"The Wings of the Dove" --which is "inspired by the novel by Henry James," according to the press notes-- lifts James' basic situation and characters but ignores the extensive backstories that clutter the book, as well as the judgmental tone the author seemed to take toward his anti-heroine Kate Croy (luminously played by Helena Bonham Carter). Kate is rescued from a life of destitution with her opium-addict father (Michael Gambon) by a generous but domineering Aunt Maude (Charlotte Rampling) who frowns on Kate's beloved, a penniless journalist named Merton Denscher (Linus Roache). Marriage to Merton is out of the question, since it would mean Kate being cut off from both 1910 London society and her aunt's much-needed money. "You make her sound like a witch," gasps Kate's new friend Milly (Alison Elliott), when Kate crabs about Maude's restrictions on her. "Oh no," Kate says, "she can't fly. . .yet."
Milly, an American innocent with millions in the bank, an eye for Merton and a cough like Camille's, becomes Kate's unlikely passport to happiness. What if Merton could be persuaded to woo the terminally ill heiress? Then she might leave him her fortune, making it possible for Kate to escape Maude's clutches and marry the man of her choice.
"The Wings of the Dove" is almost a sort of turn-of-the-century "Indecent Proposal," with the canals of Venice standing in for the casinos of Vegas. But though Hossein Amini's eloquent screenplay brings to the surface the eroticism James only hinted at, it doesn't neglect the fascinating psychology of the characters, all of whom have their own agendas and desires to satisfy. Director Ian Softley (best known for "Backbeat") keeps the picture sailing along at a surprisingly brisk pace for a period-piece, and he's gotten exceptional performances from everyone in his cast, particularly Roache, who conveys Merton's troubled conscience exquisitely, and Carter, who makes sure we understand Kate's scheming is motivated by love and desperation, and not by maliciousness.
One of the fascinating sidelights in "Dove" deals with a skid-row doctor who "repairs" child prostitutes and sends them back out on the streets with "virginity certificates"; though the Age of Innocence is gone, those British do like to keep up appearances. James Sanford
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