A Month by the Lake

A Month by the Lake is a 1995 romantic comedy film starring Vanessa Redgrave, Edward Fox and Uma Thurman. The picture is directed by John Irvin and is based on the story by H.E. Bates. The supporting cast features Alida Valli and Alessandro Gassman. Plot synopsis In 1937, two years before World War II, a spinster named Miss Bentley has returned to Lake Como to spend a month's summer holiday to heal herself from the grief of her father's recent death. While there, she meets a bachelor named Major Wilshaw and develops some feelings for him. However, a young American girl named Miss Beaumont arrives and flirts with the major out of sheer boredom, leading him to believe she's actually interested in him. Cast Vanessa Redgrave as Miss Bentley Edward Fox as Major Wilshaw Uma Thurman as Miss Beaumont Alida Valli as Signora Fascioli Alessandro Gassman as Vittorio Balsari Critical reception In a contemporary review Roger Ebert called the film; "a sly romantic comedy about a collision of sex, ego, will and pride, all peeping out from beneath great thick layers of British reticence. Its delights are wrapped in a lavish production in a beautiful time and place."