"Did you see the dawn? And was it wonderful?"
4/4 stars

Definitely the best Merchant/Ivory production, and one of the finest classic literature adaptations I've ever seen. Emma Thompson is fantastic as Margaret, an almost indescribable character--she's at one artsy, down to earth, scatterbrained, gentle, strong-willed. A really remarkable job. Vanessa Redgrave is also superb as the dying matriarch. Ruth Prawer Jhabvala's screenplay is, not surprisingly, excellent. The story, while hard to encapsulate, provides a fascinating look at the importance of land in the British class system, as well as the plight of women in a distressingly misogynistic society--but I promise it's much more interesting than that sounds. Well worth seeking out.

Review by Arbogast1960