Triumph of Love

This brisk, bubbly adaptation of Pierre Marivaux’s 18th-century romantic comedy explores the joys, woes and numerous kinks of love as a passionate princess (Mira Sorvino) bounces back and forth between disguised genders to win the heart of the rightful heir (Jay Rodan) to her kingdom. It’s an entertaining tale of deceit, misunderstandings and seduction in which reason is tempered by emotion and passion as the princess first weaves herself into the lives of the exiled prince and his protectors at a secluded villa and then struggles to extricate herself from her own tangled web. The film, which has the feel and energy of Shakespeare in Love, co-stars Sir Ben Kingsley as the philosopher Hemocrates and Fiona Shaw as his spinster sister. Directed by Clare Peploe (Rough Magic).