The Wings of the Dove (1997)

A DAPPLED KIND OF BEAUTY

Transferring or adapting literature to the screen successfully, is so difficult, producers don't do much of it anymore, except for the BBC folks. But if you're an Henry James reader and admirer, you're probably amazed that this American expatriate writer so eminently unsuitable for contemporary popular entertainment, is sometimes adapted so exceedingly well, that after viewing one is prompted to re-read the original story or novel, and to make a comparison with the film or films. And if they balance, well... It is indeed remarkable.

Helena Bonham-Carter has done so many things so well, fans of hers will be pleased with her take on this nearly tragic character. This is the story of a young woman whose life, half-ruind by her parents misfortunes, is tested by her own youthful passion -- withdrawing from a life of respectable prostitution in the form of a loveless marriage to a rich, dissolute man, in an effort to avoid a nearly certain life of probable, plebian prostitution driven by want -- she finds a way to manipulate her way to eventual riches and romantic/erotic happiness; a way that very nearly works.

Linus Roache plays her lover or inadvertant co-conspirator in a sexual ponzi scheme. He underplays a character that appears to be under-written if only because although his character is that of a very nice, principled young English journalist -- slim, blonde, vague -- he is seen, or better, realized, through the perception of the two women who love him. This is an actor whose ability appears to be to insinuate himself into roles in successful films -- like RIDDIK -- and TV series -- like LAW AND ORDER. He's a kind of chameleon and that's very much to his advantage here, in this sory of shifting values and shades of desire; he becomes, or appears to become, whatever it is we wish him to be.

The titian-haired ALLISON ELLIOTT plays the innocent, loving and generous American heiress who -- as the story implies -- goes to London in hope of a cure for a fatal disease, and then goes on to Venice, to love and then to die. She is not given a headline place on the credits for the film, though she deserves them. Her outward beauty and physical appearance is very much of the period. Pre-Raphaelite/Byzantine, but her presence is animated by a simplicity of response that demonstrates her want of guile better than anything can or possibly could. She plays a woman unfettered by either economic or psychological want, and the memory of her performance, like the memory of the dead woman of the story, liingers, ineffable as sunlight on rippling water.

This is a very fine film and well worth watching; the Venetian photography is breathtaking. The musical score is so very good one could as easily say WINGS OF THE DOVE is equally worthy of hearing. If you buy it you will very likely play and watch it more than once, and if you add it to other adaptations of Henry James novels and stories -- like THE GOLDEN BOWL, or DAISY MILLER, or THE BOSTONIANS, or TURN OF THE SCREW or any of the others, you will have added something valuable to your persona, though it would be presumptuous of me to say what that might be. However, if entertainment for you consists in part in watching actresses give exciting performances, then you will probably enjoy the film adaptation of James' WASHINGTON SQUARE, entitled THE HEIRESS, which stars Olivia de Haviland. In THE GOLDEN BOWL Uma Thurmon gives a star performance so outstanding, it seems incredible that she is not recognized as the great young actress she is. Vannessa Redgrave, Michelle Pfeiffer and Sybil Shepherd among others have given performances in film adaptations of Henry James' stories, that stand very high in the lists of their accomplishments.

But, if you have ever loved anybody that death has taken from you, you will understand the depth and significance of this film. If you haven't had the experience, you may well learn what it means. December 21, 2008

Good adptation, good acting, good entertainment.

Not exactly an award-winning-production but not commercial garbage either. Superb acting, especially by Bonham-Carter, nearly authentic 1910's atmosphere, good adaptation of a Henry James's novel. Children and teenagers may find it boring but adults certainly won't. 8/10 June 1, 2008

The Law of Unintended Consequences, via Henry James

This exquisite, if not entirely literal, adaptation of Henry James's novel of the same name, examines the relationships among three people, all of whom love each other in one way or another, but whose feelings are rooted in vastly different needs, agendas, and expectations. Through the lens of these relationships, we get a glimpse of the social limitations and values imposed by the class structure of Edwardian-era Britain.

Kate Croy, played by Helena Bonham Carter, in possibly the best performance of her not undistguished career, is the daughter of a woman from a socially prominent family who married a poor man for love - that is to say, married "beneath" her. The marriage was unhappy, and Kate's mother died young, leaving Kate with a social pedigree on one side, but no money - and Kate's social standing, and the mores of the times, make employment impossible. A wealthy marriage is clearly the resolution to her difficulties, but Kate is desperately in love with a handsome, intelligent, but only modestly employed young journalist (Linus Roache) and he does not qualify as that resolution.

As the film opens, Kate is living with her mother's sister, her wealthy Aunt Maud (Charlotte Rampling). Maud has paid Kate's father off so that Kate can become her legal ward, and she is determined that Kate will not make the same mistake as her mother. Maud intends to steer her beautiful young niece into a brilliant marriage that will safeguard her future. Love does not figure into Maud's cold social calculations - she does not care who Kate takes as a lover once she is well married. Kate obediently allows Maud to take her into society where Kate can be seen by eligible men, but secretly Kate continues to meet her lover, Merton Densher. Merton returns Kate's passion but resents her unwillingness to defy Maud, marry him, and join him in his modest lifestyle. Kate wants to find a solution to their dilemma that will allow her to marry Densher without cutting her off from the comforts Kate has come to appreciate. Exacerbating matters, Maud discovers that Kate has been meeting Merton in secret, and forbids Kate to see him again, stating that otherwise she will wash her hands of Kate and refuse further help.

One evening, Kate meets a very rich, orphaned American heiress, Millie Theale, at a dinner party; Millie is traveling in Europe with a paid companion (Elizabeth McGovern). Millie and Kate take to one another immediately and become friends. As their friendship develops, Millie meets Merton, with whom she instantly falls in love. Kate discovers that Millie is seriously ill - she gets confirmation of the illness, and its terminal nature, via Lord Mark (Alex Jennings), a shallow aristocrat in her aunt's social circle with economic problems of his own. Lord Mark, although greatly attracted to Kate, is pursuing Millie, who he hopes will restore his family's fortunes after marriage - and fairly soon leave him a wealthy widower, free to indulge his wishes where Kate is concerned.

Kate, however, has a better plan: she conceals her own relationship with Merton from Millie, and as the two women's affectionate intimacy progresses, Kate places Merton more and more frequently in Millie's path. It is her hope that Millie's feelings for him, sharpened by her awareness of her own impending death, will prompt Millie to leave her money to Merton, solving Kate's dilemma.

When Millie invites Kate and Merton to join her in Venice, where the three, with Millie's companion, are thrown together on a daily basis, Kate's plans begin to look like succeeding. At first Merton refuses to participate by pretending to return Millie's feelings, but by degrees we see him responding to Millie's spiritual depths, transparent nature, and genuine feeling for both him and Kate. And thus, this being Henry James, the uncontrollability of the emotions begins to change the balance of the relationships among the three, alarming Kate, who has returned home to England to await the outcome of her plans.

The outcome arrives, but not quite as planned. Millie dies soon and leaves a great deal of money to Merton, but Merton will not accept it, and will only marry Kate if she accepts him without the bequest. In a departure from the last pages of the novel, the film suggests that Merton and Kate are permanently parted because Kate cannot bear the knowledge that Merton is in love with Millie's memory. In the novel, it is not clear that Kate and Merton are permanently parted, despite Merton's declaration that he will never take the money.

Thus, in the film, Kate achieves the goal she has connived at, but loses the thing she wants most just at her moment of triumph. The viewer watches as, in an extraordinary five minutes before the camera, Bonham Carter's face shows Kate's dawning knowledge of the price she will pay for her success - her heart breaks before the viewer's eyes.

This complex web is superbly delineated by a matchless cast. Helena Bonham Carter, in this reviewer's opinion, was robbed at the Oscars - the last ten minutes of the film, let alone her subtly shaped portrait of Kate throughout, should have won her the Best Actress award for which she was nominated. It is, bar none, one of the most memorable performances by an actress this reviewer has seen in a long time. Alison Elliott is touching as the dying Millie, wiser than her friends suspected; Linus Roache makes Merton terribly attractive both personally and intellectually, justifying both women's feelings for him; and Charlotte Rampling is wonderfully brittle as the ruthlessly calculating Aunt Maud. The production is perfectly executed.

I have only one fault to find with the script, and that is the reference to the title. In the film, the reference is linked only to the Psalm spoken over Millie's casket, in which the narrator sighs, "Oh that I had wings like the dove, that I could fly away, for the terror of death is sore upon me. . .". In the last pages of the novel, it is Millie herself who figures as the dove, who has stretched out her wings to cover both Kate and Merton with her bequest. The difference is a telling one, and James's usage far more supports the title of the work.

However, that is a minor point, overall. This is no soppy costume drama, but an adult film about motives buried within motives - an illustration of the inherent danger of trying to control others' lives, for unintended consequences are not only possible, but likely. January 29, 2008

Chick flick

Yes, this should be dismissed as a "chick flick," for that is indeed what it is. A three hankie, extremely long soap opera. The costumes and sets are excellent, and the acting is fine. The scenes taken in Venice are largely wasted, however, as they appear on screen for only seconds. The steamy sex scene near the film's conclusion shows conclusively that Helena Bonham Carter can act! On the whole, this is an irritating waste of time. January 10, 2008

Moody, elegant, perfect!

Not being a fan of Helena Bonham Carter, costume dramas, or Henry James, I purchased this DVD because it featured Venice. Now I can't wait to see it again. I was completely riveted. The growing sense of tension,as Kate manipulates circumstances to suit her own ends, and then becomes a victim of her own maneuvering, is hard to shake even several days after I saw the movie.

I did not feel the sex scene at the end was gratuitous or jarring in any way. In fact, it made complete sense. The acting is uniformly excellent, with the possible exception of Elizabeth McGovern as Millie's companion - she really didn't have very much to do.

This is also a very beautiful movie - costumes, scenery, and in the words of Indiana Jones, "Ah - Venice!" August 2, 2007

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