THE LAST SEPTEMBER A film review by Steve Rhodes Copyright 2000 Steve Rhodes RATING (0 TO ****): * 1/2
THE LAST SEPTEMBER is one of those inert period pieces that give art house films a bad name.
Wasting a talented cast that includes veteran actors Maggie Smith and Michael Gambon, director Deborah Warner has her actors strolling through the sets to the rhythm of the film's dreamy, melancholic music. As a short film without words, the movie might have worked, but as a full-length, talking motion picture, it is terminally boring.
Although this is Warner's first feature film, she has an extensive background in opera direction, which shows. She places the actors statically within the frame as she might arrange an opera set with the singers, who normally move slowly, if at all. Meandering across the stage, however, can become soporific in a film.
The opening credits explain that the movie is about the "Anglo-Irish tribe" when they were about to vanish from Ireland with the coming of Irish independence in 1920. This background data is extremely helpful since the movie's message is buried by an avalanche of aristocratic small talk. ("You're being beastly." "I say there, old girl.") Little happens in the movie, other than the brief interruptions of the violence that takes place away from the house. People are killing each other, not that you'd know it by listening to the conversations of the Anglo-Irish wealthy, like the estate's owners, Sir Richard Naylor (Gambon) and Lady Myra (Smith), and their house guests.
At the center of the "story" -- calling it a drama or a romance would be a misnomer -- is Sir Richard's niece, Lois Farquar (Keeley Hawes from THE AVENGERS). British Army Capt. Gerald Colthurst (David Tennant) is in love with Lois, but her heart pines for a local Irish rebel, Peter Connolly (Gary Lydon).
An interchange about as witty as the film ever gets occurs on the estate grounds between two of the guests. "One always has the idea of love," Marda (Fiona Shaw) says to Hugo (Lambert Wilson). "I haven't," Hugo retorts. "Yes, but you're married," she explains.
Like a houseguest who doesn't take the hint that it's long past time to leave, the movie drags on after it's natural ending point. As you leave the theater, you may find that the most remarkable thing was that you were able to stay awake. That is, if you were.
THE LAST SEPTEMBER runs 1:43. It is rated R for some violence, nudity and sexuality and would be acceptable for teenagers.
Email: Steve.Rhodes@InternetReviews.com Web: http://www.InternetReviews.com
The review above was posted to the
rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup (de.rec.film.kritiken for German reviews).
The Internet Movie Database accepts no responsibility for the contents of the
review and has no editorial control. Unless stated otherwise, the copyright
belongs to the author.
Please direct comments/criticisms of the review to relevant newsgroups.
Broken URLs inthe reviews are the responsibility of the author.
The formatting of the review is likely to differ from the original due
to ASCII to HTML conversion.
Related links: index of all rec.arts.movies.reviews reviews