Ein Sommer am See

Honestly, what a disappointment. Every. Single. Sentence. Spoken. Like. This. S-l-o-w-l-y. It made me just about jump out of my skin (and I can watch a four-hour silent movie without losing interest for a minute).

I haven't written a review here in ages, but this movie needs a warning label.

I've seen all three of the stars give fabulous performances so it must have been the director. Here, Redgrave's performance is so weird I couldn't figure out what she thought she was doing. Fox and Thurman could not have known what they were entrusting to the film stock-- performances in an acting style from the distant past...only slower.

And the story is so clichéd - out-of-date clichés, not even current ones! - that it was painful to watch. There *can't* be any spoilers, the only element of surprise being that you can't believe the filmmakers would actually dare do anything so obvious.

Watch "Enchanted April" for what this might have been.

And for me, that's what movies are all about, whether it be the Disney Cinderella that was my first movie ever, or this last, A Month by the Lake, that is the place I want to be, in some other realm outside my own experience. And this movie fulfills that desire on many fronts and also kept me guessing from beginning to end.

The performances of the cast were extraordinary in the most difficult of materials, an understated script and the repressive natures of the leads. Vanessa Redgrave -playing Miss Bentley, a beyond middle-age spinster of uncertain age - does much with this. In her outwardly almost flirtatious behaviour you catch the loneliness within, but barely. You determine she does have an interest in pursuing the major, she hears his voice in a dining room and then goes in slow pursuit but practically stands him up on the first 'date' and for no earthly reason we can determine.

Edward Fox - playing Major Wilsaw a retired colonel from WW1 - has the major down pat, the peacocky walk, the clipped sentences, the fear lurking behind the eyes, all embodying the pre-war world of 1937 in Italy on Lake Como.

Uma Thurman, in one of her first 'airings' plays Miss Beaumont, a young woman taking a position as a nanny to a wealthy Italian family staying at the same resort as Miss Bentley and Major Wilshaw who flirts one thinks rather cruelly with the Major leading him on in boredom but does she, we wonder, when the movie takes off in unexpected directions.

Vanessa is sexy and wonderful, you sense there is an unstated other life underlying her character as there is with Major Wilshaw. Uma is the ingénue of a kind, an unmanageable young woman, incorrigible as another era would have it, sent to straighten herself out in Europe far away from disgracing her family in America. She is the innocent abroad, or is she. She assumes an avid interest in the photographs Miss Bentley takes of the young man in love with Miss Bentley (a scene contrived by Miss Bentley) and is astounded at Miss Bentley's capacity to captivate.

It meanders along from there with beautiful cinematography and an unforgettable tennis game. Too slow moving for many tastes. Wonderful eccentric characters - too odd for some - played to the hilt by a stellar cast. 8 out of 10.

"A Month by the Lake" has strong parallels with "Up at the Villa" as both films are about the idle rich who spend time at a villa in the North of Italy in the days prior to WWII. "A Month..." is a sublime story about a very starched Brit (Fox) and a somewhat capricious lady (Redgrave). Both mature, in late middle age, the principals stumble along on a collision course with love in this sweet, airy, picture postcard perfect little tale. An enjoyable watch for more mature audiences. A must see for Redgrave fans.

I don't usually comment but for once I don't agree with anybody else. Quite simply, I think this movie was confused and exaggerated and a waste of acting talent. The premise is a mix of standard conventions, the "white expatriates in a romantic foreign land" meets "laughter in the shadow of war" framework. I wouldn't mind the clichés so much, if not for:

-Edward Fox's bizarre performance as the major, where he seems to waiver between creepy predator and grinning imbecile.

-Typically elegant Vanessa Redgrave in a goofy impulsive performance where her seemingly complex inconsistencies really just make her look foolish.

-Uma Thurman makes it hard to remember why she doesn't totally suck as an actress. I rarely knew what emotion she was trying to convey but perhaps people could be confused into thinking she was layered and mysterious.

-The grinning Italians in the background might as well be Mario and Luigi for all the depth of character we get to see. They bob around happily, cheering and waving and doing pratfalls.

-The central element, the love story between Redgrave and Fox, is totally stiff and unbelievable and made me feel weird just watching it.

All told, I watch about 5 videos a week and this is one of the very few movies I have shut off before it's done. stay away.

A Month By The Lake, a wonderful little film. Set at the eve of World War 2 in Italy at Lake Como. A love triangle occurs between Redgrave, Fox and Thurman. The comic aspect is done very well, notible for its Tennis and boating scenes. But this also has a sad aspect as the Major(Fox) thinks that Miss Beaumont(Thurman) is in love with him, but is really only having a little fun teasing him. The lake is so wonderful and so are the photographs that Miss Bentley take.John Irvin gives good direction to the film which again adds effect and beauty. One of my favourite films it captured me. A film of very rare excellence with three top actors of past and present. 5 out of 5, wonderful.