A Victorian period drama with quasi erotic bits! <br /><br />Poorly acted, bland and boring and for much of the time very predictable for me. <br /><br />The main characters are pretty lame and are acted much the same.<br /><br />Mark Rylance, as William Adamson, seems to have perfected an expression of blank emotion (or maybe it's just boredom).<br /><br />Patsy Kensit's character exists to simply have a different frock on in EVERY scene she's in or get her kit off.<br /><br />Douglas Henshall provides the 'evil' character & is actually quite good, he doesn't overdo it so it never reaches the pantomime stage, however Annette Badland has no trouble in reaching these dizzy heights as Lady Alabaster (PK's characters mother).<br /><br />Kristin Scott Thomas plays a subdued second female lead and, like Henshall, comes away with some credit <br /><br />One has to assume it's not the actors fault as the director, Philip Haas, surely got what he asked for.<br /><br />How on earth this got the Evening Standard award for Best British film in 1995 beggars belief (it MUST have been a BAD year).