Whit Stillman is hardly the most prolific of film-makers. Since his
debut, "Metropolitan", in 1990, he has only directed 5 feature films,
all of which he has also written, but they represent as fine a body of
work as any in contemporary American cinema. His movies may not be
particularly 'cinematic'; they are talkative comedies but they are also
fiercely intelligent and often very funny in a way that so many films
aren't these days. When people talk of Stillman they may be
thinking of Jane Austen, so perhaps it was only to be expected that
Stillman would finally get around to tackling an Austen story.
"Love and Friendship", Stillman's thoroughly delightful new film, is
based on Austen's little known novella "Lady Susan" and it may be the
best screen version of Austen thus far. It's deeply acerbic in a way
Austen seldom is and it's also laugh-out-loud funny. Kate Beckinsale is
Lady Susan, recently widowed, mother of a daughter of marriageable age
and financially dependent on the kindness of strangers.
When
the film opens she has arrived at the country seat of her sister-in-law,
Catherine DeCourcy Vernon, in search of shelter and perhaps a new
husband. Her reputation of being something of a man-eater has preceded
her and yet she has no trouble in winning the heart of Catherine's
younger brother, Reginald. What follows is a typically brilliant and
very Austen-like tale of romantic intrigues and misunderstandings,
broader perhaps than either "Pride and Prejudice" or "Sense and
Sensibility" yet totally in keeping with Stillman's view of the world,
past and present.
It would be invidious of me to choose one member of a wonderful ensemble over another for special praise since every performance is close to sublime. Still, it was gratifying to see Chloe Sevigny, in the best part she's had in some time, as Lady Susan's American friend and confidante, always living in fear in being shipped back to Connecticut by her older husband, played by Stephen Fry.
The closest Stillman comes to making his film cinematic is in his use of 'natural' lighting in several of the interior shots; otherwise this movie, like everything else Stillman has done, is totally dependent on his brilliant cast, the sharpness of his writing and the wit and compassion of his direction to make its mark. I doubt if I will see anything more entertaining this year.
When
the film opens she has arrived at the country seat of her sister-in-law,
Catherine DeCourcy Vernon, in search of shelter and perhaps a new
husband. Her reputation of being something of a man-eater has preceded
her and yet she has no trouble in winning the heart of Catherine's
younger brother, Reginald. What follows is a typically brilliant and
very Austen-like tale of romantic intrigues and misunderstandings,
broader perhaps than either "Pride and Prejudice" or "Sense and
Sensibility" yet totally in keeping with Stillman's view of the world,
past and present.It would be invidious of me to choose one member of a wonderful ensemble over another for special praise since every performance is close to sublime. Still, it was gratifying to see Chloe Sevigny, in the best part she's had in some time, as Lady Susan's American friend and confidante, always living in fear in being shipped back to Connecticut by her older husband, played by Stephen Fry.
The closest Stillman comes to making his film cinematic is in his use of 'natural' lighting in several of the interior shots; otherwise this movie, like everything else Stillman has done, is totally dependent on his brilliant cast, the sharpness of his writing and the wit and compassion of his direction to make its mark. I doubt if I will see anything more entertaining this year.
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