Line #5 Series/PortraitOfAMarriage

Context Series / PortraitOfAMarriage

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1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_of_a_marriage.jpg]]
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3	''Portrait of a Marriage'' is a [[UsefulNotes/UnitedKingdom British]] television miniseries based on the book of the same name. That was, in turn, inspired by the real-life friendship and following lesbian love affair between noted writers Vita Sackville-West and Violet Keppel, plus the concurring strength of Vita's marriage to the homosexual diplomat Harold Nicolson). A [[Creator/TheBBC BBC]] production, the miniseries features performers such as Creator/DavidHaig, Creator/CathrynHarrison, Creator/JanetMcTeer, and others.
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5	In terms of setting, ''Portrait of a Marriage'' focuses on the bohemian, wealthy set during the 1910s and 1920s. Directed by Stephen Whittaker and produced by Colin Tucker, the miniseries first aired on BBC Two in four parts in 1990. An edited version (cut to three and a half hours from four) was later exported to the U.S., airing on [[{{Creator/PBS}} PBS]] in 1992.
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7	In terms of story-line, the miniseries [[BasedOnATrueStory follows real-life events]]. To recap those, Violet Keppel, a talented writer and the daughter of a socialite who happened to be King Edward VII's last mistress (though Tory politician Ernest William Beckett was thought to be Violet's biological father), was close friends with Vita Sackville-West since childhood. This friendship escalated into romance. However, Violet decided to marry a man named Denys Trefusis. Violet frankly labeled this decision to Vita as "just a business arrangement". In terms of her own life, Vita got married to diplomat Harold Nicholson in 1913 and later had two sons. While both undergo multiple homosexual affairs, they lived together in close devotion until her death in 1962, passing at the age of 70. Harold himself died in 1968.
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12	!!The miniseries provides examples of:
13	* ArrangedMarriage: Violet dismisses her marriage to Denys Trefusis as "just a business arrangement".
14	* BasedOnATrueStory: The miniseries follows the twists and turns of Vita and Violet's lives.
15	* LoveDodecahedron: Vita loves Violet and Violet loves her back. Yet both have affairs otherwise. They're also both married to two men, although in Violet's case she doesn't love her husband at all. Vita, however, ambiguously loves her husband (who also has multiple affairs) in a TrueCompanions kind of sense.
16	** At one point, Harold explicitly wails out, "God, it's all so confusing!"
17	* NiceGuy: An often concerned Harold gets reassured by Vita that he's "sweet, kind and gentle".
18	* SceneryPorn: On-location shooting features scenes in the beautiful Sissinghurst gardens, which Vita and Harold tended for years and is currently administrated by England's National Trust.

Context Series / PortraitOfAMarriage