Harsh realities and the frivolity of the aristocracy played out against a stunning Parisian backdrop in another offering form the Merchant-Ivory tem.
It's very much by the numbers: lots of uncomfortable looks being exchanged in dimly-lit rooms, impressive production values, Maggie Smith wiping the floor with everyone else and a pretty girl (Isabelle Adjani) who can't act particularly well.
Merchant Ivory fans will no doubt enjoy a story in which the real drama is in what remains unsaid, but others will be willing the cast to just bloody do something.