Mary-Beth-Hurt Movie Reviews

The characters in this movie were so fantastically developed ... John Heard's, Laura's, the mother's, the unemployed jacket saleman, the candy salesman, the boss ... the cat and dog killer ... Mrs Delillo ... LOL this was just a delight.

This movie really nails an obsessive love gone sour. This movie is a must for anyone who ever went head over heels over someone, only to have the realtionship go south.

I saw this movie many years ago as "Head Over Heels" and would love a copy of the original, also.

Anyone out there have a copy?

"What do you have?" asks the blind man. "I don't have Laura!" answers the young executive.

These are the first lines of the film "Chilly Scenes of Winter" and a line which had me saying things to myself like 'Good beginning' and thinking if the guy was depressed or just being sarcastic.

"C'mon, what do you have?" booms the blind man. "Baby Ruth," answers the young executive. "That's 50 cents," he answers as the executive walks off.

I know "Chilly Scenes of Winter" and its lines/dialogue like the back of my hand. The one-liners might be even superior to a Woody Allen movie (they at least tie each other). I, myself, am very interested in seeing the original "Head Over Heels' like many of the critcs below me. I'm with you, everyone and I love "Chilly Scenes..." just as much as you. If some MGM big-shot ever reads my review (which is slim-to-none) please take my advice- there are many people out there wanting to see the original cut of Joan Micklin Silver's masterpiece "Chilly Scenes of Winter" (apparently entitled "Head Over Heels"),so if you can pull some strings for us, please release it on video. It at least deserves a place in MGM/UA's Home Video collection of "Contemporary Classics". This is one of my personal favorite movies and I've seen plenty. John Heard and Mary Beth Hurts' performances are magnificent and the characters really are colorful enough to the extent that they come alive. For anybody who hasn't seen it, purchase it on Ebay used or get it new on Amazon. Either way you have to see it. It's a real treat!

This is one of the best films few people have heard of! I don't know about some people, but I LIKED the new ending of the re-edited version. I mean, happy endings are nice and all that, but sometimes things just don't wrap up neatly and I thought this ending really fit the film as a whole. Although I would be interested in seeing Silver's original cut. You know, MGM could prepare a special DVD containing Ms. Silver's original cut on Side 1 and the re-edit on Side 2. But it will never happen. And it's a shame. It would be the perfect candidate for MGM's "Contemporary Classics" series.

John Heard, where are you? You seemed to disappear from film. Such a good, understated performance deserved Oscar recognition. But of course, unless the pic is a hit, you don't get nominations. How else to account for this year's lackluster selection?

This is an exciting and intelligent film for everyone. Do not let
the box cover art make you think this is a kiddie film only. It
is a neat little film that teaches many lessons. D.A.R.Y.L. is
actually a child robot that is too perfect a child and a scient
ist working with him wants him to have a life outside the gov
ernment lab. D.A.R.Y.L. winds up with a foster family, makes a
life long friend has an exciting finale. This is a uniformly
well-made and acted film with excellent special effects on what
was a shoe-string budget. This film is as enjoyable as most of
Disney's big budget offerings. Also it shows that a wonderful
film without gratuitous trash and language can be made.
The film works so well because of the performance of Barrett
Oliver as D.A.R.Y.L. He gives the presence of the perfect, loving child. He also was in The Neverending Story and Cocoon
parts one and two. Strangely he seems to have disappeared from
film in his teens. I would like to see him in more films

Long before Steven Spielberg's A.I. came out in the summer of 2001,there was a film that came out in 1985 called D.A.R.Y.L.which is way better then A.I.I grew up on this film since the age of 4 years old and it's still wonderful to me even at the age of 22.While A.I. is a good film,it lacks the warmth,awe and the wonder that Daryl had.His name stands of Data Analyzing Robot Youth Lifeform and noone,not even Daryl himself knows he's a robot,they just think of him as a normal boy with extraordinary talents.Daryl is a warm and touching film not only for childern but for adults too.

Barret Oliver, who plays DARYL, is one of the greatest child actors in my opinion. This movie is not only heartwarming, but intreaging.

An interesting movie that reflects how Hollywood was portraying the changing roles and attitudes of women in the 70's. Fun to see Bo Derek and Anthony Hopkins in the hot tub--total 70's. Shirley MacLaine's excellent.

This movie can really describe unfaithfulness in a fun way. I give this movie an a plus. I saw it two weeks ago. You would really love a movie like this. Trust me. I love it!!

Woody Allen threw the film world a curveball in 1978 when he released not only his first straight dramatic film, but also the first film he directed that he didn't appear in. Although the film confused and possibly enraged some fans, it holds up today as, in my opinion, one of his most strikingly daring films.

It's obvious to anyone watching "Interiors" that this is an homage to Allen's favorite director, the great Ingmar Bergman. The quiet, the seriousness, the dysfunction -- it's "Cries and Whispers" for the Manhattan intelligentsia. While the film obviously pays tribute to Bergman, it's no mere copy. It has a life and style of its own, mainly due to the performances.

The film deals with a wealthy, successful man (E.G. Marshall) who decides to separate from his unstable wife (Geraldine Page). The wife is thrown into depression and suicide attempts. Her three daughters are there to help, but can only do so much. Diane Keaton plays the stable, earthy Renata. Her husband is a failed writer and an alcoholic (played by Richard Jordan). Joey (Mary Beth Hurt) is the neurotic, stuffy, moody one who can't seem to find happiness in any profession she attempts. Her husband is played by Sam Waterston, and he's probably the one normal person in the whole film. The third daughter, Flynn, is played by Kristin Griffith as a TV-movie actress whose films are always panned by her family, both in and out of her presence. Maureen Stapleton plays the role of Pearl, the feisty woman Marshall begins dating soon after his separation. His children are surprised that he wants to remarry so soon, and Joey shows open contempt for his choice of a new wife.

This is not "Bananas," "Sleeper," or even "Annie Hall." This is Woody Allen showing the dark recesses of family dysfunction. Geraldine Page is simply outstanding as the mentally unstable middle-aged woman. The scene where she "prepares" for her first suicide attempt is extremely dark and sad. Her final "beach" scene is beautifully shot. The rest of the cast does a great job, but she is head and shoulders above the rest.

It's interesting to see Allen stretch out with this style of filmmaking, and I think it works very well. He has obviously studied Bergman's works carefully. This is no mere copy, it's a beautiful homage.

The picture quality is good but not excellent for a DVD transfer. And as with all of Allen's discs, there's really not much in the area of extras -- just a trailer. But this is definitely a film to check out.

Woody Allen probably knew that Interiors would be panned by his most loyal fans, his most ardent critics (Pauline Kael), and even the always honorable motion picture industry. How he managed to ignore what might have been insurmountable difficulties for another is a feat of no small measure; how he managed to craft this dramatic gem is "an impossibility commensurate with two like snowflakes" (from Woody's Getting Even). Mary Beth Hurt shines as Joey, a passionate but ambivalent actress-photographer-copywriter, who cannot transcend her pressing responsibility as daughter to a delusional and depressed woman, Eve (Geraldine Page). She has two sisters (a theme to be further explored in Allen's later Hannah and her Sisters), one of whom is fairly irrelevant and indifferent to her life (the only underdeveloped character in the film), the TV actress Flynn. The other sister Renata (Diane Keaton) is a highly successful poet who has distanced herself from Joey while she deals with complex emotional issues stemming from an abusive, alcoholic husband (Richard Jordan) and her own artistic "paralysis." Woody weaves the stories together with dignity and grace, and Gordon Willis' superlative cinematography pays homage to Bergman's Sven Nyqvist (the beachwalking scene could be Persona in color) while infusing his own creative vision into each shot. Woody's comic flair is nonpareil, and his unique cinematic concept is timeless and powerful. With Interiors, Woody indelibly makes his mark as one of the finest dramatists of the 20th century as well.

Revisiting INTERIORS written and directed by Woody Allen in 1978 it becomes apparent that this is one of the most important American films made. In this time of video art and digital manipulation of images, both in real time and in fixed entities, INTERIORS exemplifies the finest in what film can achieve. Without manipulation of scenery, without (gratefully) a senses-asaulting musical score, without GIMMICKRY - here is a film of brilliant writing, stunningly and beautifully subtle sets and costumes, and acting of the first degree. The angst so present in our society's family relationships is gently observed and explored and the results are a paean of understated simplicity and pain. It is difficult to single out any of the outstanding cast as 'best' and that is yet another proof of ensemble acting and directing at a zenith. Yes, it is unimaginable to leave behind the characters created by Geraldine Page, H.G. Marshall, Diane Keaton, and Maureen Stapleton, but again this is an indicator of how well and cohesive the experience provided by this movie is.

I have never been a Woody Allen fan: I find his comedies overwrought, self-absorbed, and frustratingly tedious. Seeing INTERIORS on a DVD, in the quiet of home, has altered my respect for this man. A dazzingly brilliant, thoughtful, elegy of a film.

THE STORY: Nothing new: A ruthless, cold-hearted businessman named Jack Campbell (Nicolas Cage) gets a glimps how his life would have been if wouldn't have left his girlfriend Kate Reynolds (Tea Leoni) 13 years ago to start a career. So one morning he finds himself as a family man and.. well.. he begins to like it. Off course he is torn out of that illusion and realisez it would be great to see Kate again and live this life for real.

CAST: Nicolas Cage is perfect. He manages to carry the movie and keep the ballance between comedy and tragedy. We all know he's got the sadest eyes in Hollywood but he can also be extremely funny. Tea Leoni plays a likeable Kate Reynolds. She is the perfect wife for Nicolas Cage. There's a lot of chemistry between the two of them and you don't wanna be Jack Campbell if Katie is getting angry. Don Cheadle, who was brilliant in Traffic is reduced to a chliched African American who goves Jack the glimps of the what if world.

WRITING/DIRECTING: This could have been such a sappy romantic movie but it actualy touched me on several levels and warmed my heart. The combination of comedy (which sometimes is a bit too over the top) and Drama works pretty well and you begin to ask those famous questions to yourself. What if, what if.. Brett Rattner.. well, I couldn't believe that after two mediocre buddy movies (Rush Hour and Money talks) he'd be able to direct a serious movie. He did a great job. My favourite shot is when Cage walks his dog. Also the images have a warm feeling to them which adds to the story.

THE DVD:Making of, Deleted scenes, hillarious outtakes, director/producer/writer commentaries. All you could ask for. But what makes this DVD an absolute winner is the isolated music score with commentary by Danny Elfman, who I would hire if I would ever do a Christmas movie...

ALL IN ALL: I guess this movie is a little bit corny but that kind of corny that touches you and feels real. Great performances and an interesting story. The only problem are some bad jokes.. but that's all. See it at Christmas time with your loved ones..

If, like me, you find most Hollywood "love" stories about as warm and romantic as a cold sleepless night in Seattle, then you're in for a surprise. Not since Casablanca have I enjoyed a love story as much, and though they both end at the airport, the similarity ends there. This one is about marriage, family, and the connections and sacrifices that make marriage, parenthood and yes, love, worthwhile.

Nicolas Cage plays a harried but driven Wall Street executive playboy who wakes one day to find himself trapped in a life he never wanted, married to the woman he abandoned years ago. It's a living nightmare at first, but the harder he tries to escape it, the more he begins to see that there are values and rewards that he somehow missed in his previous executive penthouse lifestyle. By the end of the movie, he's learned a lesson he will never forget.

An unexplainable fantasy in the tradition of "Groundhog Day", you soon find yourself accepting the unexplainable, even as the protagonist himself realizes there is no easy escape from his new reality, and learns to work within it's framework. After all, life throws all of us some unexpected "curves", and like the protagonist in this modern day Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Suburban Bowling League, we can become better people by accepting and embracing the crazy things life puts us through in the name of love. Chalk one up for old-fashioned family values in a feel-good movie with a message, served up without the sappy cliches.

Put the kids to bed early (The Family Man deals with some adult issues, and much as I enjoyed it, it would need a little editing before I would consider it a family film!), and just the two of you watch this one together with a bowl of popcorn and a glass of wine - you'll be glad you did!

"The Family Man" is a Hollywood fantasy that has been done in variation many times in the past. What makes this one so different, in my opinion, is that it speaks to husbands today about what we so easily forget. Wealth, influence, power, sex, adultery, etc.... all the things men fantasize for, are shown for what they really are when slapped in the face by an eye opening "reality". It moved me as a man of 40 to consider how empty all those items of lust really are compared to a faithful wife, the hugs of a child, and the security only found in true friendship with another man. We so easily look past the reality because it seems so ho-hum compared to the fantasies we are bombarded with every day.
In this movie, we see all sides of this from the perspective of Jack Campbell. From Forbes 400 member to bowling league Jersey family man, he experiences two lives. When he realizes how shallow his life has been, he is desperate to keep the ho-hum we all take for granted.
I think women would love this because it is an intensely romantic movie, in the truest sense of the term. I think it would be wise for wives to have their husband watch it with them. After the movie, there will be a lot of opportunity to talk over tough subjects the film raises. It's a movie that can open wounds, but also provides a warm means to healing. It will make a man think, I know. It worked for me, and my wife is glad for it!

THE STORY: Nothing new: A ruthless, cold-hearted businessman named Jack Campbell (Nicolas Cage) gets a glimps how his life would have been if wouldn't have left his girlfriend Kate Reynolds (Tea Leoni) 13 years ago to start a career. So one morning he finds himself as a family man and.. well.. he begins to like it. Off course he is torn out of that illusion and realisez it would be great to see Kate again and live this life for real.

CAST: Nicolas Cage is perfect. He manages to carry the movie and keep the ballance between comedy and tragedy. We all know he's got the sadest eyes in Hollywood but he can also be extremely funny. Tea Leoni plays a likeable Kate Reynolds. She is the perfect wife for Nicolas Cage. There's a lot of chemistry between the two of them and you don't wanna be Jack Campbell if Katie is getting angry. Don Cheadle, who was brilliant in Traffic is reduced to a chliched African American who goves Jack the glimps of the what if world.

WRITING/DIRECTING: This could have been such a sappy romantic movie but it actualy touched me on several levels and warmed my heart. The combination of comedy (which sometimes is a bit too over the top) and Drama works pretty well and you begin to ask those famous questions to yourself. What if, what if.. Brett Rattner.. well, I couldn't believe that after two mediocre buddy movies (Rush Hour and Money talks) he'd be able to direct a serious movie. He did a great job. My favourite shot is when Cage walks his dog. Also the images have a warm feeling to them which adds to the story.

THE DVD:Making of, Deleted scenes, hillarious outtakes, director/producer/writer commentaries. All you could ask for. But what makes this DVD an absolute winner is the isolated music score with commentary by Danny Elfman, who I would hire if I would ever do a Christmas movie...

ALL IN ALL: I guess this movie is a little bit corny but that kind of corny that touches you and feels real. Great performances and an interesting story. The only problem are some bad jokes.. but that's all. See it at Christmas time with your loved ones..

If, like me, you find most Hollywood "love" stories about as warm and romantic as a cold sleepless night in Seattle, then you're in for a surprise. Not since Casablanca have I enjoyed a love story as much, and though they both end at the airport, the similarity ends there. This one is about marriage, family, and the connections and sacrifices that make marriage, parenthood and yes, love, worthwhile.

Nicolas Cage plays a harried but driven Wall Street executive playboy who wakes one day to find himself trapped in a life he never wanted, married to the woman he abandoned years ago. It's a living nightmare at first, but the harder he tries to escape it, the more he begins to see that there are values and rewards that he somehow missed in his previous executive penthouse lifestyle. By the end of the movie, he's learned a lesson he will never forget.

An unexplainable fantasy in the tradition of "Groundhog Day", you soon find yourself accepting the unexplainable, even as the protagonist himself realizes there is no easy escape from his new reality, and learns to work within it's framework. After all, life throws all of us some unexpected "curves", and like the protagonist in this modern day Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Suburban Bowling League, we can become better people by accepting and embracing the crazy things life puts us through in the name of love. Chalk one up for old-fashioned family values in a feel-good movie with a message, served up without the sappy cliches.

Put the kids to bed early (The Family Man deals with some adult issues, and much as I enjoyed it, it would need a little editing before I would consider it a family film!), and just the two of you watch this one together with a bowl of popcorn and a glass of wine - you'll be glad you did!

"The Family Man" is a Hollywood fantasy that has been done in variation many times in the past. What makes this one so different, in my opinion, is that it speaks to husbands today about what we so easily forget. Wealth, influence, power, sex, adultery, etc.... all the things men fantasize for, are shown for what they really are when slapped in the face by an eye opening "reality". It moved me as a man of 40 to consider how empty all those items of lust really are compared to a faithful wife, the hugs of a child, and the security only found in true friendship with another man. We so easily look past the reality because it seems so ho-hum compared to the fantasies we are bombarded with every day.
In this movie, we see all sides of this from the perspective of Jack Campbell. From Forbes 400 member to bowling league Jersey family man, he experiences two lives. When he realizes how shallow his life has been, he is desperate to keep the ho-hum we all take for granted.
I think women would love this because it is an intensely romantic movie, in the truest sense of the term. I think it would be wise for wives to have their husband watch it with them. After the movie, there will be a lot of opportunity to talk over tough subjects the film raises. It's a movie that can open wounds, but also provides a warm means to healing. It will make a man think, I know. It worked for me, and my wife is glad for it!

THE STORY: Nothing new: A ruthless, cold-hearted businessman named Jack Campbell (Nicolas Cage) gets a glimps how his life would have been if wouldn't have left his girlfriend Kate Reynolds (Tea Leoni) 13 years ago to start a career. So one morning he finds himself as a family man and.. well.. he begins to like it. Off course he is torn out of that illusion and realisez it would be great to see Kate again and live this life for real.

CAST: Nicolas Cage is perfect. He manages to carry the movie and keep the ballance between comedy and tragedy. We all know he's got the sadest eyes in Hollywood but he can also be extremely funny. Tea Leoni plays a likeable Kate Reynolds. She is the perfect wife for Nicolas Cage. There's a lot of chemistry between the two of them and you don't wanna be Jack Campbell if Katie is getting angry. Don Cheadle, who was brilliant in Traffic is reduced to a chliched African American who goves Jack the glimps of the what if world.

WRITING/DIRECTING: This could have been such a sappy romantic movie but it actualy touched me on several levels and warmed my heart. The combination of comedy (which sometimes is a bit too over the top) and Drama works pretty well and you begin to ask those famous questions to yourself. What if, what if.. Brett Rattner.. well, I couldn't believe that after two mediocre buddy movies (Rush Hour and Money talks) he'd be able to direct a serious movie. He did a great job. My favourite shot is when Cage walks his dog. Also the images have a warm feeling to them which adds to the story.

THE DVD:Making of, Deleted scenes, hillarious outtakes, director/producer/writer commentaries. All you could ask for. But what makes this DVD an absolute winner is the isolated music score with commentary by Danny Elfman, who I would hire if I would ever do a Christmas movie...

ALL IN ALL: I guess this movie is a little bit corny but that kind of corny that touches you and feels real. Great performances and an interesting story. The only problem are some bad jokes.. but that's all. See it at Christmas time with your loved ones..

If, like me, you find most Hollywood "love" stories about as warm and romantic as a cold sleepless night in Seattle, then you're in for a surprise. Not since Casablanca have I enjoyed a love story as much, and though they both end at the airport, the similarity ends there. This one is about marriage, family, and the connections and sacrifices that make marriage, parenthood and yes, love, worthwhile.

Nicolas Cage plays a harried but driven Wall Street executive playboy who wakes one day to find himself trapped in a life he never wanted, married to the woman he abandoned years ago. It's a living nightmare at first, but the harder he tries to escape it, the more he begins to see that there are values and rewards that he somehow missed in his previous executive penthouse lifestyle. By the end of the movie, he's learned a lesson he will never forget.

An unexplainable fantasy in the tradition of "Groundhog Day", you soon find yourself accepting the unexplainable, even as the protagonist himself realizes there is no easy escape from his new reality, and learns to work within it's framework. After all, life throws all of us some unexpected "curves", and like the protagonist in this modern day Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Suburban Bowling League, we can become better people by accepting and embracing the crazy things life puts us through in the name of love. Chalk one up for old-fashioned family values in a feel-good movie with a message, served up without the sappy cliches.

Put the kids to bed early (The Family Man deals with some adult issues, and much as I enjoyed it, it would need a little editing before I would consider it a family film!), and just the two of you watch this one together with a bowl of popcorn and a glass of wine - you'll be glad you did!

"The Family Man" is a Hollywood fantasy that has been done in variation many times in the past. What makes this one so different, in my opinion, is that it speaks to husbands today about what we so easily forget. Wealth, influence, power, sex, adultery, etc.... all the things men fantasize for, are shown for what they really are when slapped in the face by an eye opening "reality". It moved me as a man of 40 to consider how empty all those items of lust really are compared to a faithful wife, the hugs of a child, and the security only found in true friendship with another man. We so easily look past the reality because it seems so ho-hum compared to the fantasies we are bombarded with every day.
In this movie, we see all sides of this from the perspective of Jack Campbell. From Forbes 400 member to bowling league Jersey family man, he experiences two lives. When he realizes how shallow his life has been, he is desperate to keep the ho-hum we all take for granted.
I think women would love this because it is an intensely romantic movie, in the truest sense of the term. I think it would be wise for wives to have their husband watch it with them. After the movie, there will be a lot of opportunity to talk over tough subjects the film raises. It's a movie that can open wounds, but also provides a warm means to healing. It will make a man think, I know. It worked for me, and my wife is glad for it!

THE STORY: Nothing new: A ruthless, cold-hearted businessman named Jack Campbell (Nicolas Cage) gets a glimps how his life would have been if wouldn't have left his girlfriend Kate Reynolds (Tea Leoni) 13 years ago to start a career. So one morning he finds himself as a family man and.. well.. he begins to like it. Off course he is torn out of that illusion and realisez it would be great to see Kate again and live this life for real.

CAST: Nicolas Cage is perfect. He manages to carry the movie and keep the ballance between comedy and tragedy. We all know he's got the sadest eyes in Hollywood but he can also be extremely funny. Tea Leoni plays a likeable Kate Reynolds. She is the perfect wife for Nicolas Cage. There's a lot of chemistry between the two of them and you don't wanna be Jack Campbell if Katie is getting angry. Don Cheadle, who was brilliant in Traffic is reduced to a chliched African American who goves Jack the glimps of the what if world.

WRITING/DIRECTING: This could have been such a sappy romantic movie but it actualy touched me on several levels and warmed my heart. The combination of comedy (which sometimes is a bit too over the top) and Drama works pretty well and you begin to ask those famous questions to yourself. What if, what if.. Brett Rattner.. well, I couldn't believe that after two mediocre buddy movies (Rush Hour and Money talks) he'd be able to direct a serious movie. He did a great job. My favourite shot is when Cage walks his dog. Also the images have a warm feeling to them which adds to the story.

THE DVD:Making of, Deleted scenes, hillarious outtakes, director/producer/writer commentaries. All you could ask for. But what makes this DVD an absolute winner is the isolated music score with commentary by Danny Elfman, who I would hire if I would ever do a Christmas movie...

ALL IN ALL: I guess this movie is a little bit corny but that kind of corny that touches you and feels real. Great performances and an interesting story. The only problem are some bad jokes.. but that's all. See it at Christmas time with your loved ones..

If, like me, you find most Hollywood "love" stories about as warm and romantic as a cold sleepless night in Seattle, then you're in for a surprise. Not since Casablanca have I enjoyed a love story as much, and though they both end at the airport, the similarity ends there. This one is about marriage, family, and the connections and sacrifices that make marriage, parenthood and yes, love, worthwhile.

Nicolas Cage plays a harried but driven Wall Street executive playboy who wakes one day to find himself trapped in a life he never wanted, married to the woman he abandoned years ago. It's a living nightmare at first, but the harder he tries to escape it, the more he begins to see that there are values and rewards that he somehow missed in his previous executive penthouse lifestyle. By the end of the movie, he's learned a lesson he will never forget.

An unexplainable fantasy in the tradition of "Groundhog Day", you soon find yourself accepting the unexplainable, even as the protagonist himself realizes there is no easy escape from his new reality, and learns to work within it's framework. After all, life throws all of us some unexpected "curves", and like the protagonist in this modern day Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Suburban Bowling League, we can become better people by accepting and embracing the crazy things life puts us through in the name of love. Chalk one up for old-fashioned family values in a feel-good movie with a message, served up without the sappy cliches.

Put the kids to bed early (The Family Man deals with some adult issues, and much as I enjoyed it, it would need a little editing before I would consider it a family film!), and just the two of you watch this one together with a bowl of popcorn and a glass of wine - you'll be glad you did!

"The Family Man" is a Hollywood fantasy that has been done in variation many times in the past. What makes this one so different, in my opinion, is that it speaks to husbands today about what we so easily forget. Wealth, influence, power, sex, adultery, etc.... all the things men fantasize for, are shown for what they really are when slapped in the face by an eye opening "reality". It moved me as a man of 40 to consider how empty all those items of lust really are compared to a faithful wife, the hugs of a child, and the security only found in true friendship with another man. We so easily look past the reality because it seems so ho-hum compared to the fantasies we are bombarded with every day.
In this movie, we see all sides of this from the perspective of Jack Campbell. From Forbes 400 member to bowling league Jersey family man, he experiences two lives. When he realizes how shallow his life has been, he is desperate to keep the ho-hum we all take for granted.
I think women would love this because it is an intensely romantic movie, in the truest sense of the term. I think it would be wise for wives to have their husband watch it with them. After the movie, there will be a lot of opportunity to talk over tough subjects the film raises. It's a movie that can open wounds, but also provides a warm means to healing. It will make a man think, I know. It worked for me, and my wife is glad for it!

I actually saw this movie when it was released in 1993, and honestly it was pretty dull then. Of course I was 22, and the workings of that late-1800's New York society really didn't make much sense or have much relevance.

I think the film may have been ignored at its release because of the slew of other "period pieces" which were so popular (an eventually common) in the late 80's/early 90's... But watching it again 10 years later, this film is anything but common.

The true intensity is Scorcese's detached presentation of a hypocritical & hateful society which holds its members as prisoners.

Not to mention impeccable art direction & beautiful cinematography by the legendary Michael Ballhaus. The film looks as impressionistic as the paintings that line the walls of the characters' homes.

Scorsese is always acute in his casting decisions, and this is one of the films many virtues:

Lewis is perfect as a man who's struggle between his passion & his duty are constantly on the verge of devouring him (yet somehow he thrives on his torture).

Ryder is the seemingly innocent & naive girl who is completely manipulative & cunning underneath her exterior (gee, who would have thought?!) -- notice the arching scene.

In a sense, this was one of Pfeiffer's defining roles. Pfeiffer herself (in a sense) is an "outcast" who has never truly been accepted as a "serious" actress by her peers in the acting community. Watching this film again, it amazes me how this role somehow reflects her personal position in the current social structure of Hollywood, similar to her character existing in 1800's New York society.

Wow...

What an amazing pic. I completely "missed it" the first time around. Great observance of "high society." Many of those codes are strangely applicable today.

Not recommended for those who like fast paced movies, or those who are looking for the "usual Scorcese." I would couple this with "Last Temptation of Christ" as Scorsese's most brave, artistic, demanding & abstract films to date.

Martin Scorsese was an unlikely choice indeed to direct this piece, but what a wonderful job he did! It is a visual masterpiece and very, very true to its time (1870s upper New York).

I still have yet to see the entire movie all in one sitting, but I've seen it in pieces several times. The opera and formal dinner parties and drawing room tensions are all beautifully filmed, as well as scripted. I've yet to find the time to read Edith Wharton's novel but the film seems true enough.

A young man, Newland Archer (an exquisite Daniel-Day Lewis) is engaged to a seemingly naive and truly sweet-tempered woman (Winona Ryder). He is distracted by her lovely cousin, Countess Ellen Olenska (Michelle Pfeiffer). It seems Newland has been in love with Ellen all along, but held his tongue as she went off to Europe to marry a rich count of Poland. Now she's back in New York, quietly though assertively calling for a divorce.

She is the bane of society, though everyone is too polite to come out and say it. Newland pursues a dialogue with Ellen and wants more from her, but Ellen knows what's best for her admirer. She finally tells him once and for all that she won't have him. This is of course after he's married May.

May's manipulative qualities don't really surface til the end of the movie, but they are there. The last thirty or so minutes detail Newland's married life. We watch his children grow and marry the children of his collegues. The last character to be introduced is Ted (Robert Sean Leonard), whose role was too small for me (I'm a big fan of RSL).

However, besides the beautiful cinematography, the best thing to explore is polite New York society and how vicious it truly is. 'The Age of Innocence' is one of my favorite movies because of its truth, its dialogue, and its color.

Martin Scorsese's adaptation of Edith Wharton's exquisite tragedy of manners "The Age of Innocence" is a lush, meticulously staged, heartbreakingly gorgeous but hideously painful experience to watch: it is a tale of two young people, lured away from societal restraint and social decency by Passion, ensaring themselves in a Death Trap, one that will claim their lives, reputations, and souls.

Watching "The Age of Innocence" is like watching some glorious rare bird, entrapped in a gilded, gem-studded cage, fight its way to freedom---even though the bars of the cage bristle with diamond shards and daggers. We know the bird is doomed; we know the wages of Passion is Death. We watch anyway, transfixed.

Published in the 1920's, Edith Wharton's "Age of Innocence" was a scrupulous study of a society that had already been obliterated by a rapidly changing, far less 'innocent' continental Republic. In the novel and the movie, we are ensconced in unspoken yet binding social contrivances of New York of the 1870's, and quickly introduced to a bizarre menage a trois of striking characters: Newland Archer (played to the nuanced, agonized hilt by Daniel Day Lewis), a young and bold attorney, comfortably settled in New York society yet not a leading light; May Welland (played all sweetness and light---and cunning---by an effective Winona Ryder), born into a solid family, a blithe spirit projecting innocence, and Newland's fiancee; and the Countess Ellen Olenska (played by Michelle Pfeifer, in a role tailor-made for her), May's cousin, a New Yorker ensnared in a marriage of convenience to a disreputable European count of dissolute habits and degenerate nature.

Archer, initially suspicious and disapproving of the unconvential and slightly disreputable Countess Olenska, succumbs quickly to her charms and is smitten; passion unfolds; disaster, precictably, follows.

This intricately crafted, meticulously guilded Age of Innocence is made innocent, of course, by its merciless social strictures, its severe, sere social codes. Scorsese introduces us to this beautiful, fragile, wickedly punishing bell jar of social mores and etiquette, delves deep into its evanescent detail, its galleries of paintings and tapestries, its sitting rooms of studied gentlemen cutting and lighthing their cigars, its panoply of dinner plates and intricately crafted repasts.

"The Age of Innocence" follows the excruciatingly painful, totally surreptious battle waged between Olenska and her would-be lover Newland Archer versus Decent Society. Scorsese has a deft, steady hand here: the visions of 1870's New York high society are so clear, so rich, so lush, so vibrant that they bring tears to your eyes; kudos should go to Scorcese's faithful German cinematographer Michael Ballhaus ("Goodfellas", "Gangs of New York"), who also produced the riveting lushness of Coppola's "Bram Stoker's Dracula"---small wonder "Age of Innocence" resembles 'Dracula' in atmosphere, richness, and ambience.

But whereas Coppola's bloodsuckers drank the blood of their unwitting prey, Scorsese's vampires feast on the reputation and integrity of their fallen victims. This is a meticulously balanced society in which social regard and worth is measured in thank-you notes and milliseconds; it is an artificial construct, perfectly presented by Scorsese, which is as unbearably, unworkably fragile as it is judgmental.

The acting here is uniformly solid: Daniel Day-Lewis is note-perfect as the conflicted Archer, Pfeifer woefully diplomatic as the frustrated Olenska, Ryder confident in her role as a latter-day Machiavelli on the Hudson, all smiles and naive charm. Backing up the leads is a veritable host of veteran actors, including Richard Grant as the sneering Larry Lefferts, Miriam Margolyes as a shrewd but effusive Mrs. Mingott, the impeccable Stuart Wilson as the mustachio-twirling "villain" Julius Beaufort (an engine of destruction for this 'age of innocence'), and a besieged Mary Beth Hurt as Beaufort's long-suffering wife.

As painful as first love, as acute as the death of a beloved friend, "The Age of Innocence" is a breathtaking, living, breathing work of art. But the casual viewer, unarmed for its force, should beware: here be Dragons.

I actually saw this movie when it was released in 1993, and honestly it was pretty dull then. Of course I was 22, and the workings of that late-1800's New York society really didn't make much sense or have much relevance.

I think the film may have been ignored at its release because of the slew of other "period pieces" which were so popular (an eventually common) in the late 80's/early 90's... But watching it again 10 years later, this film is anything but common.

The true intensity is Scorcese's detached presentation of a hypocritical & hateful society which holds its members as prisoners.

Not to mention impeccable art direction & beautiful cinematography by the legendary Michael Ballhaus. The film looks as impressionistic as the paintings that line the walls of the characters' homes.

Scorsese is always acute in his casting decisions, and this is one of the films many virtues:

Lewis is perfect as a man who's struggle between his passion & his duty are constantly on the verge of devouring him (yet somehow he thrives on his torture).

Ryder is the seemingly innocent & naive girl who is completely manipulative & cunning underneath her exterior (gee, who would have thought?!) -- notice the arching scene.

In a sense, this was one of Pfeiffer's defining roles. Pfeiffer herself (in a sense) is an "outcast" who has never truly been accepted as a "serious" actress by her peers in the acting community. Watching this film again, it amazes me how this role somehow reflects her personal position in the current social structure of Hollywood, similar to her character existing in 1800's New York society.

Wow...

What an amazing pic. I completely "missed it" the first time around. Great observance of "high society." Many of those codes are strangely applicable today.

Not recommended for those who like fast paced movies, or those who are looking for the "usual Scorcese." I would couple this with "Last Temptation of Christ" as Scorsese's most brave, artistic, demanding & abstract films to date.

Martin Scorsese was an unlikely choice indeed to direct this piece, but what a wonderful job he did! It is a visual masterpiece and very, very true to its time (1870s upper New York).

I still have yet to see the entire movie all in one sitting, but I've seen it in pieces several times. The opera and formal dinner parties and drawing room tensions are all beautifully filmed, as well as scripted. I've yet to find the time to read Edith Wharton's novel but the film seems true enough.

A young man, Newland Archer (an exquisite Daniel-Day Lewis) is engaged to a seemingly naive and truly sweet-tempered woman (Winona Ryder). He is distracted by her lovely cousin, Countess Ellen Olenska (Michelle Pfeiffer). It seems Newland has been in love with Ellen all along, but held his tongue as she went off to Europe to marry a rich count of Poland. Now she's back in New York, quietly though assertively calling for a divorce.

She is the bane of society, though everyone is too polite to come out and say it. Newland pursues a dialogue with Ellen and wants more from her, but Ellen knows what's best for her admirer. She finally tells him once and for all that she won't have him. This is of course after he's married May.

May's manipulative qualities don't really surface til the end of the movie, but they are there. The last thirty or so minutes detail Newland's married life. We watch his children grow and marry the children of his collegues. The last character to be introduced is Ted (Robert Sean Leonard), whose role was too small for me (I'm a big fan of RSL).

However, besides the beautiful cinematography, the best thing to explore is polite New York society and how vicious it truly is. 'The Age of Innocence' is one of my favorite movies because of its truth, its dialogue, and its color.

Martin Scorsese's adaptation of Edith Wharton's exquisite tragedy of manners "The Age of Innocence" is a lush, meticulously staged, heartbreakingly gorgeous but hideously painful experience to watch: it is a tale of two young people, lured away from societal restraint and social decency by Passion, ensaring themselves in a Death Trap, one that will claim their lives, reputations, and souls.

Watching "The Age of Innocence" is like watching some glorious rare bird, entrapped in a gilded, gem-studded cage, fight its way to freedom---even though the bars of the cage bristle with diamond shards and daggers. We know the bird is doomed; we know the wages of Passion is Death. We watch anyway, transfixed.

Published in the 1920's, Edith Wharton's "Age of Innocence" was a scrupulous study of a society that had already been obliterated by a rapidly changing, far less 'innocent' continental Republic. In the novel and the movie, we are ensconced in unspoken yet binding social contrivances of New York of the 1870's, and quickly introduced to a bizarre menage a trois of striking characters: Newland Archer (played to the nuanced, agonized hilt by Daniel Day Lewis), a young and bold attorney, comfortably settled in New York society yet not a leading light; May Welland (played all sweetness and light---and cunning---by an effective Winona Ryder), born into a solid family, a blithe spirit projecting innocence, and Newland's fiancee; and the Countess Ellen Olenska (played by Michelle Pfeifer, in a role tailor-made for her), May's cousin, a New Yorker ensnared in a marriage of convenience to a disreputable European count of dissolute habits and degenerate nature.

Archer, initially suspicious and disapproving of the unconvential and slightly disreputable Countess Olenska, succumbs quickly to her charms and is smitten; passion unfolds; disaster, precictably, follows.

This intricately crafted, meticulously guilded Age of Innocence is made innocent, of course, by its merciless social strictures, its severe, sere social codes. Scorsese introduces us to this beautiful, fragile, wickedly punishing bell jar of social mores and etiquette, delves deep into its evanescent detail, its galleries of paintings and tapestries, its sitting rooms of studied gentlemen cutting and lighthing their cigars, its panoply of dinner plates and intricately crafted repasts.

"The Age of Innocence" follows the excruciatingly painful, totally surreptious battle waged between Olenska and her would-be lover Newland Archer versus Decent Society. Scorsese has a deft, steady hand here: the visions of 1870's New York high society are so clear, so rich, so lush, so vibrant that they bring tears to your eyes; kudos should go to Scorcese's faithful German cinematographer Michael Ballhaus ("Goodfellas", "Gangs of New York"), who also produced the riveting lushness of Coppola's "Bram Stoker's Dracula"---small wonder "Age of Innocence" resembles 'Dracula' in atmosphere, richness, and ambience.

But whereas Coppola's bloodsuckers drank the blood of their unwitting prey, Scorsese's vampires feast on the reputation and integrity of their fallen victims. This is a meticulously balanced society in which social regard and worth is measured in thank-you notes and milliseconds; it is an artificial construct, perfectly presented by Scorsese, which is as unbearably, unworkably fragile as it is judgmental.

The acting here is uniformly solid: Daniel Day-Lewis is note-perfect as the conflicted Archer, Pfeifer woefully diplomatic as the frustrated Olenska, Ryder confident in her role as a latter-day Machiavelli on the Hudson, all smiles and naive charm. Backing up the leads is a veritable host of veteran actors, including Richard Grant as the sneering Larry Lefferts, Miriam Margolyes as a shrewd but effusive Mrs. Mingott, the impeccable Stuart Wilson as the mustachio-twirling "villain" Julius Beaufort (an engine of destruction for this 'age of innocence'), and a besieged Mary Beth Hurt as Beaufort's long-suffering wife.

As painful as first love, as acute as the death of a beloved friend, "The Age of Innocence" is a breathtaking, living, breathing work of art. But the casual viewer, unarmed for its force, should beware: here be Dragons.