Writer/director Whit Stillman has a long time love of the works of Jane Austen; his first feature 'Metrepolitan' from 1990, has a sequence in which 20-something New York socialites discuss which Austen novels are truly worthy. One work which Whit would put in the worthy column is 'Lady Susan', a lesser known early novel not published until more then half a century after the authors death.
'Love and Death' is Stillman's adaption of 'Lady Susan' as well as reteaming of Kate Beckinsale and Chloe Sevigny, stars of his 1998 film 'The Last Day's of Disco'. Austen is perfect source material for Stillman, as all of his films have been dry comedies of love and manners amongst the elite.
It's 1790's England and Beckinsale is Lady Susan, a down on her luck widow and notorious flirt, scheming to find men, money, and standing for her grown daughter (Mordydd Clark) and herself. Sevigny plays Susan's friend and confident Alicia Johnson, who is said to be from Connecticut, probably as a way to get around the accent.
This film is funny, though the language is so formal and guarded that sometimes you have to think a moment to register the joke. Strong cast all around, among the standouts are Xvair Samuel as a handsome young suiter and Tom Bennett as a walking idiot suiter, but a wealthy one. I was also quite fond of James Fleet as Susan's brother-in-law Sir Reginald, one of those benign, common sense father figures in Austen stories, who has figured out how to read the women in his life and by doing so has made things easier and more pleasant for himself.
This is an unusually accessible Austen adaption, perfect for non devotees at just over 90 minutes. ***
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