The Age of Innocence

In 1870s New York solicitor Newland Archer (Daniel Day-Lewis) proposes marriage to May Welland (Wiinona Ryder) and moments later falls for her enigmatic and unconventional cousin Ellen (Michelle Pfeiffer), just back from a failed marriage in Europe. But the rigid codes and mores of their society suffocate their mutual desire.

Critics found similarities between this adaptation of Edith Wharton's Pulitzer-winner and Scorsese's previous works (ridged codes and ritualism in Goodfellas and desire in Taxi Driver) but they missed the point. His knowledge of and respect for cinema and the concept of genre plus his ability to blend his trademarks with techniques relevant to the subject matter are often forgotten when considering the exploits of Johnny Boy and Jake La Motta.

Scorsese takes his time depicting the upper echelons of Victorian New York society and indulges in a wealth of period authenticity. His restless camera matches perfectly the excellent performances of the cast; the fades into misty reds and yellows and the use of irises help lift the film out of ordinary Merchant-Ivory territory. The only problem is that the book isn't very good to start with and the wall of period detail that surrounds the characters tends to stifle the overall effect Scorsese is tying to create. Nevertheless from the stunning Saul Bass title sequence, to the lushly coloured closing images, the man is on top form. Am I the only one who wants him to make a Western?

Review by Stephen Cox
Taken from EUFS Programme 1994-95