The Land Girls ** (1998, Catherine McCormack, Rachel Weisz, Anna Friel, Steven Macintosh) – Classic Movie Review 7037

In World War Two, three London ladies called Ag, Stella and Prue (Rachel Weisz, Catherine McCormack and Anna Friel) are billeted on a farm in the Dorest countryside, where they have to work for The Women’s Land Army and meanwhile compete for the affections of the farmer’s sulky young son Joe (Steven Macintosh).

Director David Leland’s 1997 British drama The Land Girls is well acted by the three attractive and appealing actresses, but the screenplay, based on the novel by Angela Huth, hardly has a leg to stand on in terms of depth, credibility and charm. Macintosh is a bit of an irritant, but most of that is the sulky role he is stuck in.

A good, if familiar idea is more or less chucked away by handling it in TV sitcom fashion, though it might play better on TV.

Also in the cast are Tom Georgeson, Maureen O’Brien, Lucy Akhurst, Gerald Down, Paul Bettany, Nick Mollo, Ann Bell, Nigel Planer, Celia Bannerman, Michael Mantas and Nicholas Le Provost.

The Land Girls is directed by David Leland, runs 112 minutes, is produced by Arena, Camera 1, Channel 4, Greenpoint, Intermedia, Studio Canal Plus, Greenlight and Gramercy, is released by PolyGram, is written by David Leland and Keith Dewhurst, is shot by Henry Braham, is produced by Simon Relph and is scored by Brian Lock.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7037

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com