The Golden Bowl
by James Ivory
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Anjelica Huston, Jeremy Northam, Kate Beckinsale, Nick Nolte, Uma ThurmanDirector: James Ivory
Brand: VMK
Producer: Ismail Merchant
Writer: Henry James
Writer: Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 131 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2001-11-06
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Lionsgate
Movie Reviews of The Golden Bowl
Movie Review: The almost invisible fracture that flaws relationships...
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm amazed this film has drawn so many - and so varied - responses! Anyone deciding on whether or not to purchase the DVD may well end up confused. Is this a good film? Is Uma Thurman the only weak point? Is Kate Beckinsale boring? Is everyone irritating except for the character of Charlotte? And so on and so on and so on...
I found the acting of everyone in the film splendid. I was convinced by each character. I didn't LIKE each character, but I was convinced by the actors.
Jeremy Northam's character, a cash-poor Italian minor prince, is a deeply flawed man whose former romance with Charlotte (Uma Thurman) is brought to an unsympathetic end by his decision to wed Maggie, a sweet and practical American heiress (Kate Beckinsale) for her money. He doesn't seem to be in love with either Charlotte or Maggie at this point, but he is certainly intent on ending his former relationship and starting off his marriage with good intentions. Charlotte is clearly deeply upset - she appears to have been far more emotionally invested in the relationship than he.
Charlotte, who weds Maggie's father in a hell-bent way (clearly intent on retaining her presence in the prince's life), then manipulates events so that she's alone with her former lover, and invites him to resume their intimate relationship. She thinks she's in love; one cannot say the same for Northam's character, who appears to be attracted, yes, but not in love. There's also a dynamic created by his feeling left out by his wife's close relationsihp with her father. A man who feels neglected is certainly vulnerable to other influences... which isn't to excuse him, but to give some idea of the influences in his life. Once the affair's underway, it gains momentum and the pair seem to risk disclosure without caring too deeply.
As this deeply flawed man who ends up learning the real value of his wife and feeling appalled by the pain he caused her, Jeremy Northam is simply superb. This would be an easy character to overplay or underplay - but Mr Northam gets it exactly right.
As Charlotte, Uma Thurman is surprisingly good. I've often seen her in sub-standard films (the appalling film Pay Check comes to mind), but this is a magnificent role for her. Again, it's perfectly placed. The audience feels both sympathy for her and dislike for the things she does.
Kate Beckinsale is wonderful as Maggie. For most of the film, we, the audience, have no idea what Maggie knows or suspects, and we can even become a little exasperated by her apparent ignorance and that seeming insensitivity. She seems like a perfectly nice young woman whom we want to shake awake - until the moment when she realises incontrovertibly what has been happening. The title of the film, "Golden Bowl", becomes the metaphor for human relationships - specifically, marriage. And Maggie's agony when she realises there is a terrible flaw in her marriage, that the love and trust she has felt have been abused, is so real and true that it hits one in the face.
Nick Nolte as Maggie's father is also wonderful. His quality of toughness is nicely contrasted by the dignity that is evidence in both him and his daughter. One can see the terrific bond between the two, and the way in which Charlotte, although not obviously punished for seducing her daughter-in-law's husband, is not going to be able to sway her husband when he decides to move away from the lifestyle she loves, in order to protect his daughter's marriage.
The cross-currents of human emotion are truly wonderfully portrayed in this film. In that sense, it certainly maintains much of the original novel. Whether one's familiar with Henry James's novel or not, this is a very rewarding film, beautifully acted, and the scenery is stunning. Everyone looks fabulous, too - it's a shimmering treat to watch - but for me, the high standard of acting is what makes this film so interesting.
The tensions of betrayal, desire, beauty, trust, love, dependency, selfishness and forgiveness are beautifully worked in the film.
Summary of The Golden Bowl
Synopsis:Item Type: DVD Movie
Item Rating: R
Street Date: 11/06/01
Wide Screen: yes
Director Cut: no
Special Edition: no
LanguageENGLISH
Foreign Film: no
Subtitlesno
Dubbed: no
Full Frame: no
Re-Release: no
Packaging: Sleeve Please note: This supplier will be closed on 11/24, 11/25, 12/26, 1/2 for the holidays. The shipping cut off is 12/10 to try and have the products delivered by Christmas.
Based on the Henry James novel, The Golden Bowl earns a regal place in the long line of lavish Ismail Merchant and James Ivory productions casting spectacular mise en scène in the lead role. The crumbling Italian palazzo that opens the film and the magnificent English country houses that encase the unfolding drama play, as always, an intrinsic part in the ruptured psyche of whatever gentry Merchant and Ivory have elected to pursue. In this case, divided attention is paid to erstwhile glories and turn-of-the-century ambitions. Impoverished Italian prince Amerigo (Jeremy Northam) is to marry heiress Maggie Verver (Kate Beckinsale), school friend of Charlotte (Uma Thurman), who in turn weds American industrialist and art collector Adam Verver (Nick Nolte), Maggie's father. Amerigo and Charlotte, having previously been lovers, are helpless to resist an adulterous affair. A study of life's covetous designs failing to imitate the perceived perfections of art, The Golden Bowl is likewise flawed but alluring. --Fionn Meade
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