That's all she has, an air. As Burton appears here under Hopkins' direction, she is austere, sexless and lifeless. August is even harder to endure with the late Louis Malle's sublime Vanya On 42nd Street still fresh in the mind. In the story, the lives of the Uncle, his niece and their country household are turned topsy turvy by the arrival of the pompous retired professor and his young second wife. It is the month of August and there is work to be done on the estate to ensure provisions are put up for the winter.
Real life is dedication and drudgery.
Unfortunately, so is this film.