Rent Sirens (1993)

Period Comedy That's A Delight - Sirens review by GI

A thoroughly delightful erotic comedy set in 1920 in Australia. Hugh Grant plays an uptight English priest, Tony, who thinks he's modern and broad minded. He and his wife Estella (Tara Fitzgerald) have just arrived in Australia where Tony is to take up at a new parish. Before doing so he is instructed by his bishop to visit artist Norman Lindsay (Sam Neill) and persuade him to remove a painting, which the church considers to be blasphemous, from a major exhibition. However Norman, his wife and three delectable models, provoke suppressed desires in Estella and Tony finds he's losing the battle of wits with Norman and his wife. This is partly a comedy of manners and partly a sexually charged period drama with digs at the church' obsession with sex. Religious iconography litters the film all of which is used as either a giggle at the ridiculous attitudes of Christianity or to highlight the power of nature and natural emotions of human beings. This is a gem of a film and well worth seeking out if you've never seen it. Supermodel Elle Macpherson costars as one of Lindsay's models and a young Ben Mendolsohn can be spotted in a few scenes. A lovely little film with a great cast, great story and beautiful setting. I highly recommend it.