The Age of Innocence
United States
1993
139 Min
Color
English
Synopsis
In Martin Scorsese’s adaptation of Edith Wharton’s 1920 novel, romance between an upper-class gentleman and an ostracized lady is doomed by 19th century New York society. Shortly after his engagement to blandly genteel May Welland (Winona Ryder), Newland Archer (Daniel Day-Lewis) is reacquainted with May’s scandalous cousin Ellen Olenska (Michelle Pfeiffer). As the head of an esteemed family, Archer initially uses his standing to try to rehabilitate Ellen’s reputation, but he finds himself increasingly drawn to her disregard for the codes of New York manners. Bound by ingrained society mores and his peers’ insinuations, Newland tries to dodge his growing passion by rushing his marriage to May, but he cannot keep himself from confessing his love to Ellen. Recognizing that Newland could never abandon his sense of honor and be happy, Ellen pushes Newland to May and leaves town. The marriage proceeds as dictated, but when Newland unexpectedly sees Ellen again, he yearns for the affair to come to fruition. However, he underestimates not only what May knows but also her ability to uphold the rules of propriety. —allmovie guide
Director
Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese was born in New York City and soon developed a passion for cinema and a particular admiration for neo-realist cinema which inspired him and influenced his view or portrayal of his Sicilian heritage. After graduating from NYU Film School in 1966 and making a number of shorts, he shot his first feature-length film Who’s That Knocking at My Door (1968) with fellow student, actor Harvey Keitel, and editor Thelma Schoonmaker both of whom were to become long-term collaborators. Mean Streets followed in 1973 and provided the benchmarks for the ‘Scorsese style’. After Scorsese directed Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, the trio was reunited for the dark journey of Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver. After New York, New York Scorsese released Raging Bull. The acclaimed biography of middleweight fighter Jake LaMotta was followed by exploration of fans as pariah in The King of Comedy, dark-comic dreams in After Hours and pool sharks in The Color of Money. Scorsese outraged some religious… read more
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H. Paul Moon
27Jan10
If "The Last Temptation of Christ" was the consummation of what Martin Scorsese does, this is the pinnacle of what he can do as a traditional filmmaker. Every component of moviemaking is drawn to perfection here. My doubts are melancholy and earnest that Hollywood may never again create this kind of film on such a large budget and epic scale.
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By Joey on November 1, 2009
I really think this is one of Scorsese’s most under-rated movies. It’s my favourite Daniel Day Lewis performance. He holds back so much it becomes so painful to watch him. Not only is his performance… read review
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By Arthur S. on October 12, 2009
This film at last is getting some amount of visibility. Formally and aesthetically, this is as great a film as Scorsese can make. The editing – which always focuses on the character’s subjectively… read review
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