When Jane Austen was young, she wrote the novella Lady Susan—a snappy, snarky satire of 18th-century epistolary novels, written in the form of letters from a hyper-articulate heroine. It's perfectly suited for writer-director Whit Stillman (Metropolitan, Barcelona), who uses clever captions to introduce his large dramatis personae of characters from the landed English gentry. The plot revolves around the devious manipulations of beautiful, recently widowed Lady Susan Vernon (Kate Beckinsale). Although she has neither money nor husband, Lady Susan does have a trusted confidante/conspirator: Alicia Johnson (Chloë Sevigny), an American exile married to an imperious aristocrat (Stephen Fry) who threatens to ship her back to the wilds of Connecticut if she sides with “the most accomplished flirt in all England.” Arriving at Churchill—the lavish country estate of her late husband's brother Charles (Justin Edwards) and his wary wife Catherine (Emma Greenwell)—scheming Lady Susan immediately beguiles Catherine's wealthy younger brother, Reginald DeCourcey (Xavier Samuel). But before she can explore her own options, narcissistic Lady Susan must marry off her teenage daughter (Morfydd Clark), who spurns an obliging proposal from Sir James Martin (Tom Bennett) just because he's a blithering idiot, or—as they put it—“a bit of a rattle.” Diverse emotional entanglements abound (one husband is deliciously dismissed as “too old to be governable, too young to die”), leading to a surprisingly bawdy conclusion. Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a behind-the-scenes featurette (10 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a small extras package for an entertaining period comedy.] (S. Granger)
Love & Friendship
Sony, 93 min., PG, DVD: $25.99, Blu-ray: $30.99, Sept. 6 Volume 31, Issue 5
Love & Friendship
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