• A coming-of-age story and a period costume drama that could have easily been from the later cycle of films from Merchant Ivory. Dominici Guard plays “Leo”- the boy, and literally the go-between passing notes from star-crossed (by class) lovers Julie Christie (playing Marian) and Alan Bates
  • The film is taken to another level any time you get the pleasure of hearing Michel Legrand beautiful musical score— it is voluminous—filling music
  • Memorable shots of Christie, in all while, in her hammock- white umbrella

Memorable shots of Christie, in all while, in her hammock- white umbrella

  • Fairly heavy on the zoom camera here—this is 1971—same year as Death in Venice—zooming into the bedroom window at 10 minutes
  • A nice shot by Losey floating around outside the garden for tea—and a strong composition of the elite arranged carefully around the table
  • Shot through a fence of Bates at 35 minutes
  • Green lawns, cricket—and even Guard’s green suit—proper etiquette—looks like they’re all at Wimbledon
  • It isn’t just Christie and Bates in the cast—but Michael Gough, Edward Foxx—and Michael Redgrave is in the second strand of the narrative—Losey oscillates a few times into the future with what turns out to be an older Julie Christie and Redgrave setting up the epilogue

Michael Redgrave is in the second strand of the narrative—Losey oscillates a few times into the future with what turns out to be an older Julie Christie and Redgrave setting up the epilogue

  • It isn’t anything jaw-dropping- but a few times we get Losey taking advantage of the full frame for some depth of field shots—one of the two lovers performing music together- and another at the 71-minute mark as Guard watches Christie in the deep background

Losey taking advantage of the full frame for some depth of field shots—one of the two lovers performing music together-

another at the 71-minute mark as Guard watches Christie in the deep background

  • A little reminiscent of Carol Reed’s Fallen Idol– or maybe the first sort of chapter of Joe Wright’s Atonement – shot through the eyes of a child
  • Recommend but not quite a top 10 of the year quality film