Summer in February ~ 2013

Sometimes fact is so much more interesting than adaptation.

Summer in February
2013

NR

100 minutes
Starring Dominic Cooper, Dan Stevens and Emily Browning
Directed by Christopher Menaul

“Based on Jonathan Smith's novel about love and loss among a bohemian colony of artists, which flourished in the wild coastal region of Cornwall before the First World War.” [Metrodome Distribution]

I do love a good period piece…unfortunately, not this one. Summer in February had the potential to be one of those sweeping, moody, gripping period pieces that draw you in…were it not for its slowly-timed and unorganized script. The true tale that inspired this film has everything – passion, love, betrayal, death…and yet, despite all of those elements it failed to hold my attention.

I do feel the real-life triangle between artists Alfred Munnings and Florence Carter-Wood and their mutual friend Gilbert Evans deserved a better retelling than this. I encourage anyone who watches this movie, who isn’t familiar with the Lamorna Group, do a little digging and trace the roots of this Bohemian set of early 20^th-century artists. You’ll find the historic account of their lives much more interesting than the film.

From a cinematography POV, this film was a bit of a love letter to Cornwall’s breathtaking geography. And, performance-wise, Dominic Cooper (as Munnings), Dan “Why-Did-I-Pull-a-David-Caruso-and-Leave-a-Hit-Show-Like-Downton-Abbey?” Stevens (as Evans) and Emily Browning (as Carter-Wood) all handle the roles deftly and with heart. They’re believable and compelling, despite the failings of the script. Overall though, you’re better off settling down with a good biography and a nice cuppa.