Screen Scene: “Easy Virtue“

You might feel a little dizzy at first if you don”˜t see many British films. The fast talk mixed with the slow start of the story might make you think “Easy Virtue” isn’t your cup of English tea. But soon, the talk slows, and the movie gets going.

Written and directed by Stephan Elliot, “Easy Virtue” is based on Noel Coward’s play of the same title. Elliot is the second director to have a go at the play, the first being “Hitchcock” in a silent film version. Elliot’s version, however, is anything but silent.

Set in 1920s England, we are introduced to the Whittakers ““ a wealthy, traditional English family. Mrs. Whittaker (Kristin Scott Thomas) runs the household like clockwork.

Her husband Mr. Whittaker (Colin Firth) avoids her control by escaping to his man-cave to tinker with his motorcycle. Their two daughters, Hilda and Marion, are dowdy, dependent and desperate for male attention. The Whittaker family awaits the arrival of their only son John (Ben Barnes), who has been traveling around Europe.

To their surprise and to Mrs. Whittaker’s dismay, John marries an American race car driver ““ Larita (Jessica Biel) ““ in Paris and brings her to the Whittaker manor.

Although Larita is older than John, she is chic, glamorous and sexy ““ all qualities the Whittaker sisters long to possess.

However, their admiration quickly turns into loathing. Mrs. Whittaker, too, dislikes Larita; she despises that her son chose a working woman ““ and an American one at that.

In one scene, she tells Larita that the chair she is sitting in is older than America, so she can’t possibly expect Larita to understand tradition.

As Larita attempts to befriend each family member, she falls short each time and fuels their disdain toward her by disclosing her previous marriage.

As John begins to settle into the manor and his old lifestyle, plans of moving back to Paris in order for Larita to keep racing begin to fade ““ especially when Sarah, the woman he was supposed to marry, arrives at the manor.

Larita’s only friend is Mr. Whittaker, a man who had also sown his oats after being in the war before returning to his family ““ a fact Mrs. Whittaker is quick to point out whenever he disagrees with her.

He and Larita begin a friendship that allows her to open up about her past and her hopes for her future with John.

While the story runs deep with emotion, it has comedic relief throughout, including a no-underwear cancan dance and a hilarious puppy mishap.

Although the story takes some time to start, once it does, it’s easy to be drawn into the drama of the Whittaker manor and to enjoy the high jinks of the Larita versus Mrs. Whittaker battle. The stand-out performance of the cast definitely belongs to Biel.

The film is a must-see for anyone who loves British dramas. Aside from the annoying impromptu singing from John, the film is well-made with great costumes, cinematography and acting.

““ Rocio Ayala

E-mail Ayala at [email protected].