Champagne nights

Sex, drugs and… flapper dresses? Yes, this is the world of Bright Young Things, a modern parable set in the world of London high society in the 1930s. While writer/director (and actor) Stephen Fry’s film is a period piece, the issues he tackles in it – the power of the media, materialism and ignorance – are clearly aimed at a contemporary audience.

At the start of the film, we learn that writer Adam Symes (Stephen Campbell Moore) has written a novel titled Bright Young Things about the excesses of London’s party set. On arrival back in England from abroad however, an over-zealous customs official confiscates the manuscript. This dashes, at least temporarily, Adam’s plans to marry his sweetheart, party girl Nina Blount (Emily Mortimer). After several twists of fate in which Adam gains then loses a tidy sum of money, he takes a job at a newspaper run by Canadian Lord Monomark (Dan Ackroyd) writing an pseudonymous gossip column. It soon becomes the talk of London, and Adam’s stocks seem to be on the rise.

In the initial stages, the film takes us on a whirl of parties and social events in which the rich and the titled (who aren’t necessarily rich) indulge themselves. But this is a film based on an Evelyn Waugh novel, and it has deeper concerns than showing us how to party. Soon things take a darker turn, before an unlikely yet still transcendent ending.

This is Fry’s first film as a director, and his feel for the film’s pacing is a little off. In the early stages, there are several scenes that seem to be unnecessarily lengthy, but by the end, the film races along, at times forgetting to fill in the gaps. And while the film goes for a fairly direct narrative at the beginning, it soon becomes episodic, which adds to the fractured feel. This makes for an uneven film experience, and viewers are entitled to feel a little gypped by the end of it.

For all that though, Bright Young Things certainly delivers on occasion. The brilliantly staged and hilarious car race scene is one of them. Fry also manages the difficult task of both exposing his characters’ flaws while at the same time empathising with them, especially as the tone darkens.

The cast consists of some of Britain’s finest actors. They’re led by Stephen Campbell Moore, who’s amiable enough, but doesn’t really make the picture his own. That doesn’t really matter though, as the rest of the cast pick up any slack. Chief among them is Fenella Woolgar, who’s brilliant as the flighty Agatha. Dan Ackroyd makes a fine newspaper magnate, while Jim Broadbent has a lot of fun as the drunken Major. Emily Mortimer is suitably flighty as Nina, and James McAvoy makes a real impression as Simon Balcairn. On the down side, Simon Callow is wasted as a fallen king, as is Stockard Channing as an American evangelist.

As a first effort, Bright Young Things is an interesting film from a man who has nothing more to prove as an actor. Although Fry clearly has a way to go before being considered a truly successful director, this film shows flashes of sparkle. Hopefully his next outing will be a little more cohesive.

David Edwards