A Month by the Lake

Tags

1990's, A Month by the Lake, Alessandro Gassman, Drama, Edward Fox, John Irvin, Period Drama, Romance, Uma Thurman, Vanessa Redgrave

Film Title

A Month by the Lake

Director

John Irvin

Starring

• Vanessa Redgrave as Miss Bentley
• Edward Fox as Major Wilshaw
• Uma Thurman as Miss Beaumont
• Alessandro Gassman as Vittorio Balsari

A lush, beautifully charming romantic drama set in 1930’s Italy, A Month by the Lake is a perfectly agreeable movie that allows you to spend time with a starry cast in gorgeous locations.

Miss Bentley is a lively spinster who has visited Lake Como every year for sixteen years. It is 1937 and talk of war is in the air, plus she is there without her father who has passed away. The place has changed, she observes and her loneliness is felt. Thankfully a distraction comes in the shape of the proud and stuffy bachelor Major Wilshaw, who at first is distant because of how assertive and spirited she is. But he is won over by her enthusiasm for life and lightening up, begins to enjoy his stay. This looks like the makings of romance for two people who haven’t has the best of luck when it comes to relationships of the heart. Yet the bratty and unsettled young nanny for a nearby family Miss Beaumont begins to stir things through a cavalier gesture that has the Major believing she genuinely cares for him. Miss Bentley notices this and is perturbed at Miss Beaumont’s conduct, as she deeply feels for the Major. But while Miss Beaumont enjoys her little games and teasing, Miss Bentley proves just as good at playing games of her own. At the same time, a younger Italian man takes a romantic interest in Miss Bentley, which plays right into her hands. All of this ultimately leads to more seriousness for all involved in the romantic entanglement.

John Irvin is behind the camera here and his observant direction is simple and flowing. He doesn’t bring any tricks to the table, but then again A Month by the Lake is not a tale that requires extensive stylistic choices to tell its story. This is a film with a light and airy charm, yet still revealing a slyness and somewhat more serious side to the tale. Humour has a place here, with dry and wry occurrences arising from misunderstanding and the great way that the characters are in a spinning roundabout of actions centred on desires of the heart. In the second half of the picture, the romantic tug of war becomes a lot more serious and dramatic, as the true extent of feelings finally become known. This change is handled admirably by the script and direction, exuding a little bit more emotion than was to be expected from such a film. Although breezy is a word that comes to mind, A Month by the Lake contains some genuine gravitas and melancholy that are pretty hard to miss within the framework of everything. The gorgeousness of Lake Como is visible in almost every frame; creating a heavenly setting for loves to blossom and for life to flourish in the days leading up to the Second World War. It’s like an elegant chocolate box of visual pleasures for the eyes as the setting is perfectly brought to life. Things can get muddled within the story and more than a few times a little bit of laziness creeps in, but the main buoyancy of A Month by the Lake is enough of a distraction from those particular flaws. The score is gentle and earnest; complimenting the feeling of having fun while there is still time for those lazy days in the sun to treasure in the memory.

Heading proceedings is the willowy and immensely radiant Vanessa Redgrave. Full of vitality, spirit and heart, her Miss Bentley is a character who sweeps you up in her outgoing and vivacious lust for life. Redgrave fully captures everything about this woman with her gift for suggestion and expressive face both tools in conveying the need for love this woman yearns for after the loss of her father. As usual, Redgrave provides a beautiful air of energy and charisma to her role that truly makes it something beautiful. Edward Fox has the right amount of dignity, cockiness and sadness for the part of Major. There is a real elegance and contrasting humour and pathos in Fox’s work that simply put is something special. Uma Thurman provides a counterbalance to Redgrave’s elegance and subtlety with a strong performance as petulant and callous Miss Beaumont. Knowing how pretty she is, she thinks nothing of toying with affection, largely stemming from boredom and a stifled upbringing. Thurman brings out the vixen in the part and how immature Miss Beaumont is, a brave thing to do as she isn’t afraid to be unlikable in the role. Alessandro Gassman is the handsome man whose romantic longings for Miss Bentley allow her to level the playing field.

A breezy gem of a movie that can also conjure up pathos, A Month by the Lake is a pleasant enough way to spend an hour or two of your time. With humour, romance and sublime scenery(plus an elegant cast), its easy-going but engaging which is often just what the doctor ordered.

Ghost Story

Tags

1980's, Alice Krige, Craig Wasson, Douglas Fairbanks Jr, Fred Astaire, Ghost Story, Horror, John Houseman, John Irvin, Melvyn Douglas

Film Title

Ghost Story

Director

John Irvin

Starring

• Fred Astaire as Rick Hawthorne
• John Houseman as Sears James
• Melvyn Douglas as John Jaffrey
• Douglas Fairbanks Jr as Edward Wanderley
• Craig Wasson as Don/David Wanderley
• Alice Krige as Eva Galli/ Alma Mobley

A creepy horror film that has a classy veneer and a stunning cast of mainly acting veterans, Ghost Story brings something else to the genre of creepy horror hauntings and does it very well.

In a sleepy, small New England town that is seen almost always covered in blankets of snow, four elderly men meet every so often for evenings of brandy and creepy tales. They are the Chowder Society, who have known each other since their days at college. The quartet compromises of business owner Ricky Hawthorne, lawyer Sears James, Dr. John Jaffrey and town mayor Edward Wanderley. Their club is an informal one but one they take very seriously and pride themselves on the ghost stories they recount to one another. Yet these creepy stories have nothing on what is about to happen to them in the real world. One of Edward’s sons dies mysteriously after seeing a decomposing apparition of a strange woman, causing him to fall to his death. Alarmed and mourning, Edward’s other son Don returns to his father’s sleepy town to reconnect with his father, but has his own questions and theories regarding the suspicious death of his twin brother. He believes that the events have something to do with Alma Mobley, a mysterious woman who he had an affair with before he left her due to her overbearing and cold tendencies. Alma in turns it seems moved onto his brother after being left by Don. Events take an even more sinister turn when Edward dies in a similar fashion to his son, leaving the others to contemplate what they should do. You see,  events in the present day begin to mirror a key event from the men’s past involving a dark secret concerning the beautiful Eva Galli, who bore a strong resemblance to Alma. Realizing that they are now being haunted for a past misdeed that has intertwined with the next generation, the remaining members of the club begin to recount the most terrifying story of all to the searching Don; a true ghost story that involves them all and whose dark presence has returned to exact justice.

Tension grows within this film due to strong direction from John Irvin. He infuses Ghost Story with class, which offsets the often ghoulish and lurid subject matter at hand. He marvellously brings the hauntings to creepy life and delves into the script’s main themes of regret and sins of the past. I admired how Ghost Story didn’t feel the need to move at a very quick pace, instead allowing the chilling narrative to unfold with mystery. That isn’t to say that the film is slow, it just takes its time successfully building atmosphere and ambience. The cinematography and exquisite lighting create interesting juxtapositions in time; the present is shown as mournful, whereas the past is show with a painterly quality that belies the shocking horror that occurred. The score, while overblown in various moments, still crafts an eerie spell with sudden shifts in pitch and repeating dreamlike percussion. The same can be said of the make up effects for the ghost which may be dated but still pack a gruesome punch.

The main quartet of veteran actors are excellent in this film. Considering the fact that none of them were in particularly good health( the film would be the last film of Astaire, Douglas and Fairbanks), they are all on splendid acting form here. Fred Astaire is wonderful as the most amiable of the society, Melvyn Douglas is great as the most panic-stricken and John Houseman, with his gravelly voice and demeanor, exudes authority as the leader. Douglas Fairbanks Jr has the smallest role out of the bunch, but still makes a very big impact on the story. The four great actors add class and gravitas to the story and make it a cracking good yarn with their presence. Craig Wasson is well-suited to the part of the inquisitive Don, who is the first person to suspect something not of this world is at play. The main standout of the cast is Alice Krige who essays the dual roles of Alma and Eva that eventually merge as one. With her clear, deep voice, playful smile that at times really unnerves and pale glow that shimmers almost all the time around her , Krige is striking to watch as the vengeful spectre who won’t stop until justice is done. Her physical features as well as her otherworldly poise and unusual gestures leave a creepy and very haunting impact on the viewer. If you ever wanted to see a vengeful ghost that could also bewitch at the same time, you can’t go wrong with the chilling performance from Krige on display here.

A delightfully old-fashioned horror film that doesn’t feel the need to rush its story, Ghost Story is a marvellous entry into the horror genre that is best enjoyed with the lights off on a cold wintry night.