Washington Square

Starring:Jennifer Jason Leigh, Albert Finney, Maggie Smith, Ben Chaplin, Judith Ivey, Arthur Laupus, Jennifer Garner, Robert Stanton (II), Betsy Brantley, Nancy Daly, Sara Ruzicka, Rachel Layne Sacrey, Rachel Osborne, Scott Jaeck, Peter Maloney, Lauren Hulsey, Sara Constance Marshall, Marissa Anna Muro, Loretto McNally, Eva Jean Berg
Director: Agnieszka Holland
Studio: Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Product Type: DVD

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In biographies written before 1990, Jennifer Jason Leigh claims to have been born in 1958. Recently, she's changed that to 1962. In either case, she definitely looks a bit odd in this 1998 release playing a 20-year-old opposite the youthful Ben Chaplin. Even stranger is the fact that she's been cast as the ugly girl; after all, she was voted one of America's 10 most beautiful women by Harper's Bazaar. Still, this film captures to a T the Henry James novel on which it is based. The story concerns Catherine Sloper, a 19th-century heiress whose father disapproves of the man she loves. In a twisty plot, questions are raised about both her father's and her suitor's motives, and Catherine must untangle the connections between love and money. This provides fodder for Henry James's critiques of the shallowness and sexism of his society. Some find James's work stiff, self-important, and a bit dull, while others see him as the most astute social critic of his time, so your enjoyment of this film may be a matter of taste. But it's definitely a period piece done right, which is to say that it fully captures its era, and never stoops to anachronisms that would interrupt the viewer's sense of an older, crueler world. --James DiGiovanna

Description

Riveting performances from an all-star cast highlight this passionate tale of a young heiress who must choose between love or money! Jennifer Jason Leigh (SINGLE WHITE FEMALE) is Catherine, a lonely young woman in search of happiness ... until she is swept off her feet by the handsome Morris Townsend (Ben Chaplin -- MURDER BY NUMBERS, THE THIN RED LINE). Suspicious of the young man's true intentions, however, her controlling father (Albert Finney -- ERIN BROCKOVICH, TRAFFIC) threatens to disown Catherine if she follows her heart and marries against his wishes! You're sure to find this timeless story both powerful and entertaining.

Customer Reviews:

Far To Dull... DO NOT BUY!!!.......2007-04-20

I am a lover of all things period and this movie does have some nice settings and costumes in it, however that is all it has to offer. All the actors do is trip over each other and whisper little to no dialogue of not much consequence. One can barely tell what the story is trying to relate the dialogue is so scant. I am sorry but just having actors stare into the camera is not great drama. I wonder did this movie have a director? But of course, it did, someone had to purposefully make all these mistakes. This was a big disappointment and not even worth renting!

If you are looking for a happy ending, Don't Watch!.......2007-04-13

I am from the old-school notion that if you are going to have a romantic movie, the girl should end up with the guy at the end. I don't mind drama, though there was no great meaning from her being alone in the end. This is not a pick me upper movie, and if you feel kinda like an old maid waiting for love, this old maid in the movie never finds love. The ending is horrible! Or maybe I am just too simple to understand some profound meaning of her sitting there all alone, playing her piano. I just don't get it.

Loved it until I read the book.......2007-01-31

Honestly, this was one of my favorite films until I read the book, and it brought to light two things that I think the director really messed up on.
1. Catherine Sloper was nowhere near as socially retarded in the book as she was in the movie. In fact, as someone said, in the movie they practically portray her as being borderline mentally challenged. In the books her faults were not as exaggerated, and consisted of her plain looks, dull personality and occasional lack of a witty retort (which happens to all of us save for those annoying few who always have the perfect thing to say). Otherwise I would characterize her, especially in comparison to her flighty aunt and cold-hearted dad, as the only normal one in the house. While everyone else was making the situation with Morris more of a drama than it needed to be, Catherine was taking things as they came and letting them go as they went. She grows from naive girl who adored her callous father to a secure woman.
Also, while in the movie they portrayed her dress sense as evidence of her social ineptitude (the scene where she goes to the party where she meets Morris in that awful fringed thing), in the book it is an admirable eccentricity, and proves that she is not as boring as she seems.
2. While Albert Finney does a great job of capturing Dr. Sloper's callous sarcasm, he doesn't (and again, I think this is the director's fault) really capture the type of psychological game he is playing with his daughter. In the book, Dr. Sloper detachedly views the goings on between his daughter and Morris as a kind of entertainment, a play that he wants to see if he guessed the correct ending to. In return, as Catherine realizes what as asshat her father is (can I say that here?), she begins to play the game with him, telling him when he is near his deathbed that she can't promise she won't marry Morris after he dies (This scene also takes place in the movie, but the way it is acted out you get the sense that Catherine is saying this because she hasn't let Morris go yet - the director hasn't developed the character enough to make the viewer believe she has the intelligence to play her dad's own game).
In terms of praise, the performances by Maggie Smith, Albert Finney and Ben Chaplin are great. To quote another review again, Ben Chaplin really has you wondering what exactly are his character motives (even though deep down you know he wants her money, like the naive Catherine, you continue to want to believe everyone is wrong). I admit I picked up the book in the first place because I wanted to get a better handle on Morris and his intentions! Also, the soundtrack is just gorgeous.

wonderful film.......2007-01-11

Washington Square, directed by Agnieszka Holland, is a wonderful film! It is definitely better than the previous film version Heiress in 1940s. This fascinating film is a little different from its original, Henry James's Washington Square. But that doesn't matter much. It has its own merits and attractions.

Better than I expected.......2006-07-09

Any filmmaker taking on a James adaptation MUST make casting his primary concern since all of James' works are character driven. This film was partially successful.

Jennifer Jason-Leigh's interpretation of Catherin Sloper was interesting to me but I found the characterisation taken to jarring extremes. Another review declared at times she appeared so socially backward as to be retarded and I agree with him. Thus it was more jarring to see her one moment squirming and tongue-tied before Townsend, the next moment smoothly inviting him to play piano at her home. I try to refrain from age-attacking actresses but I do feel she was a little too old for the role as well.

Ben Chaplin is gorgeous but I found Townsend unsympathetic in the film. Townsend's character is supposed to retain a certain sympathy and he just couldn't do it.

Finney and Smith were both wonderful in their roles. Finney's vindictive unforgiving parenting of Catherine is very true in my mind. He is brutal, at times violently indifferent, yet it is apparent at times he is reaching for some common thread of understanding with the daughter he resents and despises. His ultimate hypocrisy also sets Catherine free of any more fortun-hunting prospects as well as depriving the Slope dynasty of any hope of continuation. He is just self-destructive enough to do it and be believable.

The costumes and production values of this film were beautiful but the cinematography was just plain weird at moments, with strange camera angles, and the soundtrack is very nice.

In comparison to "The Heiress" (starring Olivia de Haviland) I think "Washington Square offered certain pros and cons. I preferred WS's faithfulness to the story, which presents a more quiet triumph on Catherine's part as opposed to TH's more dramatic resolution. I DO feel deHaviland is much more believable in the starring role. At the same time, I liked WS because I felt it was just more Jamesian. Both have their merits.

Charlie Rose with Amre Moussa; Jennifer Jason Leigh (October 2, 1997)

Average customer rating:

Charlie Rose with Amre Moussa; Jennifer Jason Leigh (October 2, 1997)

Manufacturer: Charlie Rose
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Description

Charlie asks Egyptian Foreign Minister Amre Moussa about Egypt's role in the Mideast peace process. Plus, Actress Jennifer Jason Leigh talks about playing unlikely heroines in her film career.

Average customer rating:

Far To Dull... DO NOT BUY!!!
If you are looking for a happy ending, Don't Watch!
Loved it until I read the book
wonderful film
Better than I expected

Washington Square [Region 2]
Starring: Jennifer Jason Leigh , Albert Finney , Maggie Smith , Ben Chaplin , and Judith Ivey
Director: Agnieszka Holland
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video