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Noel vs. Jerry
In possibly the best scene of Separate Lies there's some dialogue paraphrased from the movie Cabaret as Anne Manning (Emily Watson) admits to her husband James (Tom Wilkinson) she's having an affair with wealthy ne'er-do-well Bill Bule (Rupert Everett). James takes it with a stiff upper lip but tells Anne her adultery has to stop. She asks if they can at least still be friends with Bill but he says no: "That would be too Jerry Springer for me." Separate Lies is the no-longer-missing link between Noel Coward and Jerry Springer, but it's closer to Coward, where people discuss their differences politely over a glass of sherry or cup of tea, than Springer, where they resolve things by screaming (bleeped) profanities and throwing punches at each other. Julian Fellowes, whose Gosford Park screenplay was overrated (and over-Oscared), is again being overpraised, at least in early reviews. He adapted Separate Lies from a novel by Nigel Balchin and makes his directorial debut with the film. It's not bad but it's not great either. It starts promisingly, with a man being thrown from his bicycle. We don't see how but the shot has visceral impact, even when it's repeated later. It takes a few minutes to get back to that moment, while we get to know the Mannings. James is a high-powered solicitor who commutes to London from their house in Buckinghamshire. Anne is the devoted if ditzy housewife who drives him to and from the train. One night Anne throws a cocktail party while James is working late. That's the night of the bicycle accident. The victim is the husband of the Mannings' cleaner (i.e., maid), Maggie (Linda Bassett). The event brings Anne and Bill's affair into the open and a succession of other secrets start spilling out as the story takes one surprising turn after another. James is a highly moral man ("I like to do the right thing. It's the way I am") but he has his limits. He means well but often comes across as ill-tempered. It's no wonder Anne feels intimidated by her husband and prefers Bill because "He's easy to be with." Once the mystery of the accident has been solved the film's suspense relies on two lesser questions: Will Inspector Marshall (David Harewood) learn the truth and be able to prove it? And will the Mannings' marriage survive? Fellowes, who tore the upper class of the 1930s a new one in Gosford Park, isn't much kinder to their contemporary counterparts in Separate Lies. He doesn't have as many characters to move around on his chessboard this time and they become somewhat tedious, even though the solid performances of Wilkinson and Watson keep the film ever watchable. Steve Warren is a local actor and film reviewer. His reviews can also be seen weekly in the Sunday Paper. |
Separate Lies
Directed by: Julian Fellowes 
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(2½ out of 4)