Moviola > Films > The Last  September

The Last September  (15)   103 mins

"In the heart of a young woman, lies a secret that divides a nation"

Directed by Deborah Warner from the novel by Elizabeth Bowen, The Last September is set in 1920s Ireland.  Anglo-Irish aristocrats Sir Richard Naylor (Michael Gambon) and his wife Lady Myra (Maggie Smith) preside over a houseful of guests - including Fiona Shaw's bohemian vamp - who resolutely try to enjoy themselves while the tide of Irish republicanism rises all around them. British army troops patrol the roads and hedgerows, and Irish republicans raid police stations and pick off an occasional soldier, but, says one of the guests, "When this house burns, we will all be so careful not to notice".  Meanwhile the couple's high-spirited niece (Keeley Hawes) yearns for excitement, and finds it by getting involved with both a British captain (David Tennant) and an Irish freedom fighter (Gary Lydon), who is hiding out on the estate.

"The Last September is a brooding, moody motion picture with a powerful atmosphere that emphasizes the sense of encroaching doom."   James Berardinelli

"Handsome, exquisitely photographed"  San Francisco Chronicle

No official website, but look it up on www.imdb.com

Last modified: 08-Mar-2009

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