Washington Square | | Cast : | Jennifer Jason Leigh, Albert Finney | | Director : | Agnieszka Holland | | Studio : | Buena Vista Home Entertainment | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned | | Released Date : | October 10, 1997 | | DVD Released Date : | September 03, 2002 | | Language : | English (Dubbed) | | Audience Rating : | PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | March 16, 2005 | | Summary | ery. Good but could have been slightly better.... | Content
 | I watched this and like it and I bought it but it's not what I call a classic, still it's quite good adapatation of the novel. If you're a fan of the story, I recommend you try to get your hands on the play adaptation of this story "The Heiress" with Montgomery Cliff and Olivia DeHaviland playing the 'ugly duckling.' The story and acting is far surpassed by Washington Square.. it is currently not available on DVD but if you watch TCM you might catch it. It's a 5 starrer. (if that's a word.) |
| Rating | | | Date | January 23, 2005 | | Summary | Pretty But Dull | Content
| This adaptation, like 1949's *The Heiress*, is based on the Henry James novel. *The Heiress*, starring Olivia de Havilland, remains as a well-respected piece of work, though less true to James' original story than this new remake, which retains James' original title. It is the story of a awkward, yet loving daughter , devoted to her father after her mother dies during childbirth. The arrogant father holds his daughter in no esteem whatsoever, and considers her, as well as all women, simpleminded. When a young man of good family and little fortune comes courting, the Father is naturally suspicious, but feeling so sure that his daughter could hold no interest for any man, is convinced that the young man is a fortune hunter and forbids her to see him. Leigh is a controversial actress - most either love her or hate her - and she always has a particular edginess and tenseness to her style, like she's acting through gritted teeth. She's not bad in this, and she handles her role relatively deftly - it's just an awkward role for any actress, making the audience want to grab the character by her shoulders and shake her until she comes to her senses. While the character garners a lot of sympathy, she's not particularly likable. The very handsome and immensely appealing Ben Chaplin (previously seen in *The Truth About Cats and Dogs*) plays his role with the exact amount of mystery required to keep the audience guessing whether he is after her fortune, or is really in love with her. Maggie Smith is one of the finest actresses alive and raises the level of the movie considerably with her portrayal of the well-meaning aunt. Finney is marvelous, of course, as the father who threatens to disinherit his daughter for her disobedience, but the daughter is willing to risk that for the man she loves. But does her ardent suitor still want her without her fortune? This is only one instance where *Washington Square* differs from *The Heiress*. Another instance is the ability to stick with it. It is a handsome movie that is as tedious as a dripping faucet, offering too little story in too long of a movie. |
| Rating | | | Date | August 22, 2004 | | Summary | Pitiful | Content
| One word to describe this movie PITIFUL.
Do yourself a favor invest in the older version The Heiress,you will not be disappointed |
| Rating | | | Date | November 11, 2003 | | Summary | Very Dissapointed | Content
| Having read the novel "Washington Square" and seen the wonderful film adaption, "The Heiress", I was so dissapointed in this adaption. The acting leaves a lot to be desired. I feel that when something is good, you should leave it alone, and obviously the producers of this adaption haven't learned that. If you have read "Washington Square" or seen "The Heiress" I think you will dissapointed as well. |
| Rating | | | Date | October 24, 2003 | | Summary | Oh, how I wept! | Content
| I can honestly count on one hand the movies that have ever made me cry, and this is one of them. Maybe it was because I could relate to the characters on a personal level because of circumstances in my own life, but I thought this film was exceptionally moving. The scene that sticks out in my mind (or rather, in my heart,) is where Catherine is chasing after the carriage, screaming for Morris to come back, and he never even turns around and looks at her. She's humiliated, emotionally crushed, and he can't even spare her a moment's glance. I have read the book as well, and this is a rare instance in which I like the movie better. In the book, there's no question about Morris' mercenary motives and he really cares nothing for Catherine; in the movie, the viewer is never quite sure if he's sincere or not. I like being kept guessing on that aspect of the plot! I also liked it that Catherine had grown strong enough to refuse him at the end, because I wasn't too sure that she wouldn't take him back. When he asks if they can still be friends (and who knows what his motive was for that,) her reply of, "You know very well that we were never friends," shows that she has finally become her own person. |
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