A group of young upper-class Manhattanites are blithely passing through the gala debutante season, when an unusual outsider joins them and stirs them up.
Leading commentators such as Emmanuel Levy and Madeleine Dobie have identified the film as a comedy of manners or a coming-of-age story. Suzanne Pucci, in her book Jane Austen and Company, compares the film to Austen's novels and those of Henry James, such as Wings of the Dove. For Pucci, the film deserves full membership in the class of 20th- and early 21st-century Austen remakes such as Ruby in Paradise and Bridget Jones's Diary. According to her, the film tracks "the Austen phenomenon beyond Austen, into what (is called) the 'post-heritage' film, a kind of historical costume drama that uses the past in a deliberate or explicit way to explore current issues in cultural politics." Now, I don't know about the Jane Austen connections and all that (though the film does have multiple references to her). I just know this is a brilliantly written story about a follower of Charles Fourier mixing in with high society, and the conversations that ensue. It is like the best work of Richard Linklater, only with a higher production value. Pure gold for anyone of the right age or mental disposition.
Leading commentators such as Emmanuel Levy and Madeleine Dobie have identified the film as a comedy of manners or a coming-of-age story. Suzanne Pucci, in her book Jane Austen and Company, compares the film to Austen's novels and those of Henry James, such as Wings of the Dove. For Pucci, the film deserves full membership in the class of 20th- and early 21st-century Austen remakes such as Ruby in Paradise and Bridget Jones's Diary. According to her, the film tracks "the Austen phenomenon beyond Austen, into what (is called) the 'post-heritage' film, a kind of historical costume drama that uses the past in a deliberate or explicit way to explore current issues in cultural politics." Now, I don't know about the Jane Austen connections and all that (though the film does have multiple references to her). I just know this is a brilliantly written story about a follower of Charles Fourier mixing in with high society, and the conversations that ensue. It is like the best work of Richard Linklater, only with a higher production value. Pure gold for anyone of the right age or mental disposition.