This exquisitely photographed movie stars Robert Woolley as a narcissistic Oxford actor who lands a role in the Drama Society's production of The Duchess of Malfi . The mysterious woman (Diana Katis) he meets at a party turns out to have the juiciest role in the play. The harder he tries to seduce her, the more she plays hard to get. When this independent woman is ready, she seduces him. He prefers to dally with the compliant mistress (Victoria Studd) of a friend.
Privileged imaginatively interweaves the production of the play and its themes with Woolley's manipulative toying with the lives of those around him. The tragic outcome of his games matures him. Diana Katis steals the film with her nuanced portrait of a feisty, sophisticated and talented woman who sets her own terms for love and fulfillment.