The Age of Innocence

Plot synopsis:
In 1870's New York City, Newland Archer is planning to marry the respectable young May Welland. May's cousin, the Countess Ellen Olenska, has returned to New York after a disastrous marriage to a dissolute Polish Count. At first she is ostracized by society and vicious innuendo is spread, but May's family boldly stands by the Countess and she is gradually accepted by the very finest of New York's old families. Archer prematurely announces his engagement to May, but as he comes to know the Countess, he begins to appreciate her unconventional views on New York society and he becomes increasingly disillusioned with his new fiancée May and her innocence, lack of personal opinion, and sense of self.
After the Countess announces her intention of divorcing her husband, Archer supports her desire for freedom, but he feels compelled to act on behalf of the family and persuade the Countess to remain married. When Archer realizes that he is in love with the Countess, he abruptly leaves the next day to be reunited with May and her parents, who are in Florida on vacation. Archer asks May to shorten their engagement, but May becomes suspicious and asks him if his hurry to get married is prompted by the fear that he is marrying the wrong person. Archer reassures May that he is in love with her. When back in New York, Archer calls on the Countess and admits that he is in love with her, but a telegram arrives from May announcing that her parents have pushed forward the wedding date.
After their wedding and honeymoon, Archer and May settle down to married life in New York. Over time, Archer's memory of the Countess fades. When the Countess returns to New York to care for her grandmother, she and Archer agree to consummate their affair. But then suddenly, the Countess announces her intention to return to Europe. May throws a farewell party for the Countess, and after the guests leave, May announces to Archer that she is pregnant and that she told Ellen her news two weeks earlier.
The years pass: Archer is 57 and has been a dutiful, loving father, and a faithful husband. The Archers have had three children. May had previously died of infectious pneumonia and Archer had mourned her in earnest. Archer's engaged son, Ted convinces him to travel to France. There, Ted has arranged to visit the Countess Olenska at her Paris apartment. Archer has not seen the countess in over 25 years. Ted confides to his father May's deathbed confession that "... she knew we were safe with you, and always would be. Because once, when she asked you to, you gave up the thing you wanted most." Archer confesses that she never asked him. That evening outside the Countess' apartment, Archer sends his son alone to visit her. While sitting outside the apartment, he thinks about their time together and gets up and walks away.

Tags: historical, flashback

Review:
But watching it again 10 years later, this film is anything but common.The true intensity is Scorcese's detached presentation of a hypocritical & hateful society which holds its members as prisoners.Not to mention impeccable art direction & beautiful cinematography by the legendary Michael Ballhaus.
The film looks as impressionistic as the paintings that line the walls of the characters' homes.Scorsese is always acute in his casting decisions, and this is one of the films many virtues:Lewis is perfect as a man who's struggle between his passion & his duty are constantly on the verge of devouring him  (yet somehow he thrives on his torture).Ryder is the seemingly innocent & naive girl who is completely manipulative & cunning underneath her exterior (gee, who would have thought?!) -- notice the arching scene.In a sense, this was one of Pfeiffer's defining roles.
Great observance of "high society." Many of those codes are strangely applicable today.Not recommended for those who like fast paced movies, or those who are looking for the "usual Scorcese."  I would couple this with "Last Temptation of Christ" as Scorsese's most brave, artistic, demanding & abstract films to date..
For those who wonder what is Mr. Scorsese looking for in a film like "The Age of Innocence", (probably more suitable to a director such as James Ivory), the man himself gives the answer: "This film deals with the same matters that can be found in my work in the last 25 years.
Newland Archer (Daniel Day-Lewis) must choose between his current fiancee May Welland (Winona Ryder) and her cousin who has just arrived from Poland and is recently divorced, Helen Ollenska (Michelle Pfeiffer).
But what lies beneath this wonderful movie is a priceless ode to individuality.Michelle Pfeiffer plays Ellen Olenska, a proto-feminist who flees from her failing European marriage to the home of her blood relatives in 1870's New York Society.
"Harmony could be shattered by a whisper", as well narrated by Joanne Woodward.Daniel Day-Lewis plays Newland Archer, an up-and-rising patriarch who sees something in her that no one else in his rich circle could offer him: an independent viewpoint to life.
Through excellent film-making, I can see why Society felt the need to operate in such a ruthless fashion, in order to protect itself from Ellen and what she represented to Newland, its newly crowned prince.Over the past few months, I have also grown an appreciation for Winona Ryder's performance as May. She is a shrewd politician, who uses her "bright blindness" as a megaphone for Society's rules of conduct, a weapon of manipulation against her destined husband Newland, and as a way to continue plotting without easily being detected.I wonder how many more times I will watch "The Age of Innocence" before I risk being exposed to Hollywood's 21st century conformity, such as "Independence Day" or "Wild, Wild West".
All the more appropriate as this is exactly what Scorsese wants us to see in the world of end of XIX th century New York- a society brimming with peace and innocence in which nothing appears to ever happen but under the surface of which gossip and intrigue work relentlessly and destinies are decided over the small talk of the dinner table.
Daniel Day Lewis, equally talented, is the tortured lover who must choose, a promise of marriage to Mae (Winona Ryder) or risk his stalwart reputation in society to express his love for Pfeiffer.
I was very impressed by the use of the objects, the clothes of the time to describe the feeling of the scene or of the characters involved.The actors are all very good, but Michelle Pfeiffer really delivers and excellent performance.
It is about a lawyer named Newland Archer (played expertly by Daniel Day-Lewis) who yearns to break free of the rigid, repressive world of upper-class New York in the 1870's.
It's an interesting idea and that violence is played out by a superb cast topped by Daniel Day-Lewis, Michelle Pfeiffer and Winona Ryder.
Day-Lewis takes on the role of Newland Archer, who is recently engaged to Ryder's May Welland but finds himself having difficulty masking his desires for her cousin, Pfeiffer's Ellen Olenska.
It's your standard set up for this kind of period piece and it's not told in any way that makes it stand out, but the acting is enough to keep it relatively engaging throughout.Day-Lewis has gotten worlds of acclaim and two Oscar statues for his theatrical, outlandish performances but I've honestly always preferred him in his more subtle, intimate displays and here is another example of him showing what a great actor he can be when he holds things in.
The emotions are mostly underneath the surface in this film, and Scorsese was smart enough to cast three actors who were superb at portraying them in the perfect tone, expressing those emotions quietly without overdoing it to the audience or to the other characters on screen.
Ryder doesn't say a word addressing this realization, but through her eyes and the way her face sinks, through the slight change of tone in her voice, she absolutely breaks your heart.Scorsese has always been adept at crafting an atmosphere for his films, but I don't think that particular skill of his shines through here at all.
Michelle Pfieffer seems to be the only actress who didn't fully embrace the period in manner or behaviour, but the rest of the performers aquit themselves wonderfully.At times it almost felt a little 'modern', but one can't fault the film makers, they were only trying to update it a bit for their intended audience.Altogether a wonderful film and definitely worth seeing, but - as always- the book remains far superior..
Martin Scorsese's beautifully done "The Age of Innocence" almost reaches excellence on a grand scale by having stunning performances and creating real intrigue with a story that could have been slow and dull.
However their lives are changed when Day-Lewis is asked to defend Ryder's cousin (Michelle Pfeiffer), a woman trying to divorce herself from an abusive marriage to a man that never loved her.
"The Age of Innocence" takes the audience into the pages of 19th century New York's social register as it follows one eligible blue blood, Day-Lewis, and his love interests (Pfeiffer & Ryder).
It's worth mentioning at the outset that I am a complete Martin Scorcese fan; however I do not agree with an apparent consensus here that this is among his best films.For me, the biggest hurdle is the (mis)casting of the endlessly effete Daniel Day-Lewis in the lead role.
So: if you like Daniel Day-Lewis, you may well love the film--he's in nearly every scene.
And saddling his character with feminist political philosophy, while it may enhance his appeal to some viewers, is a stretch from the novel's characterization and quite anachronistic besides.However, the other leads are notably fine (especially Michelle Pfeiffer and even the endlessly variable Winona Ryder) and there are knockout performances in the supporting roles, particularly Siân Phillips, Jonathan Pryce and Miriam Margolyes.Otherwise, the film's pacing is the problem.
I can't believe I resisted watching this movie ( Maybe waiting that it improved a little, since it has very talented actors: Day-Lewis, Winona, Michelle )But it never happened.The story about a man that is going to marry soon and some days before the wedding he recognizes he is "in love" with her fiancé's cousin ( Ellen ).She is a divorced woman, in an era when divorce was considered as a delit.He is not brave enough as to marry her and confront everybody, and spents her next 30 years thinking of her, altough he married a wonderful woman, who knows the situation, but remains silence.DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME.
When Martin Scorsese deigned to adapt Edith Wharton's novel "The Age of Innocence" for the big screen he obviously saw it as a highly stylized period piece.
Martin Scorsese's THE AGE OF INNOCENCE is a graceful film that balances deceit, forbidden love, scandal, passion and intrigue so astoundingly that multiple viewings enable one to revel in brilliance.
Based on Edith Wharton's novel set in 1870s New York high society, the film wonderfully depicts the falling of tradition and the opening of modernity in the lives of 3 people and their vicious back-stabbing families.
Lawyer Newland Archer (Daniel Day-Lewis) is engaged to society maiden May Welland (Winona Ryder; who won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress) but all that is set off-course when May's cousin - the passionate, charming and scandal-clad Countess Ellen Olenska (Michelle Pfeiffer) - has returned to the USA, fleeing her cheating Polish husband, Count Olenska.
A high society lawyer(Daniel Day-Lewis)in mid 1800s New York City falls in love with his intended's(Wynona Ryder)cousin(Michelle Pfieffer).
He builds a sumptuous, even fastidious, set, decorates it with some rather good actors, and uses highly toned up coloring, no doubt as if to add insult to grievous occular harm, which, for 1870 New York, was indeed a gross insolence and incoherent injustice.The dialogues are somewhat akin to the luscious-looking dishes spread out on the extravagant tables: made of plastic and indigestible, however brilliantly  sic  they may have been filmed.So much mannerism and forced modalities, at times taking on tragicomedy theatrical proportions, seemed as authentic as a penguin acting as a tourist guide in `La Alhambra'.The non-original music included some good pieces, even though `Alerte!
The lead acting was amazingly bad, some of the side characters were well done, but this movie focused on the wonderful faces of Daniel Day-Lewis, Michelle Pfeiffer and Winona Ryder.
I haven't read the Edith Wharton novel myself, so I'm not sure whether the story is dull to begin with or whether it was poorly rendered onto the screen.For starters, the weakest element by far was the lovelorn tension between Newland Archer (Day-Lewis) and the Countess Olenska (Pfeiffer).
The smoothness of the camera, that one continuous shot, takes my breath away each time I watch it, it is pure art.It might not be one continuous shot in The Age of Innocence, but I found similarities with Russian Ark. With a slow moving camera, Scorsese takes time to show us many details from the decoration, the life of the high society where the strict code of conduct is well depicted, ex: men's white gloves, cutting cigars, social convention...
I'm not sure that the 2 main female characters were the bests to play their parts, but Scorsese was able to build a subtle sexual tension between them and Newland (played by Daniel Day-Lewis, who is very good).
It's a meticulous, richly detailed, leisurely adaptation of an Edith Wharton novel about a thwarted love affair between a man who is engaged to a beautiful young girl (Winona Ryder) and his yearning for her more worldly cousin (Michelle Pfeiffer).
Daniel Day-Lewis's respected lawyer is engaged to Winona Ryder's heiress, but then falls for her cousin (Michelle Pfeiffer).The idea behind the story is that the main character is as trapped by his surroundings as is Travis Bickle in "Taxi Driver".
Overwhelming in its Depiction of Surface, the Sets, Costumes and Incredible Attention to Detail, the Film's Characters have the Difficult Task of Creating Emotional Attachment when all those Feelings are Suppressed even when it is Convenient to do Otherwise.The Best Scenes are when Newton Archer (Daniel Day-Lewis slightly miscast) Defends Ellen (Michelle Pfeiffer completely miscast).
When I first saw this film in the cinema, back in 1993, I remember thinking that Newland must be mad if he could contemplate leaving the lovely Winona Ryder, with her fragile, haunting beauty, even for someone as undoubtedly attractive as Michelle Pfeiffer.
Martin Scorsese's film The Age of Innocence (1993) is an adaptation of a 1920 novel by Edith Wharton, which won the 1921 Pulitzer Prize.
Both, the novel and the film are set in upper class New York City in the 1870s.The Age of Innocence is the movie that proves once again what a versatile talented, unpredictable, incredibly passionate, and artistically outstanding director Martin Scorsese is.
The director himself described The Age of Innocence as the "most violent" film he's ever made, clearly referring to the inner turmoil, disappointment and resignation the two main characters of this drama go through.The material world Scorsese created and paints with his lenses is of incredible beauty.
Two beautiful passionate people found love that could only happen once in a life time but the strict norms or society they live in and the unbending unwritten rules based on convention and hypocrisy they must obey won't permit them to follow their hearts freely, to fulfill their desire, and to be happy in that Age of Innocence.
The cast is superb, and includes Daniel Day-Lewis, the film protagonist Newland Archer, Michelle Pfeiffer, as Countess Olenska, a woman with "a Past" who stole his heart, and very young Winona Ryder, May Welland, the girl whom Archer will marry.
Grant, Alexis Smith or Michael Gough, not to mention the leading roles (the presence of two beauties like Michelle Pfeiffer and Winona Ryder might be a just too evident warning of the special qualities of this film).You have not lived until you have heard the voice of Joanne Woodward narrating the story by Edith Wharton: subtlety, irony, sorrow.
All these elements flow from a screenplay that is respectful of its source and plays by some of its rules: this is certainly not a film for those who like their movies to do all their thinking for them.Leonard Maltin is dead wrong in giving "The Age of Innocence" 2 1/2 stars and saying, "it's hard to connect with these characters on an emotional level." The blazing eyes of Daniel Day-Lewis; the smoldering, wan glances of Michelle Pfeiffer and the doe-eyed gaze of Winona Ryder just didn't do it for him, huh?Like many other of Martin Scorsese's movies, this one is a love letter to his city, New York.
Here in the Age of Innocence, Scorsese depicts (with the help of Edith Wharton's novel) of a time in New York when things when things were elegant, though also brutal in the deep.
Daniel Day Lewis plays a man who is torn between marrying a woman he likes (Winona Ryder) and making her family happy as well, or choosing a tempting woman with a free mind (Michelle Pfieffer).
It is mildly ironic that, considering the material and its background that, in making The Age of Innocence, Martin Scorsese produced perhaps one the films most true to his most unique canon and at the same time, so true to Wharton's novel.
Then there is Winona Ryder's delicate work as May Welland, which could easily disappear from view when considering the quality of the two leads, but Ryder complements things beautifully with a cunning innocence that is the very image of power and privilege.Probably the most stunning aspect of the film is the rich production design from Dante Ferretti, which manages to bring together Scorsese's cinephilic reference points, with meticulous period detail, making for a subtle and devastatingly beautiful period costume drama..
This includes the dazzling talents and brilliant performances by Daniel Day-Lewis (Newland), Michelle Pfeiffer (Ellen) and even, surprisingly, Winona Ryder (May).
Daniel Day-Lewis heads a major cast and has the dilemma of Michelle Pfeiffer versus Winona Ryder who in real life is 13 years her junior.
The forbidden love Newland Archer (Daniel Day-Lewis) has for Countess Olenska (Michelle Pfeiffer) while being engaged to May Welland (Winona Ryder) grows ever so gradually, until it becomes a raging fire.
Daniel Day-Lewis is Newland Archer, the protagonist of Edith Wharton's novel about love, manners, ethics, money, gossip, and inner turmoil in upper-class 19th-century New York in the 1870s.
The exclusivity and distinction of the elite is beautifully shown in this film of passion and loss as the masquerade of the period politics slowly fall apart in the eyes of Newland Archer.The film Age of Innocence takes us into a new realm of skill shown by Martin Scorsese with this brilliant period piece set on the novel by Edith Wharton written in 1920.
The three central performances from Daniel-Day Lewis, Michelle Pfeiffer and Winona Ryder hold the whole social orchestration of the time perfectly.
Martin Scorsese directed and, though a few of his trademark touches are in evidence, his ultra-restrained atmosphere (while appropriate for the period) proves disenchanting as entertainment, turning his three star leads (Daniel Day-Lewis, Michelle Pfeiffer and Winona Ryder) into suffering, swooning waxworks.
Plus, he met Daniel Day Lewis who lit up the screen in The Gangs of New York.If I didn't know that Scorsese was the director of this film, I might have liked it better.
it certainly is interesting as a period piece and repressed/suppressed love story, but Martin Scorsese makes his usual mistake as a director of this film....
What adds to the film tremendously are the fine performances of Daniel Day-Lewis and Michelle Pfeiffer.
Martin Scorsese has been one of my favorite directors for some time now yet this is a film that I have always put off watching.
With beautiful detail, and sumptuous to watch, this is one of the strengths of this film.But there are two main triumphs: Firstly, Daniel Day-Lewis gives an intelligent introspective performance as Newland Archer.
The cast is great as Daniel Day Lewis gives one of his best performances (on par with The Last of the mohicans and gangs of new york).
Scorsese and Jay cocks have written a great screenplay in Age of innocence, almost as great as the one in gangs of new york, although the cast is better in this film.
Daniel Day-Lewis, Winona Ryder, and Michelle Pfeiffer play three characters caught up in a love triangle during a period in time when society dictated what type of behavior was to be considered appropriate and acceptable, and any stray from the norm would serve as ground for ostracism.
The way he darkens part of the screen and focuses on Daniel Day-Lewis and Michelle Pfeiffer in one scene at the opera is further proof of his genuis as a film maker.