Feast of July Movie Review 1995

Victorian-era drama, adapted from an H. E. Bates novel, has young Bella (Davidtz) pregnant and abandoned by super-cad Arch (Wise) whom she sets out to find. After a miscarriage, she is taken in by the Wainwright family where she becomes the object of the affections of the three grown sons. Predictably, she falls for and weds the troubled loafer, Con (Chaplin). Naturally (this being Victorian England) tragedy results. Well-crafted, a given considering the producers, but ultimately a familiar telling of an average story. Feature film debut for director Menaul, after an award-winning career in British TV.

Distribution

Buena Vista Home Entertainment, 500 S. Buena Vista St., Burbank, CA 91521-1120, Toll-free: 800-723-4763, URL: http://www.bvhe.com

Available on VHS
Running time 116 minutes.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Romantic Drama, Period Piece: 19th Century, Romantic Triangles, Producers: Merchant Ivory, Women, Great Britain, Family Drama

Screenplay

Christopher Neame

Cast

Embeth Davidtz, Ben Chaplin, Tom Bell, Gemma Jones, James Purefoy, Kenneth Anderson, Greg Wise

Cinematography

Peter Sova

Director

Christopher Menaul

Music

Zbigniew Preisner

Producer

Christopher Neame, Henry Herbert, Ismail Merchant, Paul Bradley, Merchant-Ivory Productions, Touchstone Pictures