Jolly old England

There was a time, not terribly long ago, that any film adaptation of a respected English novel set before 1960 had a good chance of being a Merchant-Ivory production.

In the rare instances when this was not the case, the films would have the unenviable position of being compared to or mistaken for the distinctive work of American expatriate director James Ivory and his Indian-born producing partner, Ismail Merchant.

These days, the field is wide open. Although Merchant and Ivory are still making movies from books, only one in the last 10 years was based in Great Britain (The Golden Bowl, in 2000). In the interim, many talented directors have adopted the genre, often with glorious results.

Two recent examples of this refreshing trend are Mira Nair’s Vanity Fair (adapted from the novel of the same name by William Makepeace Thackeray, and starring Reese Witherspoon) and Stephen Fry’s Bright Young Things (adapted from Evelyn Waugh’s Vile Bodies).

Fry, an actor who has attained some success as a novelist, makes his directorial debut here. Although the film has its moments, it seems equally influenced by the Merchant-Ivory canon and Masterpiece Theatre.

Like the novel on which it is based, the movie concerns the "beautiful people" in London in the 1930s. Not unlike their contemporary counterparts, they stay out all night, hopping from party to party, imbibing various substances and getting into all sorts of mayhem.

One of the bon vivants is Adam Symes (Stephen Campbell), who has just sold his first novel to publishing magnate Lord Monomark (Dan Aykroyd). The problem is that customs seized the book for being indecent when Adam returned from a trip in France. If that’s not bad enough, his conspicuous lack of funds threatens his impending marriage to Nina (Emily Mortimer).

Fry, who is openly gay and known for his ferocious wit, seems to be in his element when the movie focuses on the party crowd. He has a knack for period detail yet maintains a sense of immediacy. The audience never feels as if it is watching a costume drama. And the film conveys the danger that must have been so intoxicating for the revelers at the time. As in a Merchant-Ivory production, the characters are three-dimensional and not always likeable.

However — and this might be due to the novel — the film too often veers into melodrama and often seems like an expensive version of Masterpiece Theatre. There are long stretches that make the viewer feel like a guest at a family dinner where unpleasant private business is being aired for all to hear.

Although Bright Young Things is not a bad film in spots, it’s not quite "bright" enough. Where are Merchant and Ivory when you need them?

Bright Young Things
R
Two-and-a-half reels out of four
Starting tomorrow at Ritz theaters

Recommended rental
Home on the Range
PG
Available Tuesday

If you believe the Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com), this film is most notable for being Disney’s last traditional animated feature before the complete conversion to computer graphics. Home on the Range did a fairly blasé (for Disney, anyhow) box office of just over $50 million, so maybe it’s a smart business move for the studio. As for the story, it concerns a group of hearty farm animals that rally together to save the "Little Piece of Heaven" family farm after notorious outlaw Alameda Slim (voiced by Randy Quaid) sets his sights on it. The movie also features the vocal talents of Roseanne, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Dame Judi Dench. <