The Age of Innocence

Based on a novel that revolves around desire vs. convention, this film leaves out all desire. Michelle Pfeiffer is horrible, straight out of the 20th Century as Ellen Olenska. There is no trace of the foreign, no element of the European anywhere in her character. None of the introspection or suffering that defines the character of Madam Olenska. Similarly, Daniel Day Lewis is stiff and completely unconvincing as a man torn apart by desire vs. duty. Winona Ryder is simple, plain, and utterly forgettable. The beauty in the film comes from the majestic houses and the beautiful objects that convey status and money. The narration is beautifully done and serves to adeptly move the story forward. Scorsese or not, this film is a flop.

Lavishly shot and achingly sad. Watching Daniel Day-Lewis, Michelle Pfeiffer and Winona Ryder in a love triangle is a treat, the costumes are sumptuous, the sets spectacular, and the ending is a heartbreaker. Forgive them if they're sometimes too subdued; suffice to say, there's a lot of suppressed emotion churning around inside all three. It's all very muted, very subtle, and a master class in acting. Kudos as well to the steady hand of director Martin Scorsese; he establishes a stately tone early on, and never abandons it. If you've read the Edith Wharton novel but have never seen it brought to life onscreen, see it now. If you have seen it, see it again. (You might want to check out the 1924 silent version and the 1934 remake, too. Enjoy them all!)

The Age Of Innocence is a gravely beautiful fairy tale of longing and loss. A wealthy lawyer (Daniel Day-Lewis) in 1870s New York falls scandalously in love with his wife's (Winona Ryder) cousin (Michelle Pfeiffer), the disreputable wife of a Polish count. Handsome but oddly muted, the film succeeds as a gorgeously costumed recreation of its era, but fails on the level of adaptation: it feels corseted by its own design, and the emotional agony of the story doesn't fully come through, even in the performances. The film won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design, and was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Winona Ryder), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score and Best Art Direction.

I watched this film with trepidation because I feared that Martin Scorsese and Edith Wharton would be a complete mismatch. I underestimated Mr. Scorsese, and that is a grave mistake. He has captured the rhythm, the very temperature of the culture Wharton describes in the original novel and has led his actors to unexpectedly powerful characterizations. Daniel Day Lewis is always inspired in his performances, but he manages to make Archer a far more sympathetic character than I found him to be in the book, thus (for me) enriching the story and strengthening the impact of the ending. This is a magnificent movie, an almost perfect translation of a great novel into great cinema. I cannot fault it on any count.