A Summer Story

James Wilby and Imogen Stubbs star in this melancholy 1988 drama based on John Galsworthy's 1916 short story “The Apple Tree,” adapted for the screen by Penelope Mortimer. Set in 1904, A Summer Story finds young London barrister Frank Ashton (Wilby) taking a long walk through a pastoral Dartmoor when he sprains his ankle. Recuperating at a nearby farm owned by the widowed Mrs. Narracombe (Susannah York), Frank falls in love with her niece, Megan (Stubbs), an innocent who has never been in a city and has been pursued for years by Mrs. Narracombe's loutish son, Joe (Jerome Flynn). As Mrs. Narracombe and Joe express their displeasure at the budding romance, Frank and Megan decide to elope, but when he goes to the seaside town of Torquay to make arrangements, his return to Megan is delayed and he encounters old school chum Phil (John Elmes) and the latter's beautiful sister Stella (Sophie Ward). Handsomely directed by Piers Haggard, the film offers wonderfully contrasting textures: the grit of sheep-shearing, the darkness of a hayloft where Frank and Megan make love, and the carnival-like atmosphere of Torquay's shore, among others. Wilby and Stubbs both shine in this visually arresting and narratively engaging film. Recommended. (T. Keogh)