While the sexual element of their relationship can be considered historically speculative, it is details such as this that hint at a real truth: class differences were paramount in the lives of those living in Victorian England. Murchison is quick to reassure Mary that she needn’t worry. Anning pushes her away, presumably fearful that the servant has just seen her mistress betray her husband (and with a woman, to boot).
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In one particularly interesting scene, Murchison – who is married – kisses Anning full on the mouth in front of one of her servants. Sexuality is nonetheless a fascinating subject within Ammonite the film doesn’t shy away from showing the fierce passion between Anning and Murchison, lifting a lid on any notions we may have about Victorian prudishness.
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Sexing up history: how to study and tell the history of sex.(Photo courtesy of Lionsgate UK / See-Saw Films) It is well documented that she had close friendships with women and in the society of the time, where women were the subjects of men and where Mary had been virtually written out of history because of her gender and social status, it didn’t feel right to give her a relationship with a man.”Ĭharlotte Murchison (Saoirse Ronan) and Mary Anning (Kate Winslet) in Francis Lee's new film 'Ammonite'. Is that not enough?”ĭefending his choice to create a fictionalised relationship, director Francis Lee states that he wanted to give Anning a relationship that elevated her: “There is absolutely no evidence Mary ever had a relationship with anyone, whether that be heterosexual or same sex, but I knew I wanted to give her a relationship that felt worthy of her. Nonetheless, Anning’s real descendants have questioned the decision to portray her as queer, with Barbara Anning – Mary’s distant niece – being reported as saying: “The lesbian storyline is pure Hollywood as far as I know and there was no suggestion that she was a lesbian at all.” In an online forum, she goes on to comment: “Mary Anning was abused because she was poor, uneducated and a woman.
Pride and prejudice: same-sex relations through history.She certainly never married, and there is no indication in any surviving sources that she ever considered taking a husband. We have no confirmation that Anning was heterosexual either, of course, and some might argue that to assume she was either a lesbian or bisexual is no different than assuming she might have been straight. And this is where we get to the crux of the criticism thus far levied at the film, because historically speaking, there is no indication at all about whether Anning had a preference for women. Selling itself as a ‘romantic drama’, the central plot line in the film Ammonite focusses on the romantic and sexual relationship between Mary Anning and Charlotte Murchison.
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