BRIDE'S PLAY

The movie begins by describing the setting as Ireland, and establishing Aileen as a nice girl who everybody likes. It also defines the ancient Irish custom of the Bride's Play, which is a wedding ceremony where the people stand around in a circle and the bride asks each person if they're the one she loves the most, until she gets to the groom, who says yes. I believe there are some scenes here showing Aileen helping people and being generally charitable. (Apologies, my memory of the beginning is a bit fuzzy as the print kept flashing black every few seconds for the first ~10 minutes so it was hard to follow).

It then cuts forward to show Aileen away at some sort of religious school. Here, she and her friends are shown reading a book of romantic poems by Bulmer Meade, before they are caught by a nun and get in trouble for it. It then cuts forward again, to her finding out that her father is very sick. She goes back home to visit him in the hospital, and he passes away, leaving her a large fortune. It then cuts forward -again- to after she has finished grieving. At some point, her friendship with Sir Fergus is established, as well as the fact that he has an unrequited love for Aileen, as she is more interested in Meade.

Eventually, Bulmer Meade actually comes to her town, but Aileen does not pursue him, to his dismay. She later attends a party with Sir Fergus, where Meade attempts to steal her away from him. However, she does not want to kiss him, as she doesn't know him very well. After this, Bulmer begins spending more time with her, going on walks and trying to sweet-talk her. Sir Fergus finds out and is understandably dejected, and starts following them. Eventually, Bulmer manages to win Aileen over, as they exchange their first kiss against a backdrop of crashing waves. Sir Fergus sees this and leaves.

It was a very romantic moment for Aileen, but not for Meade, who turns out to be a scumbag who is only using Aileen. After this, he vanishes, with Aileen worried sick over what happened to him. Against the judgement of the woman* she lives with (who has been against Meade from the start), she drives all the way out to his house to see if he is okay. Meade isn't there, but his butler lets him in, as she wanders the empty house, looking at photographs of other women. Meanwhile, Sir Fergus shows up at Aileen's house, and the woman tells him where she is. Cut back to Meade's house, and another woman shows up and forces her way in.

Aileen tells the woman she was to be married to Meade, to which she informs Aileen that she's only one of the many girls who he's lied to, and that she should be glad she's not marrying him. She leaves his house sad, but the movie cuts forward again to after her grieving period. She has forgotten all about Meade, who she still has not seen in a long time, and falls in love with Sir Fergus, who has been there for her the whole time. The two agree to be married and, given that Sir Fergus is the descendent of an old Earl who performed the tradition at his wedding, agree to have the tradition of the Bride's Play to be performed at the wedding.

Bulmer Meade finds out about the wedding, and speculates that they may be performing the tradition. His plans are revealed through an honestly-way-too-long scene where some unknown woman fears he will try to pull the same trick that happened at the old Earl's wedding, where his bride-to-be's secret lover shows up and carries her away, as she doesn't want to marry the Earl. (This is conveyed through a fantastical flashback that is well over 10 minutes. Be glad I condensed it to a sentence).

Anyways, it's the wedding day, and Aileen and Sir Fergus are going through the ceremony, as planned, but the unknown woman's fears prove to be true as he is shown driving to the wedding in a cab. In the middle of the Bride's Play ceremony, he shows up in the circle, and answers that he is the one she loves most. Aileen, not falling for his bullshit again, takes off her shoe and slaps him with it, and he goes home sad that he couldn't con more women.

Everybody rejoices that she's left him, they finish the ceremony, and the two are happily married. The End.