The Last September

Rating:
Summary: Well Done But Some May Find Slow Moving
Review: How well you like this movie will probably depend on how wryly you can view the central group at risk in the film: the prosperous people of English descent, born in Ireland or whose children were born in Ireland circa 1916. I liked the contrast between these English-Irish and the real Irish locals. The central action takes place at one of these English-Irish estates in Ireland, where the privileged inhabitants carry on as usual while Ireland erupts in violence over British rule. The IRA takes fervent action in their region, while these people play lawn tennis, plot marriages and cut flowers. However, a young woman, the niece of the estate owner, becomes involved with both a British soldier and an IRA activist, which brings the two worlds somewhat together. Ultimately, wherever the British move, whether it be Ireland, Africa or India, it is amazing how little they are assimilated into the local culture of those regions. They might as well be in London or Yorkshire and it is only by watching the terrain and the locals that you know that they are not in England. It gradually becomes clear that there will be no place in post WWI Ireland for these people of English descent to fit in any longer. They will be forced to move on. For most of them, this means moving to Canada where they will not be as prosperous or privileged. While this is a good film, it is also much like a drawing room period piece and thus moves rather slowly. Some viewers may find it sluggish but that is also the point of the film. The people at risk are too slow moving as well for the dark events which overtake them and force them out of Ireland. There are also some good DVD interview extras on this disc.

Rating:
Summary: Boring and Murky
Review: I found this movie to be a crashing bore and a great disappointment. I usually like this sort of British/Irish film and I'm extremely interested in the period of Irish history involved here,, from the 1916 Rebellion through the War of Independence to the Treaty setting up the Irish Free State. However, this story was so slow moving and the characters so one dimensional and incredibly clueless that it was hard to keep up any real interest in their pathetic lives. The cast is a striking one and deserves better but every character, with the possible exception of Maggie Smith's, seemed shallow and only partly realized. The photography was probably the best part of this disaster but even it seemed murky and given to dwelling much too long on inanimate objects, flora and fauna. The only part of the interminable proceedings with any spark was that involving the brief interlude with Lois (as blank a cartridge as I've encountered in many a moon) and the IRA gunman, who himself seemed almost a caricature. Over all it managed to make a critical and fascinating period of history dull and uninvolving.

Rating:
Summary: Dreary, incoherent script.
Review: I give this film two stars for the beautiful photography and music. The acting wasn't too bad either, though not stunning. But the editing and script truly left something to be desired. Flashback scenes interspersed at random threw the average viewer into a state of confusion. Characters of indeterminite relationship flew in and out in dizzying succession. The character development unfolded abruptly in harsh jerks, with very little subtlety. Most of the characters were quite one-dimensional, especially the young girl's two "lovers". One was a dumb, shallow cocky Englishman, and the other was a dumb, coarse, brutal Irishman. They were supposedly the two extremes that clashed over the anglo-Irish, but as symbols of the two cultures they fail dismally. All in all, a depressing, pointless and fairly inaccurate portrayal of Northern Ireland in the 20's.

Rating:
Summary: Boring
Review: I thought I would like this movie, but I was disappointed. The setting could make for a good film, but this movie was just way too slow and I found it hard to care about any of the characters. I usually enjoy the more deliberate British historical romances (The Remains Of The Day, eg), but this movie bogs itself down far too much.

Rating:
Summary: The Last September
Review: In 1914, the English revoked the "Home Rule Bill", which had been designed to give Ireland a modicum of autonomy. As you might expect., the Irish were not pleased. Various radical and separatist groups were motivated to action, including Sinn Fein ("we ourselves", founded in 1905), a group which is still known today as the political arm of the IRA.

The Easter Rebellion, in the spring of 1916, marked the beginning of a new era in Irish-English relations. On the day after Easter, the Republicans claimed various government buildings in Dublin, and declared a provisional government of the new Irish Republic. This didn't sit well with the English, who sent in troops the next day, established martial law, rounded up the insurgents and sent the leaders to the firing squad without even any pre-execution crumpets.

I don't know if they thought that this would strike fear into the hearts of the rebels, and quell the insurgency, but if they thought that they were plumb loco, as we say in Texas. Shooting some Irish patriots is like shooting Jason in those Friday 13th movies. It just makes them madder. Britain's forceful suppression of the revolt actually strengthened the will of the rebel groups.

Sinn Fein was reorganized under Eamon De Valera, and set up an alternate assembly which claimed to be the legitimate ruling body of Ireland. The British and Irish fought for five or six years, and if you have seen the movie Michael Collins, with Liam Neeson, you're probably familiar with what happened in that time.

The fighting continued until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. Collins himself was nominated to head up the team which represented the Republicans in the negotiations with Lloyd George. This treaty incorporated 26 of Ireland's 32 counties. I believe you know pretty much what has happened to the other six counties over the years. Actually, the 26 to the South weren't so tranquil, either, in those days. Even patriotic Irish leaders were split over the proper nature of the Anglo-Irish relationship, and the Free State treaty had opponents from every extreme of the political spectrum.

OK, enough background. The point is that there was a bloc of English-Irish creoles, people of English descent who were born in Ireland or whose children were born in Ireland, and who considered themselves both Irish and good subjects of the Crown. Many of them had gone there originally to be government administrators. When Ireland became a battleground in the teens and twenties, these people found themselves at the September of their era, with the end clearly in sight.

They were not able to continue in their former glory, and they had no viable alliances to forge a new life. Irish Republicans certainly didn't want them in the new free Ireland, and yet their divided loyalty made them suspect by the British as well.

So they wondered desperately what to do, tried to stay alive, and cried a lot as they planned to leave their great estates and move to two-room flats in Toronto.

This movie chronicles the lives of those people, the Anglo-Irish, in that time, the 1920's.

Needless to say, for the purpose of dramatic contrast, the lovely young Anglo-Irish daughter is flirting with a British soldier (who is unacceptable to her family because of his social status), and an Irish radical (who is a violent outlaw, and therefore even more unacceptable). Her relationships with the two men leave her walking a dangerous tightrope in a netless society.

The movie is marked by beautiful cinematography. You may not have heard of Slavomir Idziak, but he was Kieslowski's cinematographer, and he's in his element here, working with a director who idolizes Kieslowski, and a composer who scored many of Kieslowski's films. If you had told me, "Oh, yeah, it's a rare English language film from Kieslowski", I would have believed you until I looked at the 1999 date. (Kieslowski died a few years ago).

Oh, well, I guess you can already figure whether you'd like it or not. I have to say that I did not. I found it too middle brow and historical-romance-novelish to be a great movie, and too damned slow and boring to be a good entertainment. I thought it was pretty much of a stuffy snoozefest with some very strong atmospheric touches.

Keeley Hawes was topless during her rendezvous with the Irish Republican. These are taken from VHS.The love scene in this movie was done quite well, too well to rely on VHS images. Hawes was afraid of the guy, somewhat repulsed by him, but attracted to him as well, and the scene was charged with a subtle erotica.

Rating:
Summary: Use the english subtitles!
Review: The film making me curious about the book it's based on is for me the film's only enduring value. Though important subject matter and a seemingly passionate ethic in making it, it just isn't enough. In trying so hard to do a character study, the movie fails to allow the forces causing it to be the characters' last September to really take hold. And, without that it's just a movie about a bunch of priviliged people talking about not much at all, which when taking in an accent spells movie-watching doom. Cabaret it's not. Maybe if I had activated the english subtitles...
Actually, the "special features" on the dvd are interesting because interviews with the actors and director have you wondering if they worked on the same movie you just watched. Maybe I should have watched them first because they seemed to have honest intentions.
There's also a dramatic reading from the book on the dvd that underscores how in this case, a book is the only way to tell this story. The story is that of a revolution virtually causing a race of people to disappear. The movie does nothing to make us want to remember them.

Rating:
Summary: Searching for Love
Review: This story is based on Elizabeth Bowen's cleverly crafted novel in which a young woman comes of age in a brutal time. It is a story about seeking love in all the wrong places. Love is not a simple affair. It is a complex journey, filled with many decisions along the way.

As Lois (Keeley Hawes) and Army Captain Gerald (David Tennant) dance through a forest there is an unmistaken sense of innocence clouded by a forboding evil clinging to each step. The deeper they go into the forest, the more aware you become that a ghost-like melancholy seems to consume Lois. She is amused by Gerald, but has a penchant for rebels. Even in her innocence, she longs for excitement and the impossible situation.

You are consciously aware of the intricacies in the lives of the characters and become less concerned with the plot. Laurence (Jonathan Slinger) seems content to amuse himself observing the blossoming yet mild romance between Lois and Gerald.

There are scenes of spinning on a swing, playing tennis out on the grass, frivolous parties and while life seems to go on like Renoir's painting: "The Gust of Wind." The undercurrent is more of a ominous gale. Most of the characters seem unaware of even the slightest political gust. They fill their lives with walks in nature and evenings spent gazing at the stars on a luxurious estate.

Lois wants to be in love and she seeks love where she feels she can find it. Although, she seems to be playing with fire when she discovers Peter Connolly (Gary Lydon) hiding in the old mill house. He is an IRA fugitive wanted for the murder of an English Army officer. Lois sneaks out on her bike to see him, all the while realizing she is putting her life in danger.

This is not the end of the world as predicted, but perhaps the end of a romance. It is however, a tragic romance with artistic moments to die for. The seemingly insignificant raindrops splashing into a glass of lemonade has a much deeper meaning. The joyfulness of a romantic existence is contrast sharply with the deviousness of destiny.

Rating:
Summary: An emotional clash between the Irish, Anglo-Irish &British
Review: This was a very moving movie showing how the Irish, and the British and how families like uncle Richard and aunt Myra (Maggie Smith) Anglo Irish buisness people who no longer support the British yet fear the Irish rebels are caught in between a confict. Fiona Shaw does an wonderful job playing the part of a vamp, Marta who is to marry a wealthy English business man but enjoys fooling around and tempting Hughie who is regreatfuly married to a much older woman while they are staying at Richard and Myra's house. In the mean time Lois ( Uncle Richard's niece) is playfuly leading on a very attractive young British officer and yet sneaking to meet the young Irish rebel and allowing herself to be seduced by him. The British Officer wishes to marry her but Aunt Myra (Maggie Smith does a really good job playing a polite snob) slams the poor officer with the fact that he is not of money and that it would be impossible to marry Lois, yet uncle Richard, who really hates the British, is encouraging the young officer to continue in his relationship with Lois. This is a movie that anyone who enjoys the English movie format, should see.