Washington Square (1997)

reviewed by
James Berardinelli


WASHINGTON SQUARE
A Film Review by James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 7.5
Alternative Scale: *** out of ****
United States, 1997
U.S. Release Date: 10/17/97 (limited)
Running Length: 1:55
MPAA Classification: PG (Mature themes, mild profanity)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Cast: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Albert Finney, Ben Chaplin, Maggie Smith Director: Agnieszka Holland Producers: Roger Birnbaum, Julie Bergman Sender Screenplay: Carol Doyle based on the novel by Henry James Cinematography: Jerzy Zielinski Music: Jan A.P. Kaczmarek U.S. Distributor: Hollywood Pictures

Love is supposed to be one of the most wonderful things known to humanity, and Hollywood has produced countless pictures that place it on the highest pedestal. But there is another kind of love -- a darker, uglier sort that rarely reaches the screen because the public, it is deemed, finds it too unpleasant. So, while most films are content to explore the lighter, romantic side of love, WASHINGTON SQUARE takes a cold, hard look at the painful, destructive aspect of the same emotion.

Two years ago, motion pictures enjoyed a flirtation with Jane Austen, adapting no less than four of her novels into major motion pictures and/or television mini-series. Last year, it was Shakespeare's turn. Now, in 1997, the classic author du jour appears to be Henry James. Within a twelve-month period, three of his novels have been adapted for the screen (PORTRAIT OF A LADY, WASHINGTON SQUARE, THE WINGS OF THE DOVE). Curiously, however, James' best-known works, THE TURN OF THE SCREW and THE GOLDEN BOWL, have not received new treatments, which leaves the door wide open for further exploration in the near future.

WASHINGTON SQUARE is actually the second film to be made from the James novel of the same name. The first, 1949's THE HEIRESS (directed by William Wyler and starring Olivia De Havilland, who won an Oscar for her role), was based on a stage play version of the book that eliminated many of the more subtle aspects of James' text. For this interpretation of WASHINGTON SQUARE, director Agnieszka Holland and screenwriter Carol Doyle have returned to James' original story and created a quiet, thoughtful examination of the author's favorite theme: the difficulty of balancing love and money, and the pernicious influence of the latter upon the former.

As WASHINGTON SQUARE opens, we are greeted with a tragic scene: a young woman lying dead in the aftermath of childbirth. Her husband, Austin Sloper (Albert Finney), barely looks at his newborn daughter, Catherine, as she is presented to him. Flash-forward several years. Catherine, an awkward adolescent, is shown trying to please her father on his birthday. But, despite her best efforts, everything goes wrong, and she is forced to flee from his party in embarrassment. When we next meet Catherine (now played by Jennifer Jason Leigh), she is an adult, but is still slavishly trying to win her father's adoration. However, in his characteristically brusque manner, he finds fault with nearly everything she does.

The domestic tranquillity of the Sloper household changes dramatically on the day that Catherine meets Morris Townsend (Ben Chaplin), an adventurer and wanderer who has just returned to America from abroad. Catherine falls in love with him, and, although he apparently returns her feelings, Austin is suspicious of his motives. Morris is penniless and Catherine is wealthy, and all Austin sees in the young man is a fortune hunter. He refuses to sanction a marriage and indicates that if Catherine defies him, he will disown her.

The crux of Catherine's dilemma isn't whether to surrender money for love -- that would be no choice, since physical pampering is largely unimportant to her. Instead, she must struggle with the consequences of giving up her father's love for her suitor's. Initially, she is unwilling (and perhaps unable) to go against her father's wishes. The real meat of WASHINGTON SQUARE focuses on Catherine's growth as an individual to the point where she can see that her father's feelings for her are not as pure as she once believed them to be. Jennifer Jason Leigh manages to capture the essence of Catherine by avoiding histrionics, finding the core of innocence that forms Catherine's center, and showing the inner strength that blossoms from it.

Austin could easily have become a black-and-white villain, but Finney's performance defies the audience's desire to label him as such. While many of Austin's actions are reprehensible, we understand that he is not just motivated by selfishness. There is a great wellspring of pain in his life -- a void left by the absence of a beloved wife whose death he blames on his daughter. And, although in one sense he resents Catherine, it is also clear that, in his own way, he loves her as well. Finney handles the complex motivations of his character expertly, creating a fascinating antagonist.

The third major character is the most ambiguous. WASHINGTON SQUARE keeps us guessing about Morris' real motivations. Is he truly in love with Catherine because she feeds his vanity and makes him feel "like the most important thing in the world"? Or is he, as Austin suspects, after her money, and an easy path to a pampered life? While Ben Chaplin's performance is not the equal of Leigh's or Finney's, he is solid enough not to give away the truth about Morris until the script reveals it.

Lest WASHINGTON SQUARE seem too serious and downbeat, there's always the character of Aunt Livinia (Maggie Smith) on hand to provide comic relief. Austin's sister, who has served as Catherine's surrogate mother, delivers many of the film's most witty lines, and her presence single-handedly keeps the tone gentler than one might otherwise expect. In part because of her, WASHINGTON SQUARE is considerably lighter than the other currently-available (and similarly-themed) James adaptation, THE WINGS OF THE DOVE.

The best thing about WASHINGTON SQUARE is that it draws us into the world of the characters and challenges us to understand them and question their views and motivations. The film is emotionally effective without going overboard. Director Agnieszka Holland (whose previous efforts include EUROPA EUROPA and OLIVIER OLIVIER) opts to avoid the temptation of reducing WASHINGTON SQUARE to the level of a costume melodrama. Her careful, modulated handling of the material makes this resemble Merchant-Ivory's better work (like THE REMAINS OF THE DAY). WASHINGTON SQUARE is faithful representation of James' text, and a moving and satisfying portrait of one woman's struggle for independence in a society where everything is defined by love, money, or both.

Copyright 1997 James Berardinelli
- James Berardinelli
e-mail: berardin@mail.cybernex.net

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