Main Cast: Nicole Kidman, John Malkovich, Barbara Hershey, Mary-Louise Parker, Martin Donovan
Release Year: 1996
Country: US/UK
Run Time: 144 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
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, All Movie Guide
Review
Given The Piano's singular period story about an independent-minded woman, it is not surprising that Jane Campion's stylized version of Henry James' The Portrait of a Lady (1996) is more of an interpretation rather than an adaptation. With an opening montage of modern women, Campion and screenwriter Laura Jones stake a claim to the contemporary resonance in the story of naïve American heiress Isabel Archer. Injecting moments of surreal fantasy into the beautifully expressive, blue-tinged period surroundings, Campion alludes to the cravings that provoke Isabel to reject a safe marriage in favor of freedom. Why Isabel is easily seduced by the scheming Mme. Merle and the reptilian fortune hunter Osmond, however, remains elusive; John Malkovich's transparently malevolent Osmond makes Nicole Kidman's Isabel an inexplicable fool for love. Still, Barbara Hershey's complex Mme. Merle speaks to the damage inflicted on women by an oppressive social order, while Martin Donovan's eloquently restrained cousin Ralph powerfully attests to what might have been for Isabel. Provoking a deeply mixed response, The Portrait of a Lady failed to repeat The Piano's success, though the costumes and Hershey's performance earned Oscar nominations. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
Mark Raggett - Art Director, Martin Childs - Supervising Art Director, Mark Turnbull - Associate Producer, Johanna Ray & Associates - Casting, Ann Wingate - Co-producer, Janet Patterson - Costume Designer, Mark Turnbull - First Assistant Director, Jane Campion - Director, Colin Englert - Second Unit Director, Veronika Jenet - Editor, Wojciech Kilar - Composer (Music Score), Wojciech Kilar - Songwriter, Janet Patterson - Production Designer, Stuart Dryburgh - Cinematographer, Steve Golin - Producer, Monty Montgomery - Producer, Peter Glossop - Sound/Sound Designer, Jane Campion - Screenwriter, Laura Jones - Screenwriter, Henry James - Book Author
The film tells the story of Isabel Archer (Kidman), a young woman of independent means whose innocence ultimately sees her manipulated by her 'friend' Madame Merle (Hershey) and the devious Gilbert Osmond (Malkovich).
The film is relatively faithful to the novel but caused controversy with an interpolated dream sequence in which Isabel has an erotic fantasy involving all of her suitors.
Awards
The film was released in 1996 and won several awards for costuming, screenplay, as well as acting awards for Hershey and Donovan. It was nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actress and Best Costume Design[1]
