Andrew Birkin's first film (his second was `The Cement Garden' (1993) adapts a short story by Stefan Zweig (who also wrote `Letter From An Unknown Woman' which was superbly filmed in 1948 by Max Ophuls) with great sensitivity and adroitness. Faye Dunaway is both coolly stylish and yet passionate, as befits a woman on the brink of a love affair. By contrast, Klaus Maria Brandauer brings a touch of menace to his charming Lothario character to great effect. The production, filmed entirely on freezing-looking locations in Prague and Marienbad, is lush and suitably atmospheric. This is old-fashioned melodrama, brought off to a T: definitely a double-tissue job.


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