WASHINGTON SQUARE (Buena Vista - 1997) Starring Jennifer Jason Leigh, Albert Finney, Ben Chaplin, Maggie Smith, Judith Ivey Screenplay by Carol Doyle, based on the novel by Henry James Produced by Roger Birnbaum, Julie Bergman Sender Directed by Agnieszka Holland Running time: 115 minutes
*** (out of four stars)
Alternate Rating: B
Note: Some may consider portions of the following text to be spoilers. Be forewarned.
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With the 1996 Gramercy release of Jane Campion's THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY, the upcoming Miramax release of Iain Softley's THE WINGS OF THE DOVE, and this Buena Vista release of the Agneiszka Holland-helmed WASHINGTON SQUARE, it is abundantly clear that film adaptations based upon the works of Henry James are currently in fashion. It is no accident that both period melodramas WASHINGTON SQUARE and the forthcoming THE WINGS OF THE DOVE are late-year releases, as was last year's intricate THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY; they are strategically being positioned in film release schedules in aspirations of possible Oscar gold. While the Oscar campaign for Ms. Campion's film fared somewhat disappointingly, eventually netting only two Academy Award nominations, WASHINGTON SQUARE, while generally a decent adaptation of Henry James' novel, should consider itself lucky to do so well come February 1998.
It will be inevitable that comparisons will abound between Ms. Holland's version of WASHINGTON SQUARE and William Wylder's 1948 film, THE HEIRESS, featuring an illustrious cast including Ralph Richardson, Montgomery Clift, and, in an Academy Award-winning role, Olivia de Havilland, given that both films draw from the same source material. Such comparisons will invariably conclude in favour of the much-revered earlier film, and while there may be merit in such a conclusion, the mannered WASHINGTON SQUARE, which while more faithful to James' original novel is also slightly instilled with a modern feminist edge, remains fairly successfully moving and engaging.
Despite the film's one-sheet, which features Catherine Sloper (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and her dashing suitor Morris Townsend (Ben Chaplin) in a passionate if pensive embrace, WASHINGTON SQUARE's key relationship is not that between the suitor and the painfully shy heiress, but that between Catherine and her domineering father, Dr. Austin Sloper (Albert Finney). Skittishly devoted to her contemptuous father to the point of tackling him at the front door upon his daily return and waiting upon him hand and foot, Catherine is an awkward young woman, sheltered and seemingly oblivious to the standards of ladylike behaviour as deemed in the 1850s, yet she appears content with her life in servitude to her beloved father. The prosperous Dr. Sloper, on the other hand, looks upon his only daughter with thinly-veiled disdain and embarrassment, resentful of her mother's death during childbirth and brutally certain that the eager-to-please Catherine is dim, charmless and has amounted to nothing. (His retort to a declaration that his daughter has a great deal to offer is a genuine, incredulously bland "Such as?")
The status quo in their lives is irrevocably shattered upon the arrival on the scene of Morris, a handsome young man who begins to court Catherine, lavishing upon her great interest, attention, and affection, much to the delight of Catherine's idealist Aunt Lavinia (Maggie Smith) and to the suspicion of Dr. Sloper, who immediately concludes that the penniless Morris is interested in her solely for her inheritance. While Catherine swoons for Morris, her relationship with her father becomes increasingly strained, and she heartbreakingly begins to understand for the first time how unworthy she has always been in his eyes when Dr. Sloper vows to disinherit her should she continue to encourage Morris' attentions.
It is not immediately intuitive casting to put Ms. Leigh in the role of an unattractive spinster, and even moreso as a meek, clumsy wallflower, but she fares suitably well, imbuing her piteous character with a desperate craving for affection finally sated by her romance with the Morris character. It is in the latter half of WASHINGTON SQUARE, where Catherine becomes more self-assured and strong in her resolve, that Ms. Leigh predictably is strongest; her vivid portrayal of a woman forever changed results in the film's denouement being as affecting and emotionally resonant as it is.
However, it is Mr. Finney's performance which is the standout in WASHINGTON SQUARE; his is an imposing and forceful presence in the film which commands every scene in which he appears, and although his character's cruel dismissals of his daughter are distasteful, it is to Mr. Finney's credit that, far from coming off as despicable, there remains a certain strength, authority, and deeply-buried sense of genuine concern (if only, perhaps, in his own self-interest) in Dr. Sloper which is oddly compelling.
The remaining supporting performances are solid. Ms. Smith is very amusing in a supporting role, while Mr. Chaplin nicely handles his character's ambiguous motives with a great deal of subtlety. While the Morris character is a challenging role, Mr. Chaplin pulls it off well, never tipping his hand too early and leaving the audience hopeful, but uncertainly wavering about its true intentions. With his performance here and in Michael Lehmann's THE TRUTH ABOUT CATS & DOGS, he has built up fine credentials for future thoughtful Hollywood romantic leads.
WASHINGTON SQUARE's final third is markedly stronger and more compelling than the previous two-thirds, which may be due to the turgid manner in which Ms. Holland handles the romance storyline which is prevalent throughout most of the film's second act. While done in a sincere fashion, there isn't a much-needed dizzying, enthralling sense of passion evident which captures the essence of Catherine's budding first romance and begins to transform her from a gawky spinster into a poised, dainty beauty; Catherine and Morris' affair seems far too polite and mannered.
Attempts to open up the story by screenwriter Carol Doyle are ill-advised. The additions of early scenes in Catherine's life fail to add any added insight not already evident in the main body of the story, although it does provide Ms. Holland with the opportunity to open the film with an impressive POV tracking shot. Sadly, the costume design by Anna Sheppard, production direction by Allan Starski, and WASHINGTON SQUARE's score by Jan A.P. Kaczmarek are all decent but undistinguished.
While Ms. Holland's adaptation of WASHINGTON SQUARE is not a complete triumph, the intrinsic strength and power of James' story, as filtered through Ms. Doyle's screenplay, remains intact, and the film benefits from good performances from its principal cast.
- Alex Fung
email: aw220@freenet.carleton.ca
web : http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/~aw220/
-- Alex Fung (aw220@freenet.carleton.ca) | http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/~aw220/ "I'll shoot for the Queen, and you can shoot for, well, whomever." - Richard Harris, UNFORGIVEN
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