Daphne (2007) Plot Summary Explained

In 1945, Daphne du Maurier was sued by an author who claimed she plagiarized parts of her famous novel Rebecca. The lawsuit forced her to travel to New York for a court appearance, setting the events of the film in motion.

• plagiarism lawsuit
• rebecca
• legal case
• 1945

Ellen Doubleday was described as glamorous and elegant, with a presence that instantly captivated Daphne. Their meeting occurred during Daphne's stressful voyage to face the plagiarism lawsuit, and Ellen's charismatic persona provided a striking contrast to the weight of Daphne's public legal battle.

• ellen doubleday
• attraction
• charisma
• first meeting

Ellen Doubleday told Daphne directly that she could not return her romantic affections because she was heterosexual. However, Ellen also expressed that she believed in love without censure, meaning she didn't judge Daphne for her feelings, she simply couldn't reciprocate them.

• rejection
• heterosexuality
• ellen doubleday
• unrequited love

After Ellen rejected her, Daphne channeled her frustrated longing into writing a play called September Tide. The play depicts a forbidden love between a young man and his mother-in-law, with Ellen serving as the inspiration for the mother-in-law character. Daphne used the creative work as an emotional outlet for her unfulfilled desires.

• september tide
• playwriting
• artistic inspiration
• unrequited love

Gertrude Lawrence, a confident bisexual actress who was friends with Noël Coward, was cast in the mother-in-law role in September Tide. Her casting created a new dynamic in the production, as Daphne had originally envisioned Ellen as the inspiration for the character, not someone like Gertrude.

• gertrude lawrence
• september tide
• noël coward
• casting

Daphne initially perceived Gertrude as brash and slutty, a judgment that stemmed from her own insecurity and artistic projection rather than any real grievance. This negative first impression began to change as Daphne witnessed Gertrude's charisma firsthand during the play's development.

Foreshadowing: Daphne's initial judgment would prove ironic once she became attracted to the very qualities she initially criticized.

• first impression
• judgment
• gertrude lawrence
• character perception

As Daphne spent more time working with Gertrude during the play's development, she became increasingly drawn to her charisma and presence. The professional mentor-artist relationship blurred into romantic attraction, leading the two women to begin an affair that complicated both their personal lives and the production of September Tide.

• affair
• romantic relationship
• gertrude lawrence
• play development

Daphne oscillated between longing for the unavailable Ellen and growing entanglement with Gertrude, creating emotional turmoil that manifested as cruelty toward Gertrude. Her internal conflict, wanting what she couldn't have while guiltily engaging in the affair, drove her to act dismissively toward the very person she was drawn to, reflecting her self-protective nature amid competing desires.

• emotional conflict
• inner turmoil
• cruelty
• unresolved feelings

September Tide became a mirror for Daphne's own emotional experiences, the forbidden love depicted in the play paralleled her own complicated romantic situation. As her personal relationships intensified, the play absorbed her emotional upheaval, making the personal and creative worlds inseparable throughout the production.

• art imitating life
• emotional inspiration
• creative process
• play within film

The film concludes with Daphne still caught between two women, pining for Ellen's unattainable affection while maintaining her affair with Gertrude. This bittersweet, unresolved ending reflects the film's central theme of unreciprocated love and the ongoing emotional conflict Daphne faces as she navigates desire, ambition, and self-protection in her personal and creative life.

• ending
• resolution
• bittersweet
• emotional conflict