{"id":30749,"date":"2021-07-26T20:20:44","date_gmt":"2021-07-26T20:20:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/?post_type=articles&p=30749"},"modified":"2021-07-26T20:20:44","modified_gmt":"2021-07-26T20:20:44","slug":"amazon-prime-pursuit-of-love","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/amazon-prime-pursuit-of-love\/","title":{"rendered":"Amazon Prime\u2019s \u2018The Pursuit of Love\u2019 Is Frothy Summer Fun"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Emily
Emily Beecham and Lily James in The Pursuit of Love<\/i> (Photo: courtesy of Amazon Studios)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A couple months back, I stumbled upon\u2014and became entranced by<\/a>\u2014this clip of Andrew Scott (a.k.a. Fleabag<\/em><\/a>\u2019s Hot Priest and future Mr. Ripley<\/a>) prancing about in black and gold polka dot pajamas. Scott, as the charmingly dissolute Lord Merlin, never cracks a smile, retaining a smoldering pose of bored, disdainful remove as his posse of theatrically costumed artists and hangers-on dance around him to T.Rex\u2019s \u201cDandy in the Underworld.\u201d Like me\u2014and just about everyone<\/a> who watched<\/a> The Pursuit of Love <\/em>when it premiered in the UK this spring\u2014young Linda Radlett (Lily James<\/a>), whose dreary coming out ball Lord Merlin and his set are crashing, is smitten.<\/p>\n

The scene, from the first episode of the three-part series which premieres on Amazon Prime this week, promises all manner of daffy antics and stylish visual flourishes at Lord Merlin\u2019s manor house, a sort of Toad Hall where Dadaist plays and jazz poetry are performed in the garden. Unfortunately, The Pursuit of Love<\/em><\/a> never quite delivers on the promise of this one electrifying moment. Which is not to say that there aren\u2019t delights to be had in this frothy period piece.<\/p>\n

\"Andrew
Andrew Scott in The Pursuit of Love<\/i> (Photo: courtesy of Amazon Studios)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Directed by Emily Mortimer, who also adapted the series from Nancy Mitford\u2019s 1945 novel, the series is something akin to Brideshead Revisited<\/em> by way of Sophia Coppola. It\u2019s the story of the sheltered and frivolous Linda\u2019s single-minded pursuit of romance, as seen through the eyes of her cousin and best friend, the far more sensible Fanny (Emily Beecham). Raised by a tyrannical father (Dominic West, having a blast with every unhinged line) who keeps her and her siblings locked away in the family\u2019s country estate, Linda yearns to break free and experience life\u2014which, to her, means falling in love. Fanny, on the other hand, is determined to be the opposite of her mother, the Bolter (Mortimer, also having a blast devouring the scenery every time she appears on screen), who abandoned her as a child to pursue various lovers around the world. What follows is a fairly standard British interwar dramedy featuring a series of disastrous marriages and affairs (for Linda) and stultifying domestic ennui (for Fanny).<\/p>\n

Beecham\u2019s steady, dry as a bone narration throughout strikes exactly the right note of contrast to her costars\u2019 slightly over-the-top performances. James, meanwhile, has the tough job of making the fragile, frequently histrionic Linda someone we can care about as much as Fanny does. And she just about succeeds. But it\u2019s the details that really elevate the series. Mortimer peppers The Pursuit of Love <\/em>with anachronistic needle drops and pithy captions when introducing the farcical characters that populate Linda and Fanny\u2019s world. (Sadly, Lord Merlin is more or less sidelined for much of the series, appearing occasionally to call Linda on her BS.)<\/p>\n

The whole pretty, droll confection is aimed at a predictable tragedy and some underdeveloped platitudes about the roles women find themselves playing, and their lack of choice in the matter. Still, The Pursuit of Love<\/em> is as frothy and fun as a strawberry Rossini\u2014which is absolutely what you should drink while watching.<\/p>\n