THE HOUSE OF MIRTH ------------------
Lily Bart (Gillian Anderson) is a beautiful socialite trying to land a rich husband in the shark infested waters of turn of the century New York society. She loves Lawrence Seldon (Eric Stoltz), but won't consider marrying a working man. Lily is adept at making bad choices and when her acceptance of a married man's financial advise is perceived as an affair, her fortunes quickly nosedive in writer/director Terence Davies' Edith Wharton adaptation, "The House of Mirth."
LAURA:
British director Davies ("Distant Voices, Still Lives") has gathered an unusual cast and set them in an unusual stand-in for New York (Glasgow, Scotland) to tell Wharton's tragic tale. They (mostly) work.
Lily doesn't value her lover until she discovers she has a competitor, Mrs. Bertha Dorset (Laura Linney, "You Can Count on Me"). (She later comes into possession of Bertha's love letters to Seldon - she's mistakenly blackmailed by a housekeeper at his apartment building, The Benedict, who's seen Lily leaving Seldon's rooms - which could provide her only means of salvation.) Yet she still parades her prospects in front of Lawrence in a kind of 'we're all adults here' manner. She doesn't treat these men much better. Mr. Gryce (Pearce Quigley) becomes discouraged with her lack of attention and Mr. Rosedale (Anthony Lapaglia), while rich, isn't deemed of proper social standing.
After she discovers that the investment earnings of $10,000 given her by a hopeful Gus Trenor (Dan Aykroyd) were really gifts, she's determined to repay the money which she's already spent. Her social circle, however, shuns her, for having kept company with the married Trenor. Her inheritance from her wealthy aunt (Eleanor Bron, "The Little Princess"), $10,000, is long in coming and her spiteful cousin Grace (Jodhi May, "A World Apart") refuses to help. Now Mr. Rosedale considers her damaged goods. Only the eccentric Carry Fisher (Elizabeth McGovern) will remain her friend. A position as a companion ends when her employer Mrs. Hatch (Lorelie King) enters society and an apprenticeship at a milliner's fails as well. She refuses help from a truly distressed Rosedale, who somehow knows, and reminds her of, Bertha's incriminating letters.
Any who judge Anderson as wooden based on her portray of "The X-Files'" Agent Scully will surely change their opinion after viewing her work here. Although she seems a bit too modern at first (a problem that costars Dan Aykroyd and Anthony Lapaglia don't overcome), Anderson turns that into an asset as she gets into Lily Bart's skin. As Lily's over confidence, even snobbery, turns to disbelief, then resignation, Anderson fully engages us in Bart's complex and unfair situation. The wash of emotions that play over Anderson's face when Mr. Rosedale tells the impoverished Lily that 'you could wipe your feet on them' (referring to society) is one of the finest pieces of acting in the year 2000. It's a brilliant performance.
Stoltz plays Seldon cooly, as a man of privilege, who retains control of his emotions until it's too late. McGovern, a fine, under utilized actress, is solid as the unconventional Mrs. Fisher. Laura Linney pulls out her claws as the shrewish, manipulative Bertha. Dan Aykroyd isn't quite right as Gus Trenor. Lapaglia also seems miscast as Sim Rosedale, although when his character's standing rises above Lily's he wears the role more successfully.
Davies' adaptation encompasses all the layers and below surface simmerings of Wharton's story. His modern use of cigarettes to signify passion is amusing - where there's smoke, there's fire. Things are said loudly, without being said at all, such as when Rosedale tells Lily he owns The Benedict and informs her that its name means confirmed bachelor.
The location choice of Glasgow, which is strong in Victorian architecture, doesn't capture a New York feel, but Davies uses intimate shots to focus on his characters rather than their surroundings. This Wharton adaptation is very different from Scorcese's "The Age of Innocence," where costume and art production were lively and pushed to the forefront. Davies' film is dark, brooding and a bit heavy feeling (cinematography by Remi Adefarasin ("Elizabeth") and production design by Don Taylor ("Emma")).
"The House of Mirth" is an ironic title for a literary heroine with an ironic fate. Lily Bart's story is compelling and Gillian Anderson's portrayal of her is inspired.
A-
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