MovieChat Forums > The Hours (2003) Discussion > "NESSAAA!!!"

"NESSAAA!!!"

posted 8 years ago by Mira57
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Hello, I am a big fan of this movie and love almost everything about it... except for one detail that grates at me each time I watch: Virginia's nephews!

Those bossy, obnoxious boys keep pushing their mother around, hollering at her and calling her 'Nessa' instead of 'Mother' or 'Mum' like any well-bred children of the day (ok, obviously, they're not well bred)... Anyway, does anyone know if this is historically accurate? Was the family really so unconventional? I read the book some years ago (found it tough going) but it didn't enlighten me about this.

Can anyone tell me something about Vanessa and her children?

"What is the law?"
"Not to eat meat - are we not men?"

[–] The_White_Hotel 8 years ago

Vanessa and her husband Clive Bell were progressive and encouraged their children to call them by their first names rather than Mum and Dad. And yes, The Bell's and the whole of the Bloomsbury group with which they and Virginia Woolf were associated were rather unconventional, particularly by the standards of their times.

These are the only words I have, I'm stuck with them, stuck in them

[–] Mira57 8 years ago

Ah-ha, well, as long as it is accurate... As much as I love this movie, I know very little about Virginia Woolf's life and family.

Thanks a lot for the explanation.

"What is the law?"
"Not to eat meat, that is the law. Are we not men?"