'BOWL' ORNAMENTAL BUT EMPTY OF LIFE.Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Critic Lately, whenever somebody makes a period costume drama, the filmmakers typically go out of their way to assure everybody that it will steer clear of ``Merchant Ivory'' territory. Translation: It won't be dull. So where does that leave director James Ivory James Ivory may refer to:
Merchant and Ivory clearly love telling stories about the repressed re·pressed adj. Being subjected to or characterized by repression. emotions of the idle rich. Of course, their enthusiasm for the subject doesn't exactly translate to much in the way of passion on the screen, simply because their subjects are too busy keeping a stiff upper lip stiff upper lip n. An attitude of determined endurance or restraint in the face of adversity. Noun 1. stiff upper lip . About the only exuberance you'll ever find in a Merchant Ivory movie comes from the rich visualizations of stately mansions and frilly frill n. 1. A ruffled, gathered, or pleated border or projection, such as a fabric edge used to trim clothing or a curled paper strip for decorating the end of the bone of a piece of meat. 2. clothes. This isn't a dismissal of Merchant Ivory. Certainly ``The Remains of the Day,'' ``A Room With a View'' and ``Howards End'' possessed considerable merit. But ``The Golden Bowl'' finds the filmmaking team plodding through familiar ground with little of the insight into character needed for their subjects to fully come alive. Fans who love their carefully composed shots and sophisticated storylines will likely be satisfied, but anyone looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. a little more understanding of the human condition will come away disappointed. Ivory, working with longtime screenwriting collaborator Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, has adapted Henry James for the screen before with 1979's ``The Europeans'' and ``The Bostonians'' in 1984. ``The Golden Bowl'' is a trickier bit of business. It's the most complex of James' novels, full of moral ambiguity, nuance and murky motives - a great book, but a dicey one to make into a movie. In the film's opening moments, we meet Italian aristocrat Prince Amerigo (Jeremy Northam Jeremy Philip Northam (born December 1, 1961) is an English actor. Northam was born in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, the son of Rachel, a potter and professor of economics, and John Northam, a professior of literature and theatre, as well as Ibsen specialist and teacher first , wildly miscast mis·cast tr.v. mis·cast, mis·cast·ing, mis·casts 1. To cast in an unsuitable role. 2. To cast (a role, play, or film) inappropriately. ) giving the kiss-off to his lover Charlotte (Uma Thurman). It's not that the prince doesn't love Charlotte. It's just that - you guessed it - she doesn't have any money, and since the prince doesn't either, they can't marry. (See last year's ``The House of Mirth'' and just about every other movie set among turn-of-the-20th-century aristocracy for parallel plot lines.) The prince marries Maggie (Kate Beckinsale), the naive daughter of a wealthy American art collector named Adam Verver (Nick Nolte). Father and daughter have an unusually close relationship, emotionally incestuous in·ces·tu·ous adj. 1. Of, involving, or suggestive of incest. 2. Having committed incest. . That leaves Amerigo twiddling his thumbs, playing second fiddle to his father-in-law. Conveniently, Maggie's old friend, Charlotte, comes back into the picture. Maggie doesn't know that her husband and Charlotte were once lovers. Charlotte, still pining for the prince, takes up with Verver. And since father and daughter spend so much time together, Charlotte and the prince have plenty of opportunities to be alone. Amerigo calls Verver and Maggie ``two children arranging dolls at a tea party, simple and good.'' What's fascinating about James' ``The Golden Bowl'' is that the Ververs aren't that simple; in fact, they may be the victimizers, not the victims, of the story. Nolte is the most effective member of the cast in playing with the shifting textures of his character. Unfortunately, Ivory and screenwriter Jhabvala are unable - or unwilling - to bring out the nuances of these complex relationships in any meaningful way. Their storytelling is facile and obvious, giving us a movie like the titular tit·u·lar adj. 1. Relating to, having the nature of, or constituting a title. 2. a. Existing in name only; nominal: the titular head of the family. b. object - beautiful to look at, but flawed and, ultimately, useless. ``THE GOLDEN BOWL'' (Rated R: strong sex scenes) The stars: Kate Beckinsale, Nick Nolte, Jeremy Northam, Uma Thurman. Behind the scenes: Directed by James Ivory. Produced by Ismail Merchant. Screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. Released by Lions Gate Films. Running time: Two hours, 10 minutes. Playing: Laemmle's Town Center 5 in Encino; Laemmle's Playhouse 7 in Pasadena; Laemmle's Monica in Santa Monica; Landmark's Cecchi Gori Gori (gô`rē), city (1989 pop. 68,924), central Georgia. It has food processing plants. Mentioned in the 7th cent. as Tontio, it was later named after a fortress. Gori passed to Russia in 1801. Stalin was born in the city. Fine Arts Theatre in Beverly Hills . Our rating: Two and one half stars CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Kate Beckinsale plays an ingenue in·gé·nue also in·ge·nue n. 1. A naive, innocent girl or young woman. 2. a. The role of an ingénue in a dramatic production. b. An actress playing such a role. who has an especially close relationship with her father in ``The Golden Bowl.'' |
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