Love & Friendship Dvd

Love & Friendship is a 2016 period comedy film written and directed by Whit Stillman. Based on Jane Austen’s epistolary novel Lady Susan, written c. 1794, the film stars Kate Beckinsale, Chloë Sevigny, Xavier Samuel, and Emma Greenwell. The film follows recently widowed Lady Susan in her intrepid and calculating exploits to secure suitably wealthy husbands for her daughter and herself. Although adapted from Lady Susan, the film was produced under the borrowed title of Austen’s juvenile story Love and Freindship.

The film premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. Theatrically released on May 13, 2016, by Roadside Attractions and Amazon Studios, the film received critical acclaim and was a box office success in North America, though it was not widely released (peaking at 826 theaters in its second week).

Plot

In the 1790s, the recently widowed and relatively young Lady Susan Vernon seeks a suitably wealthy match for her only daughter, Frederica, and a similarly wealthy husband for herself, in order to renew the state of her fortunes. After being unceremoniously turned out of the Manwaring estate due to her dalliance with the married Lord Manwaring (pronounced “Mannering”), she and her unpaid companion Mrs. Cross head to Churchill, the country home of her brother-in-law, Charles Vernon and his wife, Catherine Vernon (née DeCourcy). Lady Susan frankly discusses her plans during visits to her trusted friend, the American Mrs Johnson.

Catherine and her younger brother, Reginald DeCourcy, are aware of Lady Susan’s long-standing reputation as a determined and accomplished flirt. But under the influence of the amiable but dull Charles, Reginald agrees to keep an open mind, and soon finds himself enchanted with Lady Susan. When Reginald’s father, Sir Reginald DeCourcy, catches wind of this, he travels to Churchill to warn Reginald against marrying Lady Susan lest the family name be sullied. But Reginald says their relationship is not romantic. However, it is not long before he and Lady Susan have reached a romantic understanding.

Meanwhile, Lady Susan’s daughter, Frederica, who has been attending a boarding school which her mother cannot afford, runs away and is then expelled. Frederica arrives at Churchill and, shortly thereafter, is followed by Sir James Martin, a man who is both very wealthy and very foolish. For example, upon arrival at Churchill, he explains that he struggled to find the estate as he had been looking for “church hill”, a church and/or a hill. Later, he mentions the “Twelve Commandments” and when told there are only ten, he wonders which two should be disregarded. But he appears otherwise kind and a good man.

Frederica confides in Reginald that she does not want to marry Sir James because he is ‘silly’, but she fears her mother’s determination to marry her off. He is surprised and tackles Lady Susan. This leads to him deciding to leave. However, Lady Susan wins him over, then plots to punish him for his disloyalty.

When both Lady Susan and Reginald are in London she seeks to delay their marriage because, she says, society does not yet approve of them (presumably because she is much older than him). Reluctantly, he departs. Then, Lady Susan’s relationship with Lord Manwaring is exposed when Lady Manwaring discovers the lovers are meeting in private, under cover of her friend Mrs Johnson. Lady Manwaring appeals to her guardian, Mr Johnson, to confront them.

Reginald arrives with a letter from Lady Susan to Mrs Johnson, and overhears Lady Manwaring crying. She emerges with Mr Johnson, who says he cannot help her, and in desperation she snatches the letter Mrs Johnson holds, recognising the hand-writing. She insists her husband is with Lady Susan, but Reginald claims he has just left her and she is ‘completely alone’ for even the servants have been dismissed. Lady Manwaring views this with suspicion and demands a nearby footman tell her what he saw at the house. He says, after Reginald and the servants left, he saw Lord Manwaring arrive and enter the house.

Lady Manwaring now reads the letter which reveals Lady Susan asking her friend Mrs Johnson to welcome Reginald into her house and ‘keep him there all evening if you can, Manwaring comes this very hour’! Reginald departs in anger and Mr Johnson berates his wife’s involvement with Lady Susan (who later says of him, he is ‘too old to be governable and too young to die’).

Narrowly missing a departing Lord Manwaring, a distressed Reginald confronts Lady Susan, who turns the tables on him and says they cannot be married after all as he doubts her word and cannot trust her.

Reginald returns to his sister’s home, Lady Susan marries Sir James, and Reginald falls in love with Frederica, and the two are also soon married. Effectively, the two women have switched beaus. Later, Sir James confides to Mrs. Johnson his joy at the prospect of becoming a father, having been informed on the day after his marriage that his new wife was with child.

Sir James goes on to speak fondly of his newfound friend and long-term house-guest, Lord Manwaring, who was invited to stay by Lady Susan, and with whom he shares a love of hunting.

Cast

Kate Beckinsale as Lady Susan Vernon
Chloë Sevigny as Alicia Johnson
Xavier Samuel as Reginald DeCourcy
Stephen Fry as Mr. Johnson
Emma Greenwell as Catherine DeCourcy Vernon
Morfydd Clark as Frederica Vernon
James Fleet as Sir Reginald DeCourcy
Jemma Redgrave as Lady DeCourcy
Tom Bennett as Sir James Martin
Justin Edwards as Charles Vernon
Jenn Murray as Lady Lucy Manwaring
Lochlann O’Mearáin as Lord Manwaring
Sophie Radermacher as Miss Maria Manwaring
Kelly Campbell as Mrs. Cross
Conor MacNeill as The Young Curate