A MONTH BY THE LAKE
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1995 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 6.7
United Kingdom, 1995 U.S. Availability: 9/95 (limited) Running Length: 1:39 MPAA Classification: R (Mature themes) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
Cast: Vanessa Redgrave, Edward Fox, Uma Thurman Director: John Irvin Producer: Robert Fox Screenplay: Trevor Bentham Cinematography: Pasqualino de Santis Music: Nicola Piovani U.S. Distributor: Miramax Films
After playing a dying woman in both HOWARDS END and LITTLE ODESSA, Vanessa Redgrave has focused her skills on something a little lighter. A MONTH BY THE LAKE, the frivolous-yet-sluggish romantic comedy from director John Irvin (WIDOWS' PEAK), gives her an opportunity, no matter how ephemeral, to lay aside her serious reputation and become immersed in a story whose only real issue is whether two late-middle-aged Brits of vastly different temperaments can fall in love.
The entire film takes place at a vacation resort on the shores of Italy's Lake Como during the late Spring of 1937. Away from this breezy, idyllic paradise, rumors of war are growing, but they rarely intrude on the vacation of Miss Bentley (Redgrave), who is a regular visitor to the lake. This is a time of peace before an unspeakable tragedy--a period when everyone knew what was coming and did their best to seize a few months of happiness before the world was plunged into darkness. Yet it isn't the growth of fascism that makes this year different for Miss Bentley--her father has only recently died and she has just ended a 14-year affair with a married man. The only other English citizen at the hotel is Major Wilshaw (Edward Fox), an upright, uptight ex-British officer on his first visit to Como. He and Miss Bentley strike up a friendship but, while she is interested in tentatively pursuing something deeper, he holds back, his eye having been caught by a young, flirty American nanny (Uma Thurman) who enjoys leading him on just to see how big a fool she can make of him.
The first half of this film drags. The coy sparring between Miss Bentley and the major can't sustain the viewer's interest by itself, and there's little else going on. Trevor Bentham's script is smart, dry, and, too often, stagnant. Aside from a few droll comic interludes (including a very funny tennis match), it takes a long time for A MONTH BY THE LAKE to get moving. When it does, it's enjoyable in the way that most intelligent romantic comedies are enjoyable, but there is an obvious start-up penalty.
As is often the case, no matter what kind of role she plays, Redgrave steals the show. Buoyant and cheerful, Miss Bentley is an instantly likable character--far from the sort of stodgy fifty- something Englishwoman abroad one might expect. While it took an ENCHANTED APRIL to unwind characters played by Joan Plowright and Miranda Richardson, Miss Bentley is carefree before she ever arrives at Lake Como.
Edward Fox plays Major Wilshaw as a somewhat laughable, pompous bore. Yet, even though the character often comes across as fatuous, Fox knows when to reign in the comic element. There is a touching moment late in the film when Wilshaw shows that, as thick as his emotional armor is, the proper thrust can still penetrate it. This scene, which takes place during a magic show, is A MONTH BY THE LAKE's most serious, as well as one of its finest.
Uma Thurman, fresh from the glitz of PULP FICTION, intentionally overplays her role as an American hussy. Taking a cue from the WIDOWS' PEAK performance of Natasha Richardson (Redgrave's daughter), Thurman turns her Miss Beaumont into the perfect caricature--someone whose only two purposes are to add comic flair and romantic complications to a relatively static plot. Without Miss Beaumont, nothing would have happened between Miss Bentley and Major Wilshaw, and without Thurman, nothing would have happened in this movie.
Romance for the over-fifty crowd is a rare commodity in motion pictures. Judging by the average Hollywood take on the matter, one might easily assume that it's rare for someone with gray hair to fall in love. A MONTH BY THE LAKE has a different view of the world, and one of the chief pleasures of this film is watching two aging, uncertain characters bumble their way into a relationship. It's unfortunate that it takes so long to set up the situation, as the most lasting effect of this slow start is to dampen the eventual payoff.
- James Berardinelli (jberardinell@delphi.com)
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