Throughout his long career, US indie maverick Whit Stillman has consistently highlighted the hypocrisy and repressed emotions of his genteel subjects. Consequently, it’s hard to think of a contemporary director who’d make a better fit with Jane Austen, the high priestess of social satire.
In this hilarious adaptation of Austen’s epistolary novella, Lady Susan, Kate Beckinsale plays a beautiful, manipulative narcissist, who’s been recently widowed and is determined to marry well. She sets her sights on a younger man, Reginald De Courcy (Xavier Samuel) – but when Lady Susan begins to see her own daughter Frederica (Morfydd Clark) as competition, she indulges in all manner of deception.
The perfectly crafted intricacies of Austen’s plot give Stillman the freedom to focus on the characters’ absurdity, without getting lost in extraneous subplots, as he did in Damsels In Distress. The strong structure, meanwhile, lets his sly wit shine. Beckinsale is utterly delightful – arrogant, charming and razor-sharp, she easily outshines everyone else onscreen, and perfectly captures Lady Susan’s unique magnetism.
She handles the relentlessly funny script with grace and aplomb, from the crude sexual jokes, to the self-aware meta winks that Whitman brings to all his work. Overall, Love And Friendship proves to be one of the finest ever Austen adaptations.
Rating: 4/5