is expectedly excellent, but the performance by the fellow who plays her would-be savior and symbolic/literal "Sugar" daddy, William Rackham, is anything but expected. Rackham is played by Chris O'Dowd. Yes, the numbskull from The IT Crowd who has lately appeared in U.S. films from Gulliver's Travels to Bridesmaids to Friends With Kids.

O'Dowd is a terrific comedian, with a special kind of denseness that is securely his own. That this same denseness would travel from comedy to drama and the tragedy of senseless class distinctions is somewhat of a shock. How did they have the idea to cast this actor, and he to go for broke with all cylinders burning?

However, it happened, O'Dowd is simply astounding in this role -- which should open up all sorts of new possibilities for his career.

Also excellent are Amanda Hale as Rackham's unstable wife (at left) and Gillian Anderson, below, as Sugar' madame-and-more. Every role -- including those played by Richard E. Grant and Shirley Henderson -- is cast with enormous smarts and delivered with conviction and style. 

The Crimson Petal and The White, from Acorn Media -- the company currently giving us the best in British --  is available tomorrow, Tuesday, September 25, on DVD in a two-disc set, with 16:9 widescreen format and SDH subtitles, for sale or rental. Extras include deleted scenes, interviews with cast, director, and key crew, and character biographies.