Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageThe Last September (1999)
Director: Deborah Warner
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
Neil Jordan, one of the exec producers, suggested that Elizabeth Bowen's novel about the twilight of the Ascendancy in Ireland would be ideal for the first film of Deborah Warner, esteemed theatre and opera director. In the event, she has surrounded herself with the very best, developing the screenplay with John Banville, and drawing on cinematography and music from two of Kieslowski's former collaborators. Casting, too, for this story of the Anglo-Irish aristocracy in the autumn of 1920 is exemplary: Smith as the imperious lady of the manor, Gambon as the husband who's not quite as vague as he seems, Shaw the 'bohemian' vamp of a houseguest who sees through all of them. The centre of attention, however, is newcomer Hawes as Smith's young charge, whose yearning for excitement sees her torn between a British army officer and a notorious Republican terrorist. The film delivers quality performances and creates a suitably persuasive country house setting in which events unfold, but surprises are few on this well trodden ground, and the insights are hardly devastating. Though Warner does some eccentric things with the camera, she mainly concentrates on giving the actors their due. Against such competition, Hawes' trembling between passion and reticence looks accomplished indeed.Author: TJ
Cast & crew
Director: Deborah Warner
Producer: Yvonne Thunder
Cast: Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Jane Birkin, Fiona Shaw, Lambert Wilson, David Tennant, Richard Roxburgh, Keeley Hawes, Tom Hickey, Gary Lydon full cast
Duration: 103 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Time Out's 101 Films of the Decade
Ten years, thousands of movies and millions of dollars in international box office, and it all boils down to this
Martin Provost discusses 'Séraphine'
Trevor Johnston talks to the director of 'Séraphine' about bringing a little known French painter back to life
Our verdict on Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones
Peter Jackson ends a triumphant decade with a sentimental misfire with this lush Alice Sebold adaptation
On the set of Ken Loach's 'Route Irish'
Dave Calhoun meets Ken Loach on the set of his forthcoming Iraq war movie
Stephen Poliakoff discusses 'Glorious 39'
Stephen Poliakoff’s ‘Glorious 39’ is his first film for cinema since ‘Food of Love’ in 1997. Dave Calhoun met him
Is 'Paranormal Activity' the new 'Blair Witch'?
How does a film go from DIY experiment to box-office smash? 'Paranormal Activity' director Oren Peli explains
Steven Soderbergh on 'The Informant!' and 'The Girlfriend Experience'
We talk to Steven Soderbergh about his two forthcoming films: one featuring a porn star, the other a chubby Matt Damon
A gateway to all things 'New Moon'
In anticipation of 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon', Time Out is offering the chance to pick up a limited edition pack with three exclusive magazines and a free poster.
The films that deserve a TV spin-off
With Roland Emmerich suggesting he'd like to make a '2012' TV spin-off, we propose some more movie-to-TV serialisations
Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam
In celebration of the release of Pixar's 'Up' and Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr Fox', read our rundown of fifty classic feature length animations
What do you think?
Post your review now