Washington Square (PG) *** (out of ****) The Wings of the Dove (R) *** 1/2 (out of ****)
With each fall movie season comes a rash of literary adaptations dangled like bait in the Academy voter pool, and more often than not these films derive from the work of a single classic author. This year's featured author is Henry James, whose Washington Square and The Wings of the Dove are brought to the screen in intelligent, skillfully crafted translations that tower over last year's James adaptation, Jane Campion's maddeningly obtuse The Portrait of a Lady.
Washington Square centers on the romance between gawky, naive Catherine Sloper (Jennifer Jason Leigh), the daughter of the wealthy Dr. Austin Sloper (Albert Finney), and dashing but penniless Morris Townsend (Ben Chaplin). Naturally, their relationship does not sit well with Austin, who suspects Morris's true motives--after all, how could a poor young man honestly be enamored by the meek and woefully unrefined Catherine?--and does all within his power to keep his daughter and the suspected golddigger apart.
Agnieszka Holland's film is a joy to look at, yet for a film that focuses on a grand passion, the final product is strangely cold and distant. But that shortcoming is made up for by the work of the cast. Leigh may sound like a peculiar casting choice for a costume drama, but her trademark mannerisms and mumbly elocution are a perfect fit for the insecure, awkward Catherine. She has a nice rapport with the charming Chaplin, who sports a convincing Yank accent. Finney's Austin makes a despicable, yet archly funny, villain, and Maggie Smith provides some delightful comic relief as Catherine's hopelessly romantic Aunt Lavinia.
A more involving James adaptation is Iain Softley's swifter-moving and more understated The Wings of the Dove, which takes a more complex slant on the rich girl-poor boy romance. The woman of wealth here is Kate Croy (Helena Bonham Carter), who has a forbidden affair with common journalist Merton Densher (Linus Roache). Kate and Merton long to marry, but Kate refuses to give up her lofty position in society and the luxuries her snobby aunt (Charlotte Rampling) provides her. When wealthy, ailing American Milly Theale (Alison Elliott) arrives in London, Kate and a reluctant Merton engage in a cruel scheme that could ultimately enable them to marry without sacrificing Kate's riches.
What makes Wings soar above the fairly black-and-white Washington are the richly shaded characters and relationships, brought to vivid life by the central trio of actors. Despite her evil plot, Bonham Carter never allows the audience to lose the feeling that Kate truly does care about Milly--it's just that she cares about herself even more. Predictably, Merton develops feelings for Milly as well, but Softley and Roache wisely do not spell out whom he loves more, which creates genuine dramatic tension. Milly is weak in body, but deceptively so; inside she is strong in spirit and quite clear of mind. The sparkling Elliott, who was just about the only redeeming quality of last year's dreadfully overwrought Sundance sensation The Spitfire Grill, delivers a quiet performance that is astonishing in its power, most notably during a climactic tete-a-tete between Milly and Merton.
Whether or not Washington Square and The Wings of the Dove, which have both received favorable notices from critics, garner the hoped-for Oscar nominations remains to be seen; there is no question, however, that they are both quality pieces of filmmaking, with Wings being the worthier contender.
Michael Dequina mrbrown@ucla.edu | michael_jordan@geocities.com | mj23@the18thhole.com mrbrown@michaeljordanfan.com | mj23@michaeljordanfan.com mrbrown23@juno.com | mrbrown@iname.com | mst3k@digicron.com
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