A true tale of love, liberty and scandal amongst the Edwardian artists' colony in Cornwall.
Likely to get a wintry reception.
While the melodrama occasionally grates, this works as a raw romance and an intriguing glimpse of a bold and brash artist ahead of his time.
The film is so unconvincing in its depiction of the tragic Florence’s romantic travails, it’s hard to care about any of this sub-soapy nonsense.
The love triangle never comes into focus, and sudden bursts of drama fizzle like damp fireworks. Cooper plays the part on one boorish note, while Browning and Stevens are terribly drippy.
Proof that truth is duller than fiction comes with this tale of real events in the Lamorna artists' colony in Cornwall in the months before the first world war.
It’s certainly aiming to reach out for the Sunday night telly crowd – albeit those who won’t be offended by a bit of nudity and hot passions bubbling away under those starched collars.
It’s old-fashioned for sure, and the characters are a tad under-written, but the picture looks lovely, is very well acted and quietly moving.
It's not a particularly interesting or revealing story but there's plenty of plein-air painting and plein-air nudity, and cinematographer Andrew Dunn, whose best-known film Gosford Park is set in the same year, and the production designer, Sophie Becher, give it a satisfying period feeling.
General release. Check local listings for show times.
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