Reviews

I won't tell anything more about the heartbreak, you could find that out easily enough by reading the book or watching the movie. What I want to comment on more are the stunning costumes, and beautiful set of this movie. Without a doubt, this is the most beautifully done victorian-costume movie. Ever. The colors are rich, the shapes and lines graceful, the styles perfectly suited to each character. And that is all within the oft abused boundaries of historical authenticity. 1850-60s New York could not have been better shown. Which brings me to my next point... any denizen or enthusiast of the great city will love the recreation of Washington Square, that lovely patch of green. I haven't even mentioned the story...let it be enough that it haunts me to this day.

Ok, maybe I missed something, but the movie seemed very odd to me. The actors and actresses were either lethargic or over-hyper, and seemed to lack sincerity. So after the first five minutes, I gave up trying to follow the plot and concentrated on the costuming instead, which was fabulous. Period movies (especially ones made pre-1990) tend to care less about authenticity, and more about what looks good to the modern eye. This one was a pleasant surprise. In fact, the clothes were so good that I even wonder if they didn't use originals. I want to know, where did they get those incredible fabrics?? The hair, which is where most movies trip up the worst, was quite good except on the blonde lady (who looked like she stepped out of a 1979 issue of Vogue). Less black eye makeup would have completed the stunning job. All in all, I would recomend this movie to anyone at all interested in the look and feel of 1850s new england life, as a superb example of authenticity.