A Month by the Lake [1996] (REGION 1) (NTSC) | ![A Month by the Lake [1996] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5188KSYREEL._SL75_.jpg)
 enlarge | Director: John Irvin
Actors: Vanessa Redgrave, Edward Fox, Uma Thurman, Alida Valli, Carlo Cartier
Studio: Miramax
Category: DVD
Buy New: £4.58
New (12) Used (4) from £4.58
Avg. Customer Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 27873
Format: Closed-captioned, Colour, Dvd-video, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 92
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: D30899D
UPC: 786936220346
EAN: 0786936220346
ASIN: B00008L3S3
Theatrical Release Date: September 22, 1995
Release Date: July 1, 2003
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW items direct from the USA. Please allow 8 to 12 business days for delivery. Customs charges apply.
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A Charming Romantic Comedy About Flirtation, With Vanessa Redgrave And Edward Fox May 30, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This sweet-natured romantic comedy found only a limited audience when it came out, probably because it's the story of two middle-aged people who find themselves improbably drawn to each other.
Miss Bentley (Vanessa Redgrave), a woman of a certain age, has returned for a month to a resort villa on the shores of Lake Como where she and her father had spent summers for 16 years. With talk of war (it's 1937), there are no other English; the guests are Italian and two American ladies. But then Major Wilshaw (Edward Fox) checks in, a confident, charming man who carries two tennis racquets should he find someone up for a game. Both Miss Bentley and Major Wilshaw are English to the core, with a certain eccentric reserve and respect for good manners. However, we note that Major Wilshaw wears his old hat at a rakish angle and Miss Bentley takes photographs and is not above a bit of angling around the conventions. Miss Bentley is drawn to the major, and the major is intrigued by Miss Bentley...but then Miss Beaumont (Uma Thurman), the young nanny for a wealthy Italian couple with two young daughters also staying at the villa, arrives. Miss Beaumont lives for the moment and finds stringing along males to be quite fun. The poor major, his vanity appealed to, believes Miss Beaumont may really be attracted to him. Miss Bentley, her eye on the major, is willing to go only so far in saving his ego for him. Eventually, after being made something of a fool, the major realizes how close he came to throwing away someone he values. Miss Bentley realizes that she needs to help the major more than he realizes. And Miss Beaumont, discharged for being a rather poor nanny, decides to make friends with the attractive and wealthy son of parents who own at least four homes in Venezia.
This movie works so well because of the charm and acting skills of Vanessa Redgrave and Edward Fox. The gorgeous scenery around Lake Como doesn't hurt, either. Redgrave's Miss Bentley is a tall woman and a bit awkward. She's friendly, a little self-conscious, but she also breaks through conventions when she finds someone interesting. Edward Fox as Major Wilshaw is such a charmer, but he's also much more conventional than Miss Bentley. He can fool himself, he can take himself a bit too seriously, he can lose his temper. The tennis match between the two, which Miss Bentley wins, is a beautiful comic episode with two fine actors that sets their characters with precision and affection. If you look closely, you'll see Alida Valli, so fine in The Third Man nearly 50 years earlier, as the proprietor of the villa. You won't recognize her but she's still a class actress.
A Month by the Lake is a satisfying, stylish film about flirtation. If you enjoy it, the director, John Irvin, made two other movies you might also like, Turtle Diary and Widow's Peak. The DVD picture may be a bit soft but otherwise looks just fine. There are no significant extras.
Lovely film April 17, 2005
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
I really enjoyed this film, it's an entertaining romantic comedy. The 'Major Wilshaw' (Edward Fox) character is highly amusing as he chases after the young and pretty but shallow Miss Beaumont played by Uma Thurman. Vanessa Redgrave plays the middle-aged 'Miss Bentley, who genuinely likes the Major. The Major doesn't know that Miss Bentley is really the one for him until later when he sees what true beauty is. He comes to see there's depth, beauty and positivity in Miss Bentley that is lacking in Miss Beaumont. You admire the Miss Bentley character as she shows a quiet confidence, integrity and humour in this love triangle. The scenery of Italy is beautiful and the theme music is rather lovely too.
Lovely film April 17, 2005
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
I really enjoyed this film, it was entertaining romantic drama/comedy. The 'Major Wilshaw' character is amusing as he chases after the affections of the young and pretty but shallow Miss Beaumont. Vanessa Redgrave is very good as Miss Bentley, the middle-aged woman who genuinely likes the Major. The Major doesn't realise that Miss Bentley is the one for him but later sees a depth and beauty in her that Miss Beaumont is lacking in. You admire the Miss Bentley character as she shows a confidence, integrity and humour in this love triangle. The scenery of Italy is beautiful and the theme music is nice too.
Month by the Lake August 22, 2004
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
I LOVED this film. I saw it on a quiet afternoon after returning from holiday in Italy....The views of the Italian lakes are simply wonderful and the whole atmopshere of the film reminds one of when time was slower and people were more "genteel".. It is set pre WWII and is a gentle comedy/drama. Perhaps for those who are over the first flush of youth, yet feel they have much much more to offer, and this film reminds them they do!
It is a classic, which cannot fail to please.
VANESSA REDGRAVE TRUMPS UMA THURMAN... December 8, 2002
25 out of 25 found this review helpful
This is a charming film about an older, free spirited English woman, an expatriate who in 1937 Italy is interested in an older, stuffy Englishman who is on vacation at the same lakeside resort. A young American nanny, who is at the resort with the family for whom she works, catches the same Englishman's eye. Their love triangle provides many interesting moments for the viewer.Vanessa Redgrave, who only gets better with age, is charming as the older woman, Miss Bentley, who finds herself competing for the attentions of Major Wilshaw, curmudgeonly played by Edward Fox. Miss Beaumont, played with a certain repellent insousciance by Uma Thurman, capriciously tosses in her hat into the romance stakes. Miss Bentley finds herself playing second fiddle to Miss Beaumont. A young, attractive Italian, however, sees the charms that Major Wilshaw initially fails to appreciate, and Miss Bentley uses his interest in her to great advantage. When Major Wilshaw finally gets his wakeup call, all is well that ends well. Miss Bentley's wardrobe and style is simplicity itself. Clearly, she is not a woman to follow fashion trends. Yet, she is clearly a woman who will follow where her heart will lead. The young and nubile Miss Beaumont is much more of a fashion maven, yet she lacks the depths of beauty that Miss Bentley naturally has, a beauty that grows from within rather than from without. This is a lovely movie that will make the viewer dream of a time long past.
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