Washington Square
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Movie Reviews of Washington Square
Movie Review: Pretty But Dull
Summary: 3 Stars
This adaptation, like 1949's *The Heiress*, is based on the Henry James novel. *The Heiress*, starring Olivia de Havilland, remains as a well-respected piece of work, though less true to James' original story than this new remake, which retains James' original title. It is the story of a awkward, yet loving daughter , devoted to her father after her mother dies during childbirth. The arrogant father holds his daughter in no esteem whatsoever, and considers her, as well as all women, simpleminded. When a young man of good family and little fortune comes courting, the Father is naturally suspicious, but feeling so sure that his daughter could hold no interest for any man, is convinced that the young man is a fortune hunter and forbids her to see him. Leigh is a controversial actress - most either love her or hate her - and she always has a particular edginess and tenseness to her style, like she's acting through gritted teeth. She's not bad in this, and she handles her role relatively deftly - it's just an awkward role for any actress, making the audience want to grab the character by her shoulders and shake her until she comes to her senses. While the character garners a lot of sympathy, she's not particularly likable. The very handsome and immensely appealing Ben Chaplin (previously seen in *The Truth About Cats and Dogs*) plays his role with the exact amount of mystery required to keep the audience guessing whether he is after her fortune, or is really in love with her. Maggie Smith is one of the finest actresses alive and raises the level of the movie considerably with her portrayal of the well-meaning aunt. Finney is marvelous, of course, as the father who threatens to disinherit his daughter for her disobedience, but the daughter is willing to risk that for the man she loves. But does her ardent suitor still want her without her fortune? This is only one instance where *Washington Square* differs from *The Heiress*. Another instance is the ability to stick with it. It is a handsome movie that is as tedious as a dripping faucet, offering too little story in too long of a movie.Movie Review: dull
Summary: 2 Stars
this is a pretty dull story about jilted love. the film is based on a henry james book and it shows. james was famous for his 'realism' and 'psychological depth', qualities that he criticized an older dickens for lacking. but this movie shows what james himself lacked that dickens had in spades: ability to tell interesting stories. yeah, the characters are 'real'. but they're dull. yeah, the story is 'realistic', but it's boring. the best thing about this film is the camera work, especially the long establishing shot. that was very good! the rest of the film i can leave. oh, and jjl looks awful in this pic! god, she looks every bit in her 40's. i thought ben chaplin was making love to his mother. ugh.i'm not surprised none of james' books were named in that list of '100 greatest books of all time'. if nothing else, a film should make you want to read the book. after watching this, i'm not exactly running to my local library to get a copy.
Movie Review: wonderful film
Summary: 2 Stars
Washington Square, directed by Agnieszka Holland, is a wonderful film! It is definitely better than the previous film version Heiress in 1940s. This fascinating film is a little different from its original, Henry James's Washington Square. But that doesn't matter much. It has its own merits and attractions.Movie Review: No thought put into this dvd release
Summary: 1 Stars
I was really looking forward to this movie release on dvd as this was one of my favorite films the year it came out. I couldn't believe the price! until I saw the finished product. This was truly a waste of a great opportunity to garner more fans of this film. It did seem to sink quietly into obscurity after release though.What I am upset about is that this dvd is non-anamorphic! That means two things to me. That I am not getting the most resolution possible with my toshiba 34" widescreen tv! and that no new transfer was created for this dvd. It looks from the first few frames as if it is just a recycled laserdisc transfer, dirty and somewhat washed out.
I'm certainly sick and tired of studios thinking they can make a quick buck by foisting inferior products on us, especially when ALL the major new releases are getting anamorphic transfers, special editions, and extras coming out their ear (even if they extras are plenty pitiful).
Do yourself a favor and avoid this release (although the studios will probably take that as a lack of interest in the title rather than a desire for superior craftsmanship).
Movie Review: Far To Dull... DO NOT BUY!!!
Summary: 1 Stars
I am a lover of all things period and this movie does have some nice settings and costumes in it, however that is all it has to offer. All the actors do is trip over each other and whisper little to no dialogue of not much consequence. One can barely tell what the story is trying to relate the dialogue is so scant. I am sorry but just having actors stare into the camera is not great drama. I wonder did this movie have a director? But of course, it did, someone had to purposefully make all these mistakes. This was a big disappointment and not even worth renting!