The Bostonians - The Merchant Ivory Collection
by James Ivory
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Christopher Reeve, Jessica Tandy, Madeleine Potter, Nancy Marchand, Vanessa RedgraveDirector: James Ivory
Brand: Image Entertainment
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.77:1
Running Time: 122 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-08-19
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Merchant Ivory Productions
Movie Reviews of The Bostonians - The Merchant Ivory Collection
Movie Review: Superman to the Rescue
Summary: 3 Stars
In my effort to watch all the movies listed in "The New York Times Guide to the Best 1000 Movies Ever Made" I have seen some classics, discovered (with the help of the NY "Times") some sleepers, and been bewildered by some clunkers. "The Bostonians" is close to belonging to the latter category. I confess that I have not been a fan of Henry James since I struggled as a teenager with "The Turn of the Screw". That book made me realize that I didn't care for 19th Century Literature (with the notable exception of the great Mark Twain). I was willing to see what a movie of a James book would be like. I came away with the impression that the movie is probably a lot better. The acting is reasonably good although I think that Christopher Reeves is miscast. What appalled me was that a movie about the origins of the modern Women's movement could be so attrociously depicted.
I'm no women's libber but there are real issues that were and still are involved within the evolving roles of men and women in society and "The Bostonians" succeeded in making a mockery of the whole movement. While little Miss Thespian is wowing the polite Boston Society in her effort to advance Women's Suffrage, a tall, dark, and (I suppose) handsome man is trying to get her to give it all up for the honor of being his stay-at-home wife. You'd think this is a no-brainer and, incredibly, I guess it turns out to be just that. In the process, the script and whatever other culprits there may be, give Vanessa Redgrave a role that seems to be to be tailored to show the strengths of a powerful and secure woman. Then they turn her into a wimpering incompetent who can't compete with Reeves's role as intellectually challenged man with no visible means of support. The inept way (how could it have been any worse???) that the film ends made me wonder what on earth was the point of making this movie???
Great sets and costumes don't make a great movie. However, they can wrap it up in such a pretty package that, with the adapted script of a "great" author, that sometimes we don't notice that the emporer has no clothes.
Summary of The Bostonians - The Merchant Ivory Collection
Merchant Ivory Productions, The Criterion Collection, and Home Vision Entertainment are proud to present The Merchant Ivory CollectionIn Boston in the aftermath of the Civil War, Verena Tarrant (Madeleine Potter), a gifted young orator, has attracted the attention of Olive Chancellor (Vanessa Redgrave), who wishes to nurture Verena as an inspirational force for the Womens' Movement. But ranged against her is Basil Ransom (Christopher Reeve), a handsome male chauvinist, who wants Verena as his wife. Against a backdrop of luminous New England landscapes, battle is joined, and for Olive the struggle will prove an odyssey that forces her to acknowledge her true nature. Merchant Ivory Productions' acclaimed screen adaptation of the Henry James classic charts the struggle between two charismatic forces to gain control over the destiny of a spirited young woman.
Before their breakthrough successes with A Room with a View, Howards End, and The Remains of the Day, the Merchant-Ivory filmmaking team refined their literary adaptation skills with this 1984 drama, adapted from the classic novel by Henry James. Although the film can only begin to approximate the internal dialogues that make up much of James's fascinating fiction, it retains the central conflict of the post-Civil War drama, which takes place just as women are beginning their struggle for equality. The story involves a triangle of conflicting relationships, in which a repressed lesbian (Vanessa Redgrave) engages in a subtle, unspoken tug-of-war with a Southern lawyer (Christopher Reeve) for the affections of a young woman (Madeleine Potter) who is just coming into her own as a young suffragette. Although the film is slow and dry compared to Merchant-Ivory's later efforts, it's eminently respectable (as you might expect) and is highlighted by Redgrave's superb, Oscar-nominated performance as the story's feminist heroine. The supporting cast is equally impressive, and includes Jessica Tandy, Linda Hunt, Wallace Shawn, and Wesley Addy. --Jeff Shannon
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