The very silly Sir James soon arrives as well, uninvited, and becomes another house guest. However, Susan’s romantic plans are complicated when her daughter Frederica also arrives, tearfully fleeing the attentions of Sir James Martin (Tom Bennett), the always-sunny but dull-witted wealthy aristocrat that her mother had selected as a suitable husband for her daughter. Cross (Kelley Campbell), who assists her like a combination companion, lady’s maid and seamstress, although as she tells her hostess, it would be “offensive to us both” if she paid her. Susan arrives at the estate with a friend, Mrs. Her husband Charles has a more kindly view of his brother’s widow.
Catherine regards that possibility with suspicion and alarm, as do her parents, Lady DeCourcy (Jemma Redgrave) and Sir Reginald DeCourcy (James Fleet). Susan has her eye on Reginald DeCourcy (Xavier Samuel), the handsome bachelor brother of her hostess. Charles Vernon (Justin Edwards) welcomes his sister-in-law but his wife Catherine DeCourcy Vernon (Emma Greenwell), who has never met her before, is more leery, as Lady Susan’s fearsome reputation for twisting circumstances to her advantage, particularly with men, precedes her. That is the plan when a touch of scandal, involving Susan’s married lover, the handsome Lord Manwaring (Lochlann O’Mearain), brings her to the quiet country estate, Churchill, of her late husband’s brother., where she hopes to hide out while gossip dies down. Now that her daughter Frederica (Morfydd Clark) has reached a marriageable age, Lady Susan is determined to find her a rich husband, and one for herself as well. Sharp-witted Susan has a well-deserved reputation as an accomplished flirt and a woman who can wrap a man around her finger. Since her husband’s death left her with a daughter and a noble title but insufficient funds, she has stayed with a string of better-off relatives. Kate Beckinsale turns in one of her sharpest, funniest performances as Lady Susan. Writer/director Whit Stillman (“The Last Days of Disco”) crafts Austen’s work into a sharp, zinger-filled, twisty romp, a far funnier, smarter comedy and a refreshing change from the typical comedies in theaters now. The story is set in the 1790s, a little earlier than most Austen stories, and focuses on the mother more than the daughter, as Austen usually does. The story might be described as a comedy of manners but that label makes this very funny film sound more tame than it really is. Unlike other more familiar Austen works, LOVE & FRIENDSHIP is more comedy than romance, although there is some of that too. LOVE & FRIENDSHIP is pure fun, a brilliant comedy filled with laugh-out-loud moments and terrific ensemble performances by a largely British cast, making it entertaining even for those who are not big fans of Jane Austen or costume films.
0 kommentar(er)
