The Portrait of a Lady

1996

The Portrait of a Lady

Critics Consensus

Beautiful, indulgently heady, and pretentious, The Portrait of a Lady paints Campion's directorial shortcomings in too bright a light.

45%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 71

52%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 7,191
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Movie Info

Jane Campion directed this expressive adaptation of the classic novel by Henry James. Isabel Archer (Nicole Kidman) is a young American woman who, after the death of her parents, has been sent to England to visit relatives. While her family's tragedy has left her penniless, Isabel's beauty has earned her the attentions of a number of eligible men. When Isabel turns down a proposal of marriage from the wealthy Lord Warburton (Richard E. Grant) because she does not love him, her cousin Ralph (Martin Donovan), who is also smitten with her, arranges for his father to leave her a fortune before succumbing to tuberculosis so that she may live as an independent woman. Isabel takes a tour of Europe, where she meets Madame Merle (Barbara Hershey), a jaded sophisticate and matchmaker who introduces her to Gilbert Osmond (John Malkovich), a widowed American artist living abroad. Isabel falls in love with Gilbert and they marry, but his sloth and opportunism soon begin to wear on her, and three years later she is desperate to get out of their relationship. The Portrait of a Lady also stars John Gielgud, Mary-Louise Parker, Christian Bale, and Shelley Winters. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
  • Rating:
    PG-13 (adult situations)
  • Genre:
    Drama, Romance
  • Directed By:
    Jane Campion
  • Written By:
    Jane Campion, Laura Jones
  • In Theaters:
     wide
  • On Disc/Streaming:
  • Runtime:
  • Studio:
    PolyGram Video

Cast

Nicole Kidman
as Isabel Archer
John Malkovich
as Gilbert Osmond
Barbara Hershey
as Madame Serena Merle
Mary-Louise Parker
as Henrietta Stackpole
Martin Donovan
as Ralph Touchett
Shelley Winters
as Mrs. Touchett
Richard E. Grant
as Lord Warburton
Shelley Duvall
as Countess Gemini
Christian Bale
as Edward Rosier
Viggo Mortensen
as Caspar Goodwood
Valentina Cervi
as Pansy Osmond
Marie-Louise Parker
John Gielgud
as Mr. Touchett
Roger Ashton-Griffiths
as Bob Bantling
Catherine Zago
as Mother Superior
Alessandra Vanzi
as Nun No. 2
Katie Campbell
as Miss Molyneux No. 1
Katherine Anne Porter
as Miss Molyneux No. 2
Eddy Seager
as Strongman's Spruiker
Pat Roach
as Strongman
Emanuelle Carucci Viterbi
as Roccanera Butler
Francesca Bartellini
as Isabel's Maid
Achille Brugnini
as Footman at Ballroom
View All

Critic Reviews for The Portrait of a Lady

All Critics (71) | Top Critics (23) | Fresh (32) | Rotten (39)

  • This claustrophobic Portrait of a Lady is the kind of failure only a very gifted filmmaker could make: like it or not, it haunts you.

    December 7, 2018 | Full Review…

    David Ansen

    Newsweek
    Top Critic

  • Portrait feels like an elegant party, full of attractive people, beautiful finery and tremendous music (from Wojiech Kilar), yet no excitement. And no matter how many times you revisit the place, it never gets better.

    October 27, 2018 | Full Review…

    Desson Thomson

    Washington Post
    Top Critic

  • This is a film that appeals to the head far more than to the heart, making for a portrait that seems somewhat less than complete.

    October 27, 2018 | Full Review…

    Todd McCarthy

    Variety
    Top Critic

  • Ten years on, the drama is still too slow but the film is far more watchable in the comfort of one's home with the pause button at the ready.

    October 27, 2018 | Full Review…

    Jim Schembri

    The Age (Australia)
    Top Critic

  • Director Jane Campion not only alludes to the contemporary resonance of this hundred-year-old tale, but with this bold stamp she lays claim to the story that follows as wholly her own.

    October 27, 2018 | Full Review…

    Michael O'Sullivan

    Washington Post
    Top Critic

  • Jane Campion and screenwriter Laura Jones have... produced an adaptation as cinematically intelligent as it is faithful to the original.

    October 27, 2018 | Full Review…

    Geoff Andrew

    Time Out
    Top Critic
View All Critic Reviews (71)

Audience Reviews for The Portrait of a Lady

  • May 07, 2014
    "The Portrait of a Lady" starts with Isabel Archer(Nicole Kidman) rejecting the proposal of the super wealthy Lord Warburton(Richard E. Grant). Next, it is Caspar Goodwood(Viggo Mortensen) who was reinserted into her path by Isabelle's supposed friend Henrietta(Mary-Louise Parker) only to be turned down. Seeing Isabelle's options disappear and fearing for her future, her cousin Ralph(Martin Donovan) comes up with an alternate plan that involves his dying father(John Gielgud). "The Portrait of a Lady" is a beautifully rendered period piece. So, it might come as a surprise that director Jane Campion gets lost not so much in the details but in its retrograde politics and customs, using a modern day prologue to reinforce her questioning the choices that women make. On a different tact, Campion somehow manages to restrain her eclectic cast in order to not outshine the movie's supposed star and manages to only bring them down to Kidman's unresponsive level, and sucking some of the oxygen out of the room in the bargain. Speaking of the eclectic cast, Mary-Louise Parker and John Malkovich(who has somehow never played Lenin) show up again in the "Red" films while Parker and Martin Donovan star again together in "Pipe Dream" and appearing together in the televsion series "Weeds."
    Walter M Super Reviewer
  • Dec 20, 2006
    Film not so good but Malkovich nailed it!
    Linda K Super Reviewer
See all Audience reviews

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