The Golden Bowl

Starring:Kate Beckinsale, James Fox, Anjelica Huston, Nick Nolte, Jeremy Northam, Madeleine Potter, Uma Thurman, Nicholas Day, Peter Eyre, Nickolas Grace, Robin Hart, Daniel Byam Shaw, Francesco Giuffrida, Marta Paola Richeldi, Rossano Rubicondi, Mattia Sbragia, Billy Monger, Pauline Rainer, Susan Gutfreund, Arturo Venegas
Director: James Ivory
Studio: Lions Gate
Product Type: DVD

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Based on the Henry James novel, The Golden Bowl earns a regal place in the long line of lavish Ismail Merchant and James Ivory productions casting spectacular mise en scène in the lead role. The crumbling Italian palazzo that opens the film and the magnificent English country houses that encase the unfolding drama play, as always, an intrinsic part in the ruptured psyche of whatever gentry Merchant and Ivory have elected to pursue. In this case, divided attention is paid to erstwhile glories and turn-of-the-century ambitions. Impoverished Italian prince Amerigo (Jeremy Northam) is to marry heiress Maggie Verver (Kate Beckinsale), school friend of Charlotte (Uma Thurman), who in turn weds American industrialist and art collector Adam Verver (Nick Nolte), Maggie's father. Amerigo and Charlotte, having previously been lovers, are helpless to resist an adulterous affair. A study of life's covetous designs failing to imitate the perceived perfections of art, The Golden Bowl is likewise flawed but alluring. --Fionn Meade

Customer Reviews:

NOT one of those hardcore Merchant Ivory fans with a lovelust for any and all English boys.......2006-08-10

I like this movie. I watch it almost every time I find it playing on cable for Kate Beckinsale doing her lethal American impression, definitely MORE devastating than her impersonation in Last Days of Disco. Maybe she's gotten too clever for me to comprehend what the heck is going on when she does Americans nowadays so this movie must remain the strongest draw for my admiration of her. This movie is gorgeous to look at in it's material sumptuousness and entertaining in its American getting their wayness. I've never read Henry James but have watched a number of early Merchant-Ivory films, none of which made an impression on me. They were pleasant and pretty in an eggshell blue way. This movie is gold and coral and stone. I was very sad to hear that Mr. Merchant had passed because I finally liked one of his and James Ivory's films. I wanted to see if follow up films would as enjoyable as The Golden Bowl. Maybe this is the Merchant Ivory movie I like because none of the main characters are English although two of the actors are English.

The almost invisible fracture that flaws relationships..........2006-05-28

I'm amazed this film has drawn so many - and so varied - responses! Anyone deciding on whether or not to purchase the DVD may well end up confused. Is this a good film? Is Uma Thurman the only weak point? Is Kate Beckinsale boring? Is everyone irritating except for the character of Charlotte? And so on and so on and so on...

I found the acting of everyone in the film splendid. I was convinced by each character. I didn't LIKE each character, but I was convinced by the actors.

Jeremy Northam's character, a cash-poor Italian minor prince, is a deeply flawed man whose former romance with Charlotte (Uma Thurman) is brought to an unsympathetic end by his decision to wed Maggie, a sweet and practical American heiress (Kate Beckinsale) for her money. He doesn't seem to be in love with either Charlotte or Maggie at this point, but he is certainly intent on ending his former relationship and starting off his marriage with good intentions. Charlotte is clearly deeply upset - she appears to have been far more emotionally invested in the relationship than he.

Charlotte, who weds Maggie's father in a hell-bent way (clearly intent on retaining her presence in the prince's life), then manipulates events so that she's alone with her former lover, and invites him to resume their intimate relationship. She thinks she's in love; one cannot say the same for Northam's character, who appears to be attracted, yes, but not in love. There's also a dynamic created by his feeling left out by his wife's close relationsihp with her father. A man who feels neglected is certainly vulnerable to other influences... which isn't to excuse him, but to give some idea of the influences in his life. Once the affair's underway, it gains momentum and the pair seem to risk disclosure without caring too deeply.

As this deeply flawed man who ends up learning the real value of his wife and feeling appalled by the pain he caused her, Jeremy Northam is simply superb. This would be an easy character to overplay or underplay - but Mr Northam gets it exactly right.

As Charlotte, Uma Thurman is surprisingly good. I've often seen her in sub-standard films (the appalling film Pay Check comes to mind), but this is a magnificent role for her. Again, it's perfectly placed. The audience feels both sympathy for her and dislike for the things she does.

Kate Beckinsale is wonderful as Maggie. For most of the film, we, the audience, have no idea what Maggie knows or suspects, and we can even become a little exasperated by her apparent ignorance and that seeming insensitivity. She seems like a perfectly nice young woman whom we want to shake awake - until the moment when she realises incontrovertibly what has been happening. The title of the film, "Golden Bowl", becomes the metaphor for human relationships - specifically, marriage. And Maggie's agony when she realises there is a terrible flaw in her marriage, that the love and trust she has felt have been abused, is so real and true that it hits one in the face.

Nick Nolte as Maggie's father is also wonderful. His quality of toughness is nicely contrasted by the dignity that is evidence in both him and his daughter. One can see the terrific bond between the two, and the way in which Charlotte, although not obviously punished for seducing her daughter-in-law's husband, is not going to be able to sway her husband when he decides to move away from the lifestyle she loves, in order to protect his daughter's marriage.

The cross-currents of human emotion are truly wonderfully portrayed in this film. In that sense, it certainly maintains much of the original novel. Whether one's familiar with Henry James's novel or not, this is a very rewarding film, beautifully acted, and the scenery is stunning. Everyone looks fabulous, too - it's a shimmering treat to watch - but for me, the high standard of acting is what makes this film so interesting.

The tensions of betrayal, desire, beauty, trust, love, dependency, selfishness and forgiveness are beautifully worked in the film.

Excellent Adaptation ~ Nick Nolte is Superb!.......2006-03-24

Rather than repeat the plot that is well summarized elsewhere, I'll simply say that I found this to be an excellent adaptation of a complex work by Henry James with strong performances turned in by Nick Nolte and Uma Thurman. The scenery is typical Merchant/Ivory: beautiful costumes and vivid location shots with dramatic and precise period settings. As another reviewer has stated on another site, "This is not 'entertainment' for the simple-minded, but a feast for those whose consciousness demands serious visual/literary engagement. Truly, the term 'masterpiece' applies here." The score by Richard Robbins is also superb and provides the essential audio backdrop that weaves the scenes of the movie together.

If anything detracts from the effort it is the exceedingly bland performance by Kate Beckinsdale as Adam Verver's daughter, Maggie. She lacked the sweetness and vulnerability as well as dedication that characterizes Maggie. In contrast Beckinsdale just made her look somewhat silly and clueless. I couldn't help thinking that someone such as a younger Linda Hamilton would have been better suited to the role and would have turned in a far more intelligent performance.

In addition, while Jeremy Northam does a fair impression of an impoverished rake of an Italian Prince, there is something lacking in his performance. He doesn't quite make the transition from passionate lover to dedicated husband/father and back again. If not for these two minor detractions, I would have given the film 5 stars. Fortunately, the strong performances of the other actors more than make up for any of the problems noted above.

For me, Nolte's performance is the best! His portrayal of an American billionaire who dotes on his daughter is understated and believable. All the while there is a sense in his performance of the qualities that made Adam Verver so wealthy: determination, an observant and keen eye, intelligence, strength and an underlying danger. The performances of Thurman, Fox and Huston are also excellent and along with Nolte's Verver form the core of the film.

I highly recommend this film to all.

Major Disappointment.......2006-01-17

As a student of the Merchant Ivory films (Howard's End, Room with a View, Maurice, Remains of the Day, and Mr & Mrs Bridge)I found Golden Bowl to be all glitter but no gold. The acting, plot and casting were all single-star ratings. James Ivory must have just given up his artist standards.

Passionate but on the annoying side..........2005-11-20

Note: If you don't want to know some things about the story you may want to skip my review. It may tell more than you would like to know if you plan to watch it.

This was a well filmed movie. The characters were alive. The actors were wonderful. The scenary was plush and captivating. The story draws you in... but in a very hypocritcal and contradictory fashion.

If the goal was to get you to dislike adultery and have sympathy for wonderful people such as Maggie (Kate Beckinsale) and her father (Nick Nolte)... who were done wrong, then it was written completely wrong.

The story is shown in the beginning from Charlotte (Uma Thurman) and Amerigo's (Jeremy Northam) viewpoint... so right away you have sympathy for Charlotte who is in love with Amerigo, in which her great friend Maggie is going to marry.

Charlotte becomes a character you sympathize with greatly... and in fact you understand the drive behind all of her actions. She met the man, and fell in love with him before her friend even knew him.

I couldn't help but like Charlotte through the entire movie. I found Maggie and her father--people who I would generally like and have respect for, to be very irritating and do-gooders to a point of irritation.

If they weren't father and daughter you'd swear off they too had feelings with for one another. They were so close, it was actually quite unhealthy. I understand closeness... but their relationship... bordered dependency.

As well, I can't say they didn't contribute to some of the actions on the part of Charlotte and Amerigo having an affair. They weren't to blame for it but I think they did indirectly cause some of the problems and their own unhappiness.

You can't just neglect a relationship and expect it to be wonderful when you are good and ready to return to it. It takes sacrifice... and they weren't offering the right sort in order to receive what they wanted out of their relationships.

As for Amerigo. I had no sympathy for him. He was kind, in his own right, made admirable sacrifices, but he was selfish. He spent time taking too much of what he wanted and when it finally caught up with him... he really didn't have to deal with the consequences.

He got off easy while Charlotte took the burden of being a woman in love. That is a very similar outcome to reality and what most women have to deal with.

In that aspect, it really sucked to watch this caring woman be treated and abused by this selfish man who didn't say no until it benefitted him later.

Yeah, there were things I didn't agree with about Charlotte. Selfish things about her too. But at least you could see where she was coming from. That it wasn't her goal to be a bad person. She was just viewed as one because of her actions. But at least you could understand why she was doing what she was doing. She was in love.

She met him first and and loved him first. And begged him not to marry Maggie before he ever did. She was completely relatable.

I could not relate to Amerigo or Maggie's father much. I could relate to Maggie a bit, but not enough without her neurotic notions getting in the way. The woman worried to the point of being annoying.

In the end it left Charlotte. She was outcasted in a manner and treated subtley as if it was all of her fault. Which I immensely disagreed with.

If you ask me, Amerigo was way to blessed for his own good and he should've shared more of the consequences. In the end I couldn't label him as anything else but a jerk.

Generally I would tell anyone who wanted to see this movie to avoid it... simply because it was irritating and the characters weren't really all that enjoyable to know and witness.

Every single one of them were to blame for the consequences in their own way and that includes Angelica Houston's dislikable character who introduced Maggie and Amerigo, knowing full well about Charlotte beforehand.

All of them got on my nerves... except the very person they wanted to blame everything on. Charlotte.

Average customer rating:

NOT one of those hardcore Merchant Ivory fans with a lovelust for any and all English boys
The almost invisible fracture that flaws relationships...
Excellent Adaptation ~ Nick Nolte is Superb!
Major Disappointment
Passionate but on the annoying side...

The Golden Bowl
Starring: Kate Beckinsale , James Fox , Anjelica Huston , Nick Nolte , and Jeremy Northam
Director: James Ivory
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

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ASIN: B000065I86

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Customer Reviews:

NOT one of those hardcore Merchant Ivory fans with a lovelust for any and all English boys.......2006-08-10

The almost invisible fracture that flaws relationships..........2006-05-28

Excellent Adaptation ~ Nick Nolte is Superb!.......2006-03-24

Major Disappointment.......2006-01-17

Passionate but on the annoying side..........2005-11-20

Average customer rating:

The Golden Bowl [Region 2]
Starring: Kate Beckinsale , James Fox , Anjelica Huston , Nick Nolte , and Jeremy Northam
Director: James Ivory
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

( G ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B00007JGDB

Average customer rating:

The Golden Bowl [Region 2]
Starring: Kate Beckinsale , James Fox , Anjelica Huston , Nick Nolte , and Jeremy Northam
Director: James Ivory
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

( G ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000075AS5

Charlie Rose with Ron McKay; Uma Thurman; Stephen Gan, Cecelia Dean & James Kaliardos (April 27, 2001)

Average customer rating:

Charlie Rose with Ron McKay; Uma Thurman; Stephen Gan, Cecelia Dean & James Kaliardos (April 27, 2001)

Manufacturer: Charlie Rose, Inc.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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General | Educational | Genres | DVD | Video

Description

Following today's announcement of major developments in stem cell research, the researcher, Dr. Ron McKay of the National Institute of Health, is on the show. He discusses the possibility that stem cells may help us to better understand the Human Genome. Then, actress Uma Thurman discusses her role in the new Merchant Ivory film, The Golden Bowl. She plays the role of Charlotte Stant the film adaptation of the Henry James novel. Finally, Stephen Gan, Cecelia Dean and James Kaliardos are the editors and co-founders of the fashion and art magazine, Visionaire. They talk about the publication on the occasion of its 10th anniversary.

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