This is a review of the film adaption of A Vilage Affair and not the book, which I have not read, but understand is a better product.A Village Afair sat on my TV table over a year before being viewed. It was tough going.Sophie Ward plays bored and frustrated housewife and mother Alice Jordan who moves to a small English village with her husband and three children. This village is the kind of place where everybody inexplicably knows everybody else's business.Alice's dull life is livened by the arrival of Clodagh Unwin, played by Kerry Fox. A free spirited native returning home after a failed love affair in New York. Feigning interest in her husband, Clodagh's real desire is Alice. Friendship turns to love and the two soon become lovers.Near the end I began to understand the core of the writer's intentions. To see it, you have to peel away the story elements like an onion. First, the Villagers. These people act as if it's the mid 60s instead of the 90s. Suspicious for no reason, intolerant, suspecting things with no evidence. Next, the families, including a brother who appears only to expose the lovers with no reason and parents who abandon Clodagh when she needs them most. In fact, if filmed today, the movie would be ridiculed and might be considered offensive because nearly all of the supporting characters are so very intolerant and say so.Anyway, this leaves Clodagh and Alice who really do love each other. Although it's soon apparent, the most passionate feelings belong to Clodagh. Alice realizes she has become the obsession of her lover and worried about losing custody of her children decides to give up her relationship. This brings Clodagh to what amounts to a emotional breakdown. This does not deter Alice, who in the end,leaves the village and her lover.To me, Alice has left behind a broken woman and sold out her own feelings. Clodagh had been in a bad relationship overseas. One can only wonder how she acted during and after the breakup. Leaving the final question. Did Alice escape a life she found suffocating and or a obsessive relationship or did she turn her back on the love of her life.Perhaps the answer is in the book. It's sure not on screen. 4/10

Alice (Sophie Ward) and Martin (Nathaniel Parker) have just moved from the big city to their dream house in a quaint village. Alice finds the adjustment to village life difficult and is depressed and unsatisfied with her mama's boy husband. Things get even worse when a pushy socialite (Kerry Fox) seems to make a play for Martin, when in fact, she's attracted to someone else.The story is a good one, but I didn't like any of the actors; to me, they were bland and boring with the exception of the wonderful Claire Bloom who plays Martin's overbearing mother. Sophie Ward's Alice is too colorless and dull to care about and she conjured up no romantic tension at all. Kerry Fox overacts constantly, always making loud, pleading speeches when a whispered one would be better. I didn't like her so the story fell flat.This BBC movie takes a good look at life in a village where everyone knows everything about everybody - not a good place to carry on a lesbian love affair. It's an interesting but lackluster movie that could have been better with a stronger cast.

Excellent movie but can't be had in NTSC. IT's in PAL only, right. I saw it on i offer dot com . The movie is a good one. Shows though how selfish and childish the one character is, and also the husband. The wife seems to be the only one with any sense at all. Will have to read the book. No, didn't know the actress in this came out. Very interesting....makes one wonder if an actress/actor can be typecast after doing a movie. Or, makes one wonder if they did the movie so well, was it really acting? The British really have made so very many good movies like this one......Tipping the velvet and Fingersmith are both great ones to go along with this one. And oh, Portrait of a Marriage, if it can be found.

Seen on TV: A Village Affair provides an opportunity for Kerry Fox to stalk around the pretty countryside, chewing the scenery and wailing about her thwarted love affair with Sophie Ward. Joking aside, she's pretty good in this picture that sometimes threatens to drown in good taste, like sub-Merchant-Ivory. Don't know much about Sophie Ward; she seems too restrained, too well-brought-up to be convincing as a wife and participant in a lesbian relationship. Shouldn't she show us that she has a lot on her plate? Michael Gough does a good job as Kerry's indulgent father.