The Portrait of a Lady (1996)
Genre: Drama
Duration: 144 minuten
Country:
United Kingdom / United States
Directed by: Jane Campion
Stars: Nicole Kidman, John Malkovich and Barbara Hershey
IMDb score:
6,2 (13.626)
Releasedate: 17 October 1996
The Portrait of a Lady plot
"Based on the Novel by Henry James."
Isabel Archer, a free-spirited American beauty leaves for family in England. There she receives many marriage proposals, but she does not want to commit herself yet. When her rich uncle dies, Isabel inherits a fortune. Now nothing can stop her from embarking on a journey around the world...until she meets Madame Merle, a born intrigue who introduces her to Gilbert Osmond, a wicked fortune hunter. Isabel falls for his charms, but their marriage turns out to be very different from what she had envisioned.
Actors and actresses
Isabel Archer
Gilbert Osmond
Madame Serena Merle
Henrietta Stackpole
Edward Rosier
Mrs. Touchett
Lord Warburton
Countess Gemini
Mr. Touchett
Caspar Goodwood
Reviews & comments
Stephan
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- 7935 messages
- 1397 votes
The beautiful pictures and the interesting cast cannot disguise the pretentious dredger.
It started reasonably with her 3-man fantasy, but then it sank into endlessly complicated dialogues. Her purpose, and everyone else's, was probably clear on paper. In the picture, the pain was not palpable, nor were the yearnings and suppressed desires. Campion probably felt (again) too much of a feminist to portray that nicely.
Translated from Dutch · View original
eRCee
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- 13463 messages
- 1986 votes
Some books are known as unfilmable, but the opposite is true for Henry James's classic; The portrait of a lady seems to be written to be filmed. The film has a slightly different structure, because the emphasis is also more on the second part of the story, in which Isabel falls for Osmond. This is by far the strongest part of the book in terms of drama, but the disadvantage is that you get to know the person Isabel a little less, while that was not the strongest point on paper. The casting is very strong. Kidman is perfect for this role (how young she is here, and what about Christian Bale's baby face) but it is mainly Malkovich who convinces, with his chilling calmness. The cinematography is fine, on the classic side but certainly not boring, there are even a few slomos, tilting shots and freezes, used sparingly so it all remains appropriate. The same goes for the music. All in all, very creditable work by Campion, and certainly a really good film within the genre.
Translated from Dutch · View original
scorsese
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- 13669 messages
- 11436 votes
Good film about an American woman who rejects a marriage proposal in England. Like several book adaptations, something seems to be missing or skipped here and there. It also starts a bit stiff, but the story and the characters become more interesting after this. The film looks beautiful with beautiful costumes and locations. Good acting from a cast with quite a few well-known names.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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