The Wings of the Dove (1997)

Disturbing yet enthralling

A waste of 90 minutes of my life

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

In 1998, the Modern Library ranked "The Wings of the Dove" 26th on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century. Having such a strong literary background is always a double edged sword, since people will (by default) have high expectations. And the execution falls very far from this. The only redeeming quality of this movie is its beautiful cinematography, but everything else leaves you completely cold. The personalities of the characters, the essential part of every great movie ever made, fall flat from the beginning to the end. You will not feel sadness, anger, love or hate for the participants, you just won't care. At least this is how it worked for me. Maybe I should (like a lot of other people) simply adapt lower standards for Hollywood made movies. But that wouldn't be fair, would it?

I just found out this movie after 17 years absence. It's beautifully done. I don't know how I missed it before. I saw "The Making of a Lady" recently and wondered who Linus Roache is then found this movie. I like the way he did the romantic scenes which were contained and passionate at same time. What made a memorable love story are those obstructive surroundings i.e. social casts, financial situations, different love interests and above all, forbidden emotional attachment. I think this movie got them all. I might not have the same feeling about it if I would have seen it 17 years ago in my thirty. The reason would be the growing experiences in my life. I like those actors and actresses from other English speaking countries. They have more training in the classical theaters which usually come in handy when they portray those characters in the classical literacy. It's a memorable movie if you haven't seen it, you won't regret it.

Based on Henry James novel, Kate Croy (Helena Bonham Carter)'s mother was born to wealth, but she threw it all away to marry Kate's opium addicted father. After her mother's death, Kate is offered a return to privilege. Of course, she must abandon her father, and her fiancé, journalist Merton Densher (Linus Roache). When she becomes friend with sick wealthy orphan Millie Theale (Alison Elliott), Kate sees an opportunity to get back with Merton and keep her position.It's a real murky portrait of the London class system, and how money corrupts the characters in this movie. The scheming is heart breaking. It's moral ambiguity is delicious. Helena Bonham Carter puts in a multi-dimensional performance.

A British period drama cannot be a bad alternative for a flushing upsurge of my Febiofest movie-goers' schedule. Nominated for 4 Oscars (Leading Actress, Cinematography, Costume and Adapted Screenplay), TWOTD represents a paradigmatic melodrama study of love, conspiracy, betrayal and passion, meanwhile mildly bashes the mercenary vanity then, all converges to a superior satisfactory coda. Venice part is memorably shot as an enchanting last journey to enjoy the fullest of one's life, an engaging score from Edward Shearmur firstly accompanies the film with a soothing pace, then adheres to the dramatic rotation aptly all the way along. The most striking caliber of the film is indisputably the acting stretch, Helena Bonham Carter is magnetically absorbing in her puberty of mixing brisk gal, smart aleck manipulator and sophisticated lovelorn victim, her career-best so far. A terrifically undervalued Alison Elliott radiates an unassumingly captivating rendition with both vulnerability and playfulness (she and Helena currently end up No. 2 and No. 1 in my Oscar chart for supporting and leading actress respectively). To juggle with these two vehement lovebirds, Linus Roache (the alien form THE FORGOTTEN 2005) may be tread the water a little bit frivolously, with a moral criterion swinging back and forth ambiguously, he tackles the most tricky part heedfully. The nudity scene near its finale is theatrically robust in delivering a love-lost denouement and generates poignant pathos. The minor satellites revolving around are all British old hands, Rampling. Gambon are too skimpy on screen, while McGovern's sedately elegant attendance is never histrionic. Adapted from Henry James' novel of the the same name, this Neo-classical piece has an imposing buzz on its own merit, some might deem it a shad mawkish, but I'm confidently not among that breed.