THE AGE OF INNOCENCE. Directed by Martin Scorsese; written by Jay Cocke and Martin Scorsese; produced by Barbara De Fina for Columbia Starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Michelle Pfeiffer and Winona Ryder. Rated PG.
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This is an amazing movie, in a lot of ways. First of all, who would have thought that the director of Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and Goodfellas would be capable of making such an exquisite "costume drama?"
For that matter, who could imagine that said drama, with a running time of over two hours and little more than eating and dancing in the way of action, could be so compelling and watchable? And so romantic? No graphic, R-rated screen coupling will leave you as much in need of a cold shower as the ever-so-restrained and decorous longings portrayed in The Age of Innocence.
The movie's plot is a very simple love story. But the setting in which it is played out is anything but simple: the treacherous and convoluted pinnacles of high society in 1870's New York. Day-Lewis plays lawyer Archer, son of a prominent family who is engaged to the unimaginative, but pretty and socially so-perfect match, May (Ryder).
All's well in their tightly ordered world of dinner parties, teas, balls, and the theater until May's cousin Ellen (Pfeiffer) appears, newly fled, but not divorced, from an intolerable husband in Europe. Archer and Ellen fight their growing attraction as best they can, but they finally can't deny it.
The contrast between the honest emotions of this basic triangle and the labyrinthine nature of their world, where no one ever says what he means, and appearances are everything, is one of the things that makes the movie so fascinating. And that world is so perfectly rendered, from costumes to dinner settings to interior design, that it's a constant delight to watch.
Absolutely first-rate acting is another big part of the movie's surprising success. (Not that we're surprised to see good performances with names like Day-Lewis and Pfeiffer in the credits.) In addition to the three main players, who are as wonderful as expected, the supporting cast is equally fine, with Miriam Margolyes as the housebound but powerful social arbiter as a particular standout. And Joanne Woodward's narration, taken, it seems, straight from Edith Wharton's novel, provides just the right amount of commentary.
If you want to see what a movie looks like that feels full of action with no car chases, gun battles or train crashes; that's full of romance with no exposed skin and not even a glimpse of a bedroom; and that will certainly be a top Oscar contender in who-knows-how-many categories—don't miss Age of Innocence.
October 6, 1993