Paul Joyce, who directed this period drama, has in the past made documentaries on filmmakers Nicolas Roeg and Nagisa Oshima giving revealing insights into the work of two of the cinema's current `greats'. Summer Lightning, a tale of passion and jealousy, is based on Ivan Turgenev's Russian story First Love, transposed to Ireland of the 1840s, just before the famine. Heading an impressive cast are heavyweights Paul Scofield, David Warner and Tom Bell. The music is by Donal Lunny and Keith Donald - the latter having played the haunting saxophone in Neil Jordan's highly-acclaimed Film on Four production, Angel.

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