Based on the novel by Henry James, and set in 1868, this visually stunning, compelling version of THE AMERICAN is Gothic in tone and doesn't hesitate to plunge headlong into real drama--doing great service to the story in the process. Christopher Newman (Matthew Modine), is the ideal... [More]

Based on the novel by Henry James, and set in 1868, this visually stunning, compelling version of THE AMERICAN is Gothic in tone and doesn't hesitate to plunge headlong into real drama--doing great service to the story in the process. Christopher Newman (Matthew Modine), is the ideal post-Civil War new American man, arriving in Paris to soak up culture and anything else he may have missed while making millions at home. It is here, surrounded by the secretive drawing rooms and lush museums, that he falls in love with Claire de Centre (Aisling O'Sullivan), a beautiful but emotionally damaged young widow who was forced by her cunning, hateful mother, Madame de Bellegarde (Diana Rigg), to marry a brute to remain in the French aristocracy. Newman must struggle to get Claire away from the clutches of her family, while reconciling the drastic differences between her Old World European culture and his new, free-enterprise, democratic society. Excellent costumes and sets, combined with solid, commanding performances make this a formidable film in its own right. [Less]