After his mother dies, a young New England man (Liam Neeson) marries his mother's caregiver (Joan Allen). But soon after the marriage, his wife becomes very sickly and sends for a distant relative (Patricia Arquette) to take care of her. As his wife's condition worsens, the farmer finds himself attracted to the young girl. Based on the novel by Edith Wharton (
THE AGE OF INNOCENCE), the film is relatively faithful to the book but the screenwriter Richard Nelson (
HYDE PARK ON THE HUDSON) makes the mistake of romanticizing Ethan's (Neeson) and Mattie's characters and Wharton's stark moralistic fable is anything but a romance. Bobby Bukowski's lensing of the wintery Vermont landscapes is too pretty but I suppose B&W was out of the question. Neeson and Arquette's performances are too anachronistic but Joan Allen perfectly realizes the bitter hypochondriac she plays. Directed by John Madden (
SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE) with a quietly effective score by Rachel Portman. With Katharine Houghton (
GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER) and Tate Donovan.
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