The Last September

Another one of those cinematic projects in which the pedigree is more impressive than the final product, this adaptation of Elizabeth Bowen's acclaimed novel (written for the screen by the luminous British novelist John Banville, Kepler) is set in County Cork, Ireland, in 1920, on the eve of Irish independence. At the estate of Anglo-Irish aristocrats Sir Richard Naylor (Michael Gambon) and his wife (Maggie Smith, who is, as usual, very nearly worth the price of admission alone), trouble is brewing with their 19-year-old niece, Lois (Keeley Hawes), who has attracted the mutually exclusive eyes of an infatuated British captain and a fiery Irish freedom fighter. In the battle for the heart in times of war, it's always a toss-up: with happy endings, love triumphs; with not-so-happy endings, realpolitik squashes the heart with the surety of one of Wile. E. Coyote's ACME steamrollers (I won't reveal which is the case, here). Also on hand are a motley crew of relatives and friends--Fiona Shaw, Jane Birkin, and Lambert Wilson--whose romantic escapades seem less important than their roles as spokespersons on Britain's proper role in this controversial business of imperialism. It's hard to fault any particular, from Banville's subtle script, and Deborah Warner's crisp and colorful direction to the ensemble cast's impeccable work of bringing to life a time and place far removed from contemporary thought, but somewhere between its languid setup and not quite moving conclusion, something vital seems to be missing. Optional. (R. Pitman)