If you're fond of British costume dramas like "Wives and Daughters" or "Downton Abbey," then this won't be the first time you've seen Michael Gambon as the dithery country squire or, God knows, Maggie Smith as the sharp-tongued lady of the manor or even Keeley Hawes as the out-of-control ingenue that's got everyone so worried about her. This time the setting's a little different—a rural estate in County Cork in 1920, about halfway through the Irish struggle for independence. Other big names in Anglo-Irish drama and letters are involved (novelist Elizabeth Bowen, director Deborah Warner, actress Fiona Shaw, who plays a witchy houseguest), plus 80s fashion icon Jane Birkin in a minor role and a couple of artful Kieslowski cronies as cinematographer and composer. The plot's a bit creaky—KH's character is being courted by an eager British officer, but soon discovers that a childhood friend, now a fugitive IRA gunman, is lurking on the grounds—and the pacing in the opening scenes is suitably Chekhovian, but the resolution is fast and furious, even a bit confusing at one point (how does Peter get away?). Though I'm not sure this prestige project quite adds up to the sum of its parts, we still found it fascinating, and we've watched it on streaming Netflix a couple of times. Film buffs (and home furnishing buffs!) might prefer to send for the DVD to get the full effect of the production values, and the sound levels on streaming are erratic.
Review of The Last September
