Impromptu Movie Review

It's holiday time in the 1830s and the Duke and Duchess d'Antan (Anton Rodgers and Emma Thompson) have invited a glittering array of guests to their mansion: Frederic Chopin (1810–49, Hugh Grant), Franz Liszt (1811–86, Julian Sands), Marie d'Agoult (Bernadette Peters), and Eugene Delacroix (1798–1863, Ralph Brown). Who should crash the house party but George Sand (1804–76, Judy Davis)? This dynamo winds up with the crush to end all crushes on Chopin, whom Grant plays as a twit (duh!). Also on hand is Sand's current lover Felicien Mallefille (Georges Corraface) and future (?) lover Alfred de Musset (Mandy Patinkin), but so what? It's a delight to see these venerable artists so young and high-spirited here and having such a rattling good time in the romantic department, with passionate minglings galore. Another view of Sand's romance with Chopin is 1975's Notorious Woman with Rosemary Harris and George Chakiris (and Jeremy Irons as Liszt).

1990 (PG-13) 108m/C Judy Davis, Hugh Grant, Mandy Patinkin, Bernadette Peters, Julian Sands, Ralph Brown, Georges Corraface, Anton Rodgers, Emma Thompson, Anna Massey, John Savident, Elizabeth Spriggs; D: James Lapine; W: Sarah Kernochan; C: Bruno de Keyzer. Independent Spirit Awards ‘92: Best Actress (Davis). VHS, LV