| Reviewer Roundup |
| 1. |
 | Harvey Karten |
| review follows |
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| 2. |
| Steve Rhodes |
| read the review |
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Review by Harvey Karten
No Rating Supplied
"How obscene that your mother should give her life so that
you could have her space on earth." Imagine the hurt a
young woman must feel to hear words like that from the father
she once adored. As though this utterance were not enough
of a cross to bear, this vulnerable individual hears an outburst
from the lover for whom she waited one year, who proclaims
that since he has all the charm and she nothing but money,
he should be entitled to a share of her wealth after marriage.
What gives "Washington Square" its particularly inviting
quality is that throughout the film the audience does not truly
know whether the young, handsome and captivating suitor of
a shy, innocent person is after her for her money or whether
he truly loves her. What's more, Henry James, who wrote his
novel about a family high in New York social circles, wants us
to have mixed feelings about the cynical and verbally abusive
father. Does he want to protect his only daughter from the
pitches of fortune hunters, or is just plain ornery about a girl
whose delivery resulted in the childbirth death of his wife? It's
no wonder that this readable classic was the subject of a
major film forty-eight years ago, entitled "The Heiress" and
starring Ralph Richardson, Montgomery Clift and Olivia de
Havilland; and of a recent stage version at New York's
Roundabout Theater with Philip Bosco and Cherry Jones in
the leading roles.
Given a moderately feminist twist by Agnieszka Holland in a
beautifully photographed new movie, "Washington Square"
features Jennifer Jason Leigh in the role of Catherine Sloper,
an awkward girl who becomes her own woman and gains a
comeuppance against the two men whose mixed feelings
toward her caused so much distress. Adapted from the Henry
James novel by screenwriter Carol Doyle and photographed
in Baltimore by Jerzy Zielinski, this "Washington Square" may
disappoint those who prefer the theatrical revenge conclusion
of the Roundabout Theater's production but will please those
who like their movies to remain close to the literary designs of
the novelists. "Washington Square" shows its wares
realistically with only a brief outpouring of histrionics, and
conveys a tidy look at a portion of New York society a century
and a half ago.
In dealing with the life of Ms. Sloper before she meets her
eager suitor, director Holland selects a few seminal episodes
in her early life to impart the young girl's awkwardness.
Particularly moving, almost painful to watch, is a song recital
she is about to give to an audience of father, aunts, uncles
and cousins, only to freeze with stagefright and urinate
copiously on the living room floor. Despite the
embarrassment and shame she seems to cause the father
she tries heartbreakingly to please, her dad, Dr. Austin Sloper
(Albert Finney), makes clear that she has no social graces,
limited looks, and an inability to capture the attentions of an
eligible bachelor. Encouraged by a slightly dotty and loving
Aunt Lavinia (Maggie Smith) who lives with the family,
Catherine accepts the attentions of a handsome, magnetic
suitor, Morris Townsend (Ben Chaplin), a penniless member
of society who at first appears to have ardent feelings for her.
When Dr. Sloper--who calls Morris an idler who is out for
money--threatens to disinherit Catherine unless she breaks off
the relationship, even taking her on a one-year trip to Europe
to allow Catherine's feelings to cool, the lines are effectively
drawn.
While Ms. Holland does furnish the flavor of New York
society by giving us glimpses into the parties, by carefully
showing us the far-reaching and lavishly furnished home at 21
Washington Square, by offering a look at the many servants,
she avoids the lush and stilted theatricality of Merchant-Ivory
productions while displaying a movie far more toned down
than her own "Total Eclipse" (about the relationship between
Paul Verlaine and Arthur Rimbaud). Her calm approach
provides a note of authenticity and realism to the goings-on
while retaining dramatic punch through a single, showdown
scene between Catherine and her suitor, Morris Townsend.
While Cherry Jones, who shone in the cast of the
Roundabout Theater production some years back, might have
offered a more genuine reading of Catherine's character,
Jennifer Jason Leigh does fine, broadening her range after
appearing previously in terminally cynical roles such as that of
Dorothy Parker. Albert Finney is more in tune with the
doctor's persona than the blustery and less witty Philip Bosco,
who re-created the role alongside Cherry Jones, and Ben
Chaplin plays the part subtly enough that we are kept
speculating about his motives.
"Washington Square," then, is a down-to-earth piece of
moviemaking filled with solid performances and a mildly
feminist resolution which should please many without
offending audience members of a conservative bent.
Copyright © 1997 Harvey Karten
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