If you are still mourning over Dan Stevens dying in Downton Abbey, here is a picture with the blond-haired, dreamy eyed Englishman. However, don't expect much when it comes to the story, except that Dan comes across pretty much the same as Matthew Crawley.Where do I begin? Hum, well, it's a period movie, apparently about a factual event. Dominic Cooper plays A. J. Munnings, a talented artist who went onto to be a famous English painter. Set on the Cornwall coast in England, it's a story of a group of artists who do nothing but paint. Dan Stevens, who plays Gilbert Evans, is not an artist, but a friend of A.J. and in the military.The story is a strange love triangle. Enter Florence Carter Wood, another young wannabe artist. She arrives in Cornwall to be with her brother and meets both A.J. and Gilbert. Gilbert quickly falls in love with her, but A.J. wins the spoils instead. However, the entire affair is nonsensical. Florence, who comes across as a pretty, young aristocratic woman, finds A.J. fascinating because of his talent. However, he has a dark side wherein he is moody, belligerent, and drinks too much. Even though his personality is well revealed before the wedding, she for some odd reason proceeds with the marriage as if she is helpless to do so otherwise. Of course, her decision reaps an unhappy life, while Gilbert broods over his loss of his true love.Since I don't want to give the "spoils" away on this plot, I'll keep my remaining comments minimal regarding the final outcome. The location on the Cornwall coast has spectacular scenery. There are a few unnecessary scenes of total frontal female nudity, which added absolutely no value to the story whatsoever. (Three of these individuals in Summer in February also starred in the 2008 BBC Sense & Sensibility - Dominic Cooper, who played Willoughby; Dan Stevens, who played Edward Ferrars; and Hattie Morahan, who played Elinor.) Unfortunately, I cannot come away with anything lasting about this movie. Though well acted, the story itself turned out to be a melodramatic affair that made no sense to me whatsoever. The only pleasure in it was seeing Dan Stevens once again in a familiar period piece.

As a hopeless romantic, I found this film beautifully satisfying. I knew nothing about the artists group depicted here, but I have certainly been motivated to learn about them as a result of viewing this film. The Cornish setting is so evocatively filmed, the score so compelling, the costuming so authentic and the performances so skillfully done, that I was captivated from the start. Seeing Hattie Morahan, Dan Stevens and Dominic Cooper together again--they were all in Sense and Sensibility on Masterpiece a few years ago--was a delight. I think they are all such excellent actors. I had only see Emily Browning once before, but I found that I could hardly take my eyes off her when she was in a scene. Now I want to visit the Cornish coast and stay in the little hotel depicted in the film! The IMDb rating is much too low for this film!!

Okay so this is no masterpiece but 5.3 out of 10 is rather harsh, the story is what it is (based on book around true events), its not shot or acted overly badly (although I must admit I'm not totally convinced by Emily Browning) and the scenery and paintings are attractive which in turn means, I think at least, its not a bad way to spend just under two hours of your time.Why has is been so badly review then, I have no idea I happen to quite like it not because its monumental, makes me cry with sadness or leap with joy, but because it quietly and affectively tells a story worth being told. Perhaps the bad reviews reflect more of disaffection with the story rather than the vehicle of its portrayal. Either way if you like period dramas and have the time on your hands give a go and see what you think.

I see the mean is 7.2 but IMDb has shown the rating as 5.2 ? This is one of the most underrated films in decent years. It was a great film from start to finish. Superb cinematography, an engaging storyline, 3 superb main acting performances and a wonderful score. It has not been a hit at the UK Box Office as very few cinema's ever showed it depriving the UK cinema going public of a real gem. Shame. It will in time become a cult classic and word of mouth from DVD and TV will ensure it will evertually gets the recognition it deserves.Go see, if you can find it on anywhere !