There's a romantic magic about times past that gives a lift to long-ago love affairs such as this even before they've begun. And the image of Meryl Streep watching the waves pound in at Lyme Regis with that haunted look in her eyes remains one of the most potent and enduring images from the cinema of the Eighties. Forever looking out to sea for the French lieutenant who abandoned her, Streep is bewitching in the title role, and her English accent is impeccable. The major drawback here, though, is that the modern story that frames the main action doesn't have nearly the same strength as the central tale, despite stars Streep and Jeremy Irons playing dual roles.

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