Without question, Lady Susan is a woman to be reckoned
with. Sly, coy, flirtatious, gorgeous,
she’s a master manipulator, adept at playing the victim whenever it suits her;
she has no problem exploiting the chivalric mores of her age, willing to be
saved from any of her many dilemmas.
However, any man who comes to her aid is just fooling himself if they think
he’ll win her heart; Lady Susan is always in control, she wouldn’t have it any
other way.
From this description, one might think this character were
one of Charles Dickens’ creations, the only thing lacking being a memorable
moniker. However, Lady Susan sprung from
the mind of Jane Austen, appearing in an early novella that in many ways runs
counter to her most famous works. As adapted by director Whit Stillman, Love
& Friendship is a sharp-witted, self-aware bit of social commentary that,
in the hands of a veteran cast, proves to be a hilarious examination of a time
dictated by a moral code that was ripe for manipulation by those with the
temerity to do so.
Known as the “most accomplished flirt in England,” Lady
Susan (Kate Beckinsale) ingratiates herself upon her brother and sister-in-law,
claiming not to have any money since becoming a widow. While there may be a bit of truth to this, her
real reason for staying is to wait out the tumult generated by rumors claiming
she’s been involved in two different affairs; if she manages to snag a husband
while in social seclusion, all the better.
A worthy candidate in the person of Reginald DeCourcy (Xavier Samuel)
presents himself and Lady Susan is more than willing to let the much younger
man fall under her sway as well as defend her honor when the occasion
arises. All seems to be going well,
until Lady Susan’s daughter Frederica (Morfydd Clark) arrives unannounced,
generating a bit of drama that, for once, is not of her mother’s making. Seems she’s running away from the man she’s
meant to marry, Sir James Martin (Tom Bennett), a clueless fop who ultimately follows
her.
Once all of the characters are under one roof, this comedy
of manners kicks into high gear as Lady Susan becomes frustrated when her plan
jumps the tracks and an unexpected love triangle rears its ugly head. The comedy here is composed of double
entendres, sly jabs and subtle expressions, all of which have a devastating
effect in terms of skewering English society of the late 18th-century
and generating some delightful comic moments.
As portrayed by Kate Beckinsale, Lady Susan is a formidable
presence and one can see how easily she could make any man bend to her
will. Graceful, intelligent and so very
beautiful, you can hardly blame anyone for falling for her. As her young suitor, Samuel proves a master
of subtlety, as he deftly delivers Austen’s insults. Yet, if there were an
award for scene-stealing, it would surely go to Bennett as Martin, master of
the pregnant pause, his ability to hem and haw through a conversation bested
only by his talent to deliver one asinine observation after another. The
character’s introduction is a master class in comedic timing and is just one of
the many joys in Love & Friendship, a refreshing example of intelligent
filmmaking that doesn’t have to resort to the obvious to be effective.
This article appears in Jun 9-15, 2016.
