ETHAN FROME
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1993 James Berardinelli
Date Released: Limited Release Begins on 3/12/93 Running Length: 1:43 Rated: PG (Mature themes)
Starring: Liam Neeson, Patricia Arquette, Joan Allen Director: John Madden Producer: Stan Wlodkowski Screenplay: Richard Nelson (based on the novel by Edith Wharton) Music: Rachel Portman Released by Miramax Films
When we first meet Ethan Frome (Liam Neeson), he is a broken man hobbling around town. The new preacher takes an interest in him and soon learns the tragic tale of Frome's life. Years ago, as a younger and more hale man, Ethan married Zeena (Joan Allen), perhaps mistakenly, as "compensation" for her giving up part of her life to nurse Ethan's mother. Zeena, however, is a sickly woman and becomes susceptible to almost every kind of illness. When she proves unable to adequately keep house, she calls on a poor cousin, Mattie (Patricia Arquette), to come to help. What Zeena cannot foresee is the attraction that develops during the course of a year between her husband and Mattie.
While Richard Nelson's script for ETHAN FROME is faithful to the overall tone and general storyline of the novel, there are some differences. The identity of the character probing into Ethan's past has been changed. In the book he is an engineer; in the film, a preacher. The other substantial alteration involves the eventual depth of Ethan and Mattie's relationship.
The plot is not intricate. It contains elements of many genres--mystery, drama, and romance--but none of these are overplayed. In many ways, the strength of ETHAN FROME comes largely from its essential simplicity. There are no convoluted subplots to muddy the waters and no large gallery of characters to keep us wondering who this person or that person is. We are given an opportunity to focus on three people living one story. We understand very quickly who they are and what's going on.
The greatest asset of ETHAN FROME, however, and the most essential to successfully transferring the story from the written page to the screen, is the acting. Liam Neeson, an actor of ability, is astoundingly convincing in this role. Everything about him, from his mimicking of the injured man's walk to the pained facial expressions in numerous close-ups, shows how in touch he was with the role he was playing. Neeson took a serious reduction in pay to play the title character and, as an audience, we are forever grateful for that.
Patricia Arquette is not the most famous of the Arquettes, but her performance here is more sincere and heartfelt than anything Rosanna has ever done. She has an expressive face. There are scenes between her and Neeson where dialogue is not needed. An unlikely couple they might be, but the chemistry between them works.
Joan Allen has the role of the antagonist: a shrill, unpleasant woman eaten away by sicknesses of the body and soul. The creative team behind the movie attempted to make Zeena less obviously wicked than she is in the book. Admittedly, they succeed in providing excellent motivation for her nastiness, but the audience doesn't develop much empathy--or sympathy--for her. She is still the villain.
ETHAN FROME is a deeply moving film. Much of its power comes from an unwillingness to hurry events along. Everything is done slowly--each scene takes its time to unfold. Even so, the running time of the movie is no longer than that of an average film, despite the fact that its content is far from "average".
This is not a movie for children. Even though it is free from all profanity, nudity, and overt sex, ETHAN FROME is not a good family film because, frankly, those of a younger age will find it dreadfully boring. The picture is adult in nature, because it takes a mature outlook--as well as a suitable attention span--to allow yourself to become immersed in the magic that director John Madden has woven with the help of a superlative cast.
Rating: 8.9 (A, ***1/2)
- James Berardinelli (blake7@cc.bellcore.com)
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