Promise, A

French director Patrice Leconte has a solid track record in upscale mainstream French cinema. Here making his English language debut with a period romance adapted from Stefan Zweig's posthumously published novella "Journey Into The Past" he delivers a typically polished production but fails to generate any emotional heat.

Set in Germany in the years prior to WWI it tells the story of a handsome and ambitious young man Frederic Zeitz (Richard Madden) who becomes personal secretary to a wealthy industrialist (Alan Rickman) who has a beautiful and much younger wife, Lotte (Rebecca Hall).

It is so easy to join the dots that it is mercy that the narrative opts to sustain proceedings by not consummating the young people’s passion, and sending Frank into exile for two years  with the pledge that on his return they will get together.  As it is turns out war intervenes and many years (Hitler is on the rise) elapse before they are reunited.  

This lack of consummation is also the problem with the film. Leconte can’t get the heat-settings right. Pre-exile Lotte is charming but passionless while Frederic is about ready to explode. In the interregnum Hall/Lotte is at her best writing longing letters to her absent love but when Madden/Zeitz returns he appears to have lost interest and she just lets her top lip quiver. The intention appears to be make him/they older-but-wiser but the result is simply to let the fire go out all together,

A Promise is an elegant looking film but most of the effort appears to have gone into the production and costume design and not enough to developing the dynamic between the protagonists.

Available from: Vendetta Films

 

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