Terence Davies (DISTANT VOICES, STILL LIVES) triumphs with his sumptuous, painterly adaptation of Edith Wharton's novel, which is set amid the vicious moneyed classes of 1905 New York and features a heartrending, perfectly nuanced performance by Gillian Anderson as doomed heroine Lily Bart. Lily, though strikingly beautiful and .. Read more
| Starring | Gillian Anderson, Dan Aykroyd, Eric Stoltz, Terry Kinney |
|---|---|
| Director | Terence Davies |
| Genres | Audio Descriptive, Drama, Romance |
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Terence Davies (DISTANT VOICES, STILL LIVES) triumphs with his sumptuous, painterly adaptation of Edith Wharton's novel, which is set amid the vicious moneyed classes of 1905 New York and features a heartrending, perfectly nuanced performance by Gillian Anderson as doomed heroine Lily Bart. Lily, though strikingly beautiful and socially prominent, remains unmarried at the late age of 29. She jokes that marriage is a woman's vocation, but she is conflicted between her desire to marry a wealthy man and her love for handsome, elegant Lawrence Selden (Eric Stoltz), who, unforgivably, must work for a living. Lily's options begin to narrow, however, when her backstabbing friend, Bertha Dorset (Laura Linney), informs potential suitors of her gambling debts. In a world where the slightest hint of impropriety equals social death, Lily's self-professed genius in doing the wrong thing at the right time leads to trouble. A potential solution to Lily's downward social spiral arrives when a useful secret falls into her lap. In order to save herself, Lily must struggle with her naivete, pride, and ineptitude at playing the elite's deadly, coded game. Davies's beautifully composed, richly textured images and Anderson's skillful evocation of quiet desperation make for a visually stunning, emotionally resonant tale.
| Starring | Gillian Anderson, Dan Aykroyd, Eric Stoltz, Terry Kinney, Anthony La Paglia, Laura Linney, Jodhi May, Eleanor Bron, Elizabeth McGovern |
|---|---|
| Director | Terence Davies |
| Studio | 4DVD |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs 14 mins |
| Certificate |  |
| Genres | Audio Descriptive, Drama, Romance |
| Language | DVD: English, English Audio Description |
| Hearing-impaired | English |
| Subtitles | DVD: English |
| Released | Production year: 2000 To Rent: DVD: 24 Sep 2007 |
Terence Davies' adaptation of Edith Wharton's novel is a triumph which puts most recent screen versions of the classics... read more on Time Out
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Terrific
Words fail me.
This must be one of the most beautiful, heart breaking movies ever. The music was stunning, the pace was slow but considered and the ... read more »
[Highly rated reviewer]
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- 1
Slower than Wood
Some good acting, super costumes, nice scenery, but little else to entertain. A collection of pointless lives following equally pointless social mores. I gave ... read more »
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More like "House of Misery" - or is it an ironic title?
I borrowed this as I am doing a course at Strathclyde University on 'Glasgow on the Big Screen'. Lovely to see the settings of Kelvin Grove and the City... read more »
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An antidote to Jane Austen
An astonishingly poignant film where the penniless, socially naive heroine comes up against the real world with a bump.
The acting is incredible, the... read more »
Veteran director Terence Davies considered quitting the movie industry in the 2000s after growing "sick of the struggle" when two of his projects collapsed due to lack of funding. The Brit was working on a drama and a comedy, but the films failed to make it to the big screen because of financial issues. The setbacks hit Davies hard and he debated giving up his moviemaking career - until his 2008 documentary Of Time and the City became a critical success. He tells the Telegraph magazine, "The... Read more
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