A poisonous spider spins a tangled web
LOVE & FRIENDSHIP (U, 93 mins)
BOSOMS heave, corsets strain and venomous one-liners land with precision in writer-director Whit Stillman’s period romantic comedy, based on Jane Austen’s novella Lady Susan.
Adultery, deception and intrigue abound in the late 18th century, spun to perfection by a socialclimbing widow with a gift for scandalous suggestion. She wrecks romances and friendships with nary a flicker of concern for her unsuspecting victims.
Stillman gifts this peach of a role to Kate Beckinsale, who savours every acid-laced bon mot with relish.
Lady Susan Vernon (Beckinsale) is concerned about rumours that have begun to circulate about her relationship with smitten suitor Lord Manwaring (Lochlann O’Mearain).
She seeks refuge with her late husband’s family on their vast estate.
Charles Vernon (Justin Edwards) is blind to Lady Susan’s capacity for mayhem, but his wife Catherine (Emma Greenwell) is less trusting, especially when their house guest charms her handsome younger brother Reginald (Xavier Samuel).
Needless to say, Reginald’s parents (James Fleet, Jemma Redgrave) are horrified by the prospect of their son fraternising with a minx.
Complicating matters, Lady Susan must find a wealthy suitor for her daughter Frederica (Morfydd Clark).
As the scheming socialite’s web of lies unravels, she must think quickly to maintain her social standing.
Love & Friendship is a rare tonic. Period detail and costumes are impeccable, but it is Stillman’s riotous reinvention of Aus- ten’s little-known novella that glitters brightest.
Beckinsale oozes butterwouldn’t-melt sweetness as she leaves desolation in her bustled wake, running rings around the male of the species by exploiting her sex’s bountiful charms.
Every backhanded compliment lands like a sharp slap to the chops, eliciting so much laughter in some scenes that a couple of zinging one-liners are lost in our mounting delirium.
A perfect excuse to savour a second helping.
It would be rude not to.