The Age of Innocence (1993)
Runtime: 2 hrs 18 mins
Synopsis: Set in 1870s New York, Martin Scorsese's THE AGE OF INNOCENCE examines the tyranny of tradition and family heritage--and the tragic consequences of breaking society's unspoken rules. Newland Archer (Daniel Day-Lewis), an upstanding gentleman and partner in a lucrative and conservative... Set in 1870s New York, Martin Scorsese's THE AGE OF INNOCENCE examines the tyranny of tradition and family heritage--and the tragic consequences of breaking society's unspoken rules. Newland Archer (Daniel Day-Lewis), an upstanding gentleman and partner in a lucrative and conservative law firm, is engaged to the perfect society woman, the pretty and polished May Welland (Winona Ryder). They are hoping to push forward their wedding date when Newland meets Countess Ellen Olenska (Michelle Pfeiffer), May's beautiful, cosmopolitan, and scandal-ridden cousin. Ellen, who has resided in Europe and cultivated a more permissive continental sensibility, believes she's found a kindred spirit in Newland. Slowly the two fall in love, and Ellen entices Newland with the vision of a life not ruled by the rigid guidelines of New York's stuffy upper crust. But May represents all the temptations and benefits of wealth, position, and propriety. Newland must make the painful choice between a passionate life with Ellen and a placid, safe life with May--the life he was born and raised to lead. In adapting the classic novel by Edith Wharton, Scorsese meticulously reconstructs the elegant world of mid-19th-century Manhattan, using an onslaught of materialistic vices--including an endless barrage of sumptuous foods--to capture the elite world even more fastidiously. [More]
Genre: Dramas
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Michelle Pfeiffer, Winona Ryder, Miriam Margolyes, Richard E. Grant
Story: Edith Wharton
Screenwriter: Martin Scorsese, Jay Cocks
Producer: Barbara De Fina
Composer: Elmer Bernstein
DVD Info
Release:
Nov 3, 2001
DVD Features:
- Region 1
- Keep Case
- Anamorphic Widescreen - 2.35
Audio:
- Dolby Digital 5.1- English
- Dolby Digital 2.0- French
Additional Release Material:
- Trailers
Interactive Features:
- Interactive Menus
- Scene Selection
Text/Photo Galleries:
- Filmographies
- Production Notes
Buy It On DVD
Reviews
It shows that while conformity can stifle honesty and love, acting in mere self-interest can be even more destructive.
Mr. Scorsese has made a big, intelligent movie that functions as if it were a window on a world he had just discovered, and about which he can't wait to spread the news.
The Age of Innocence drags through some of the usual costume movie elements, but Scorsese's exuberance carries the show.
At first, the movie seems a departure from Scorsese's turf of violence and lower class men, but Wharton's depiction of rigid milieu with its restrictive mores and emotional repression bears resemblance to Little Italy's male subculture.
The great tragedy is that the hypocrisies that Newland and Olenska work to reveal are the very same ones that ultimately destroy everything passionate and human within them.
A moving and impassioned work from one of the foremost filmmakers today.
The story lacks the depth of emotion needed to engage the interests of the audience.
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