The Bostonians

I don't agree with some of the more in depth reviews of this movie. While the movie is somewhat slowly paced , there is a lot to enjoy and admire in The Bostonians. It is essentially the story of a repressed and forward thinking lesbian who finds herself in love with a young woman who appears to return her feelings. .Both are constrained by the century they find themselves in. Vanessa Redgrave makes you feel every bit of longing for the red haired suffragette whose winsome ways instantly captivate her. And Potter is quite affecting in her role, making us feel her conflict as she is torn between two people who both seem to want her. The movie is set in Aruba - just kidding - and the atmosphere impeccably depicts a long gone world of educated individuals who live comfortably. These men and women are allowed to indulge their passions for one another and are not required to toil as servants, who do their bidding for them. The question of women's rights falls a little flat when the women themselves seem to live so happily, the story of female emancipation submerged within the romantic tensions of the characters. Reeve's performance as the man who also longs for the young suffragette is far better than some claim. You can feel his desire, wince at his manipulations. The perceptive viewer instantly recognizes that Redgrave's character views him as one thing, the enemy, both as a man and as a rival for her affections. I think The Bostonians' pace can be a bit wearing and tedious, but if you are able to go along for the journey, this movie will reward you. The scenes between Redgrave and Potter are affecting, and Linda Hunt's doctor is wonderfully portrayed. Jessica Tandy always seemed to play the same character in her later years, but she adds a touch of elegance to the proceedings. And Reeves looms like a shadow, doing an admirable job of presenting a single-minded man who cares little for women's rights - but a great deal for one woman.

A film with all the chances to be discovered as a sort of experience by viewer. Sure, it is the meeting, a new one, between Henry James and James Ivory . Sure, the cast is fantastic and Vanessa Redgrave, Madeleine Potter, Linda Hunt and, especially,Jessica Tandy are just admirable. And, sure Christopher Reeves propose one of that roles reminding silverwork masterpieces. The subject ? It is easy to mentioned the feminist movement in America, the Bostonia relations, the art of show as form of propaganda, the selfishness and forms of vulnerability. But, obvious, it is far to be real enough. It is a film like a confession. Powerful, gentle, profound honest. So, its beauty is very special. And new proof of the amazing art of James Ivory.

Christopher Reeve not too convincing here. Seems he wanted Verena as a trophy, and as a prize taken from his cousin Olive. Having seen the movie and read some reviews, Verena was perhaps the ultimate mutton-headed dolt. Verena was very sweet, and Olive rightly predicted how Verena would be quite attractive to men. Jessica Tandy was excellent. She looked so ill as Miss Birdseye, that I figured she would meet her demise by the end of the movie. She was very dedicated to her cause, and knew that younger women would carry on the banner. She seemed to have more sense than many of the other characters. I had waited awhile to see this movie. I have not read the book. Christopher Reeve did say that "Somewhere In Time" was his most favorite movie that he made. I feel that his love story in that movie was more believable than in this one. Olive reminded me here of William Fawcett Robinson in that movie, controlling the actress Elise McKenna. Elise was adored by the public, ala Verena. It is said that Robinson was himself in love with Elise, and in "The Bostonians" we are led to believe that Olive was in love with Verena. In both cases, Christopher Reeve played the outsider/suitor who was despised by Robinson and Olive.

Well meant production from the magical Merchant/Ivory/Jhabvala team. This one was made before they hit their stride, however. The first mistake was casting Christopher Reeve in the lead. He always looks like he's acting, there's nothing natural about it. His performance here is in par with cheap 70's * acting. He is supposedly classically trained as an actor, but I guess anyone who pays for and attends acting classes can say the same. Some have it and some don't, he doesn't. The costumes, art direction and sets are all lavish and appealing. The dialog is far too updated to make one believe that it's taking place in another century, it's almost like a high school production in that aspect. Redgrave and Marchand both give good performances, nothing remarkable at all, but acceptable. The rest of the cast is a mish-mash of mostly b-listers. Scriptwriter Jhabvala has proved herself time and again to be quite the artist, but the script here is flat. Perhaps the book it was based on is this dull and unconvincing. I was left simply unaffected by any message they were trying to convey about the period. I'm a fanatic when it comes to Merchant/Ivory pictures, but this one just didn't cut it. It seems they were more in their element with their amazing and opulent European productions. The quality of their American films seems to be quite cheap in production in comparison. I'm simply left wondering what a masterpiece this could have been had it been set in and filmed in England. If you're an Ivory/Merchant fan, stick with their better titles "A Room With A View" & "Sense And Sensibility", they both surpass this effort by leagues.

The Bostonians disappointed me. The subplots of lesbian love, heterosexual love, and suffragette struggles are genuine and nuanced, but tedious, and - at least in this film - pointless. What is highlighted here is the beauty and wealth of a certain segment of society in Boston and New York. The parlor games never reach the clever insight of Jane Austen. The Merchant-Ivory-Jhabawala production is as sumptuous and beautiful and evocative as their other films, but the characters seem distant. Except for Vanessa Redgrave, the acting forced. She, on the other hand, exuded the stress of a repressed lesbian love and her only partially successful attempts to control every aspect of her life a d the lives of selected others.

I've always been interested in the James adaptations,and in the Ivory films. The Bostonians ' first half's calligraphy and distinguished Callophily is pleasing,then the groundless length becomes oppressive,annoying and exasperating,so that finally I loathed this movie.That's no way to treat the viewers!The unjustified and intolerable length does not serve the narration,not the atmosphere,nor the characters' development. Wasted footage!I began by liking The Bostonians ,I finished by loathing this movie that goes nowhere.(James was quite loquacious and blabbed with a senile joy,and the movie gets also very talkative.) Reeve smiles intelligently and even ironically from time to time,which kind of contradicts his supposed plainness.He acts somehow beside the point,but I guess the idea of introducing him as a tom cat with transient smiles was meant to cheer a little this overlong H. James adaptation,and as a needed antidote for the crabby Mrs. Redgrave.Reeve is almost brave in feigning some real interest for Madeleine Potter's character. The two actresses I liked are:(1)Nancy New (as "Olive Chancellor"'s far more attractive sister);(2)Nancy Marchand. Mrs. Redgrave is a broody,headstrong,crabbed,exalted and poisonous,felonious damsel ,as interesting as Lenin's books.As a matter of fact,this poor woman looks rather feeble-minded.One hopes in vain she'll have her fling with "Verena Tarrant".She is here as cranky as ever. Mrs. Madeleine Potter is very uninteresting, insipid,and as fascinating as a sausage. Towards the final of The Bostonians ,I swore at the director, at the scriptwriter and at the entire cast.I would seize Ivory by his ears and force him watch many Bruce Lee movies and many Jackie Chan movies,so much that he gets able to make at least something that well-thought. The whole plot is utterly nauseating.The characters are as viscid as the mollusks.This makes the movie a morass.This is a show,don't ask me to judge it as if it were a novel.I'm talking about Ivory's show,not about James' novel.The most annoying fact is that Mrs. Redgrave seems to enjoy her role;this is unacceptable!(But it is also obvious that no member of the cast is able to get what this show is about.This may serve,though in a paradoxical way,as a justification for them all!These people (Reeve, Nancy Marchand and Nancy New) performed hoping there is a meaning they are not yet able to comprehend.)

The Bostonians on the whole is not among the best Merchant-Ivory films, like A Room with a View, Howard's End and especially The Remains of the Day, nor is it anywhere near The Innocents, The Wings of the Dove and particularly The Heiress as among the best Henry James adaptations. However, while it has its problems it is not a bad film and does laudably adapting a difficult work (even for an author that is notoriously difficult to adapt like James). Are there flaws here? Yes, there are. The changed ending is far too melodramatic and clumsily written as a (possible) attempt to make it accessible to modern audiences (maybe?), undermining any intellectual sensibility that the story or James beforehand show. While Ruth Prawer Jhabvala's screenplay fares very credibly mostly it doesn't come off completely successfully, the savage humour of the book is very toned down (in contrast to the somewhat lack of subtlety, pretty overt actually, in the writing of the Olive and Verena relationship, loved the tension between the two though) and sometimes absent which gives the film a bland feel sometimes, the characters are still very interesting and complex but lack the philosophical depth of the book and that final speech is so cornball and misplaced. Merchant-Ivory films always did have deliberate pacing, but more than made up for it with slightly more involving drama and characterisation and more consistent script-writing than seen here, sometimes The Bostonians moved along at a snail's pace which made the blander, less involving dramatically sections almost interminable. And despite being devilishly handsome and with the right amount of virile masculinity Christopher Reeve seemed completely out of his depth as Ransom, throughout he is stiff and although his character is unlikeable in the first place there is very little in Reeve's performance that makes it obvious what Olive and Verena see in him. However, there is much to admire as well. As always with a Merchant-Ivory film it is incredibly well-made, with truly luxuriant cinematography, exquisite settings and scenery and some of the most vivid costume design personally seen from a film recently. There is a beautiful music score as well that couldn't have fitted more ideally, and appropriately restrained direction from James Ivory, and while there were a few misgivings with the script Jhabvala actually adapts it very credibly. It's a very thought-provoking, elegantly written and literate script that has a good deal of emotional impact, it is not easy condensing James' very dense, wordy and actions-occurring-inside-characters'-heads prose to something cohesive for film but Jhabvala manages it with grace and intelligence on the most part. Again, pacing could have been tighter but the story is still very poignant and has a good degree of tension and emotion. Best of all is how beautifully played it is by a very good cast, apart from Reeve. Madeleine Potter does lack allure for Verena, but plays with gentle winsomeness, intelligence and sweet charm. In the supporting roles, Linda Hunt is dependably very good, Jessica Tandy is moving in her performance and (in particular) Nancy Marchand's verbal cat-and-mouse-game helps give the film some of its tension. Along with the cinematography and costumes, one of The Bostonians' best aspects is the towering performance of Vanessa Redgrave, Olive is more sympathetically written here and Redgrave brings a real intensity and affecting dignity to the role which makes for compulsive viewing. All in all, much to admire but also could have been better. 6/10 Bethany Cox

Women of Boston committed to the suffrage movement on shown in a picture which resembles the Seneca Falls Convention Meeting of Women in 1848 with Elizabeth Cady Stanton and others participating. The film belonged in 1848. It is thoroughly boring. The late Chris Reeves was horribly miscast as a Mississippi attorney up from the south who falls in love with one of the suffragettes. In the way, is the dedicated leader, played by Vanessa Redgrave, who wants the woman to remain in the movement. Anyone who marries from her thinking can't be totally committed. The fact that there is a lesbian situation going on between the two women supposedly doesn't enter into her thinking. Right. Co-star Jessica Tandy is made up to look like Cady Stanton. The ending where Redgrave makes her passioned speech for the movement after the other lady runs off with Reeve is too late. When the latter didn't speak, most of the people left the auditorium. This is what movie viewers should have done as well.

Throughout the '80s and '90s, producer Ismail Merchant and director James Ivory were probably the foremost purveyors of highbrow cinema, often adapted from classic novels. One such example is "The Bostonians", from a Henry James novel. I've never read the novel - and almost certainly never will, given how long it takes me to get through books - but the movie is as solid as we would expect. It sounds as though Henry James treated his topics with subtlety, which would explain the depiction of what would've otherwise been a taboo topic in the 1800s. Basically, the combination of the scenery, costumes, music and setting make this the sort of period piece that could only come from Merchant and Ivory. And because I can't resist, I gotta note the cast: Christopher Reeve, Vanessa Redgrave, Jessica Tandy, Nancy Marchand, Linda Hunt and Wallace Shawn.* In other words, it stars Superman, Julia, Miss Daisy, Livia Soprano, the cameraman during the Indonesian coup, and Vizzini/Rex/Young Sheldon's professor/the man who had dinner with Andre. *Vanessa Redgrave later co-starred in an adaptation of Wallace Shawn's politically charged play "The Fever", co-starring Michael Moore and Angelina Jolie.

I didn't know what to expect from this movie, but threw the DVD into the player for good luck. And I was pleasantly surprised. The very first thing I liked was the backdrop of the opening credits: hands and feet operating an organ, plus the resulting sound. (Two hours later I knew that anticipated a part of the final act). Then came more surprises - the setting in 1875 New England offered unusual sights, and mostly all in female-dominated surroundings. For a sensationalistic title, I thought of "Planet of the Women" - with a lone alien, Basil, playing his game in the middle. The basic story was of course not surprising: boy meets girl, they go through assorted troubles, finally girl escapes from captivity, they ride away together. I can't explain the chemistry between them, but that may be because "love" is no natural science. In any case, a strong mutual attraction was amply demonstrated. In contrast to most other movies, "eye-candy" women were rare, but then there were interesting types, like Dr. Prance and Miss Birdseye. Why Olive came to be how she was, remained a riddle to me. And then the dramatic final act in the music hall. Strong images that will stay in my memory - and I consider the main purpose of a movie to deliver strong images. Cost/benefit: most IMDb reviews are negative, and the movie was probably so unpopular that I could pick up a bargain DVD at the shop for 50 cents. Given that an empty DVD box costs 40 cents, the net price was 10 cents - and for me at least, it was worth it a hundred times :^)