Feast of July (1995)

A lot of fun.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

Usually the heroine of a piece is smart and beautiful. How nice to see a movei where the usual doesn't apply. This poor child who miscarries at the beginning of the movie never seems to learn. Of course, preventing pregnancies must have been very difficult back then.But she falls in love with the dumbest of the boys, out of pity as much as anything else, I suppose. However, she is responsible indirectly for his death........seeking the rogue out who impregnated her, and then telling the retarded kid about it.I found the movie unique, and loved the wonderful English town life represented herein. The woman who played the mother of these boys did a great job, as she played a religious person, who loves her boys and wants the best for them. When she attacks the poor dumb girl who causes all the mess, you know exactly why. By taking this kid in, the mother has indirectly and unconsciously brought on the death of her baby. Similar to giving your child a motorcycle.

In an almost quasi-Victorian style, and most certainly with a true Victorian setting, H.E.Bates' novel has been turned into a fine cinematographic production. Excellent interpretations by all concerned, not only the leading actors, lushly backed up by some truly splendid photography, this is a film which appeals to the senses of perceptive viewers.Unfortunately the music score is not up to much, or perhaps I should say that you should not see this film expecting great orchestral and vocal music as Zbigniew Preisner has already given us in the trilogy `Trois Couleurs' or especially in the previous film `La Double Vie de Véronique' (1991).H.E.Bates was first a serious novelist, giving us such splendid titles as `The Jacaranda Tree' and `The Purple Plain', both based on his wartime experiences in Burma (now called something like Myaungyi), and evidently `Feast of July' falls into this category. Unfortunately he then turned his hand to light frivolous reading with would-be attempts at hilarity, and he simply fell out of any serious reading list. Thoroughly recommend these two novels as they paint an authentic picture of people with real feelings and genuine jealousies and mistrust. Perhaps it is this characterisation that has been soundly transformed into a visual experience that makes `Feast of July' a thoroughly recommendable film. Near 7 out of 10.

Sophisticated and well paced love story between a disgraceful young woman and an insecure and neurotic young peasant man, adorned with England last century background. The movie goes on swiftly, although the first part is a little slow and heavy handed by the direction. Chaplin and Davitz are good in the lead roles and the climax (the last scene, to be exact)cause a strong and impressive impact on the viewer. I give this a six.

Beautiful scenery and details, authentic costumes and language. After six viewings, Ben Chaplin still lights up the screen.