A Month by the Lake (1995)
For 16 years Miss Bentley has been spending April at an elegant hillside villa on Lake Como. This year, 1937, her London society artist father has recently died and the only other English-speaking guests are brash Americans. Then Major Wilshaw arrives. He suggests they meet for cocktails and Miss Bentley stands him up -- not even thinking about it -- as she helps the new nanny of an Italian family settle in. Miss Beaumont, a tall, young American who has dropped out of finishing school in Switzerland, is bored and finds some amusement in flirting with the major, whose libido is awakened for the first time since before the great war. And Miss Bentley now finds more about the major to admire than his ears.
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It seems like a good baby=boomer escapist package: Redgrave, Fox, Thurman, but take a director who's unsuited to romantic meringues, a cast with no chemistry, and a script in which so little happens that a month by the lake seems stretch into a decade; and you're in trouble. Edward Fox seems sensible casting as the correct British major, but he's awkward, unconvincing, and made to play most scenes too large or too thin. Ms Redgrave, despite the 1937 setting is wearing clothes she bought in Hampstead last week, and carries on like an over-excited schoolgirl. Perhaps all the fun was contained within the set. She's unconvincing, as is her relationship with Mr Fox, which, unfortunately is the glue of the story. Her rival for his affections is Uma Thurman, who distinguishes herself by giving a misguided reading of every line she has to utter. She can't even wave goodbye convincingly. Every moment she's on screen is excruciatingly wrong. The director takes a cack-handed approach to the tone of almost every scene; the structure is awkward, and even the close-ups of the two leads are unflattering and clumsy - especially those of Mr Fox. Alida Valli, manages to be Irvin-proof; Nicola Piovani provides some sweet, schmaltzy music and Pasqualino de Santis's photography is very pretty.
Warning: Spoilers of sorts.Beautiful, lush sets and scenery.Characterizations of oddball characters bounce all over the map.Uneven direction from a director whose right hand doesn't seem to know what his left hand is doing. Or care. Script is nothing to shout about either.Strangely non-affecting. Not especially amusing, not especially romantic, not even a little bit sexy. It's a bit of a mystery why the two main characters are attracted to one another or why they end up together.Odd, off-hand treatment of impending war.A collection of truly bizarre performances. Normally reliable actors run amok. No doubt the director's and screenwriter's faults.A film that tries hard, very hard, too hard and doesn't succeed. Can't really recommend, but on the other hand, it's not a complete waste of time. It apparently has its audience.
It is 1937, and a spunky spinster (Vanessa Redgrave) is spending a month at a villa on Lake Como. There she meets and is intrigued by a pompous old major (Edward Fox). He, on the other hand, has eyes only for a lovely but cruel young nanny (Uma Thurmon).How could a movie about beautiful Lake Como and a lovelorn English lady go wrong? Apparently, very easily. This terribly-misguided movie has a juvenile script, hammy actors, and poor direction. Even the wardrobe, makeup, and hairdos are way off, looking like contemporary styles rather than pre-WWII. The attraction between the spinster and the major is never explained and their bantering is off-putting as well as boring. Thurmon over-enunciates every syllable and shouts like she's doing a (bad) high school play. None of the stars is believable in their roles.Despite the picturesque location, there's absolutely nothing romantic about this movie. Disappointing.
Wonderful story... great acting.If you love the Lake Como area of northern Italy this is for you. A special relationship develops between a man and a woman driven by something much deeper than the lust that permeates most of today's movie-making.Edward Fox is simply magnificent and Ms. Redgrave is at her best. The tranquility of the time will amaze you. The world outside seems to be quickly falling apart as life goes on for the people in the film. If you want to enjoy a few moments of fun with a clever, delightful film this will be perfect.The place in which they are staying does exist but not as a Hotel. If you want to know why people like George Clooney fell in love with Lake Como, see this film.It captured my wife and I from the very beginning. Hollywood is rediscovering this region of Italy. (the Hotel in this movie is the place where Bond recovers from attack in Casino Royale and also part of a Stars movie)