The Last September (film)

The Last September is a 1999 British drama film directed by Deborah Warner and produced by Yvonne Thunder from a screenplay by John Banville. It is based on the 1929 novel of the same name by Elizabeth Bowen. The film stars an ensemble cast, which includes Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Keeley Hawes, David Tennant and Lambert Wilson. It was filmed in Dowth Hall, County Meath along the banks of the River Boyne.

The Last September
DVD cover
Directed byDeborah Warner
Screenplay byJohn Banville
Based onThe Last September
by Elizabeth Bowen
Produced byYvonne Thunder
StarringMaggie Smith
Michael Gambon
Keeley Hawes
David Tennant
Lambert Wilson
CinematographySlawomir Idziak
Edited byKate Evans
Music byZbigniew Preisner
Distributed byTrimark Pictures
UGC DA International
Release date
  • 1999 (1999)
Running time
103 minutes
CountriesFrance
United Kingdom
Ireland
LanguageEnglish

Plot

Set in the early 1920s, Anglo-Irish landowners Sir Richard and Lady Myra Naylor reside in their country estate with their high-spirited niece, Lois, and their nephew Laurence during the twilight of British rule in southern Ireland. They are joined by the Montmorencys who hide the fact that they are presently homeless. Lois is being courted by a British officer stationed in Ireland during the Irish War of Independence. The arrival of Marda Norton causes an upheaval amongst all in the house as does an escaped commander of the Irish Volunteers who is on the run from local British soldiers and police.

Cast

Reception

Writing for The New York Times, A. O. Scott noted Warner's direction "struggles against the arch politesse that too often characterizes the genre. She plunges into the forest with a hand-held camera and shoots her characters through windows, door frames and even the wrong end of a telescope in a heroic effort to trouble the placid surface of their lives, and to make her film resemble something other than an episode of Masterpiece Theater."[1] Movie critic Roger Ebert gave the film two stars and wrote "The weakness of the movie is that these characters are more important as types than as people... The movie is elegantly mounted, and the house is represented in loving detail... I'm not sure the movie should have pumped up the melodrama to get us more interested, but something might have helped.[2] Variety compared it to a "hard-edged 'Masterpiece Theater'".[3] The movie received a score of 42% from 24 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.[4]

References
  1. Scott, A. O. (21 April 2000). "Oblivious to Revolution, The Gentry Loses Ground". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
  2. Ebert, Roger (28 April 2000). "Movie review: 'The Last September". Retrieved 6 October 2017.
  3. McCarthy, Todd (20 May 1999). "Movie review: 'The Last September". Retrieved 6 October 2017.
  4. "The Last September". Rotten Tomatoes.
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