Reviews & Ratings for
The Europeans More at IMDbPro »

18 out of 21 people found the following review useful:
Remick shines, 27 March 2005

Author: Shannon Reardon from St. John's, NL, Canada

I take issue with with Hal-900's assessment of Lee Remick's performance in this movie. I agree that she is physically perfect, but laughed and cringed at the same time at the statement that Remick was "unable to meet the demands of her complex role", whatever that means. She never gave a bad performance, elevated any movie she was ever in, and was the caliber of the other actresses mentioned, Jane Fonda and Faye Dunaway, if not better. She is utterly delightful in The Europeans and plays the sly baroness with panache. I have not seen many Merchant Ivory films and don't generally watch period pieces, but this one I did enjoy, mainly for Remick.

11 out of 13 people found the following review useful:
A Masterpiece with Lee Remick - pure and simple!, 10 December 2000

Author: Henryk von Babenberg from Hamburg, Germany

This film is a masterpiece as are all of the Merchant/Ivory's films. The absorbing story and adaptation, the fantastic actors - notably the immensely beautiful Lee Remick - and the eye for detail makes this a unique experience and may be watched again and again.

7 out of 7 people found the following review useful:
Use your open mind when watching "The Europeans"., 30 June 2007

Author: happipuppi13 from Phx. Arizona ("Arizona Smells Funny"!- Homer Simpson)

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

I got a look at this movie last night on DVD and it was a very good movie viewing experience. I had never heard of this film at all but I liked the front cover (it wasn't the one next to this review) and also noticed Lee Remick was in it. So I gave it a try.

First great thing I noticed was the beautiful fall colors all throughout this film,I really like that it was set in New England (New Hampshire to be exact). There's even a leaf covered outdoor stair-step that leads to a Gazebo which looks almost unreal. The Autumn look sets the tone of "change",that will take place during the course of the movie.

There's also the absolutely perfect attention to detail in making it look and feel like your visiting 1850's America via your TV. Although made in 1979 and having been in theaters,this movie doesn't look like it was made nearly 30 years ago and even seems like it should have been a Masterpiece Theatre film. It really looks that great!

The plot,as described,is Remick and other family cousin travel to America to see their U.S. relations. Also,because Remick's Baroness is being forced out of her marriage to royalty by the German Government.

Gertrude is the eldest daughter in the family but is considered odd for her independent behavior and non-conforming attitude,that her father has successfully instilled in the rest of his family. So successful is he,that upon first watching this movie you'll think,"Boy this family is boring!" "Boy is that father a drag!"

Which is exactly the point. The old fashioned strict values of that era are demonstrated in how staid & confining they were. Especially for women,who had to be virtual saints & objects of perfection and demure to the point of not having an identity all their own.

The European cousins,don't purposely set out to "shake up" this family but,their being there does so just the same. Gertrude falls for her distant male cousin,male character Acton falls for the Baroness and the father of this film even shows a bit of relenting.

It might surprise you to know that this film was a good box-office success here in 1979. Amazing possibly because there's really no cursing in this film,no violence and no one takes their clothes off.

Which is refreshing for a change,the acting is on a very even level and is quite engaging,once you understand the characters better and the story becomes more clear to you.

I also recommend the short-subject extra in this DVD. A film called,"Sweet Sounds",a 1976 film by the man who did the music for The Europeans. It's a cute and interesting film about 10 five year old kids learning about how music can relate to things. For me,it's revisiting a time when I was a kid.

10 out of 10 stars. No question. (END)

6 out of 6 people found the following review useful:
underrated film, 20 May 2010

Author: fugazzi49 from United States

While not on the level of Howard's End and other Merchant/Ivory film at their later peak,this film is where they truly took off in presenting period films.the look and details are excellent as has been commented on here.The cinematography is particularly wonderful in capturing a beautiful New England autumn,especially the sunlit buggy-ride with Robert Acton and the baroness.What is serendipitous is that the company wanted to film in May and June,when the book is set but filmed in Fall because that's when they got the money.The autumn here is practically a character in itself,and were the film set in a very green June,would look less like New England and might have been anywhere,and the constant reminder of the puritanical background of old New England would have been lost.

The casting is also very good.I take issue with some earlier views in thinking Lee Remick excellent as the Baroness.Faye Dunaway would have seemed too aristocratic,and Jane Fonda still a bit too young,at least in looks.Lee Remick is a bit too good looking to be the Baroness of the book who is a plain looking woman who carries herself as if she is a beauty. Wesley Addy is a perfect Patriarch and Felix was played with much youthful gusto by Tim Woodward,who also looked perfect for the part.

It is not always considered fair or useful to compare aspects of a literary adaptation And its source book but in this case it's so literal that it is valid to an extent.Two major differences do stand out and add to the overall film.

The role of Clifford,the young son is expanded and brought more forward in the film,especially his comic visits to the Baroness.Tim Choate did a wonderful job of creating his awkward,smiling,humorous young Yankee who in the novel seldom gives more than "a growl" to any question.

The addition of the big party scene at the Acton house(there is none in the book) was a wonderful inspiration.A period piece like this needs a scene to really show off how everyone would look at their best and the attention to detail of dance and music was obviously great.As the Baroness says,"They're quite exuberant"

The problem many people may have with the film is that the characters' motives and desires may seem a bit unclear,this despite almost all the dialog being taken directly from the novel.But this is not one of those later Henry James novels where three pages of exposition of thought and motive precedes each spoken sentence but rather a short and simple book which is faithfully recreated here on film.

The Baroness finds what she is looking for (money) but feels not enough passion from the man ("I am admired in Europe")and not enough to enjoy in the staid community ("She has grown tired of us").She leaves but most everyone else finds exactly what they were looking for.A fine film.

5 out of 9 people found the following review useful:
All clothes; no emperor, 10 July 2007

Author: skoch28879 from United States

I first saw this movie in a "Henry James on Film" class back in about 1994. I'd just read the novella of the same name and enjoyed it immensely. Not only was it remarkably beautiful and deeply moving but also, at moments, intentionally laugh out loud funny.

MIP, as is their way I later discovered, created a script that fails to recognize the difference between the written word and the spoken word/visual image. The camera work is beautiful, and all the superficial details seem so right (furnishings, clothes, surfaces in general), all of which I've found to be typical of MIP films. What a pity they didn't devote at least some of that time to other matters, such as understanding the characters involved. Lines are lifted directly from the novella, with little or no attempt to adapt them to the demands of the big (or small) screen.

As a result, all of the glorious subtlety of the original is lost, absolutely lost. James' characters are complex, yes, but also thoroughly real, human, and comprehensible, despite what some of his critics may claim. You wouldn't know that from any of the MIP adaptations of his works, specifically THE BOSTONIANS and THE GOLDEN BOWL. I've yet to see HULLABALOO OVER GEORGIE AND BONNIE'S PICTURES, which is, according to certain film critics, and suggested by what I've read about the film, an adaptation of James' "The Aspern Papers." Ivory has been asked about this, but has refused to answer one way or the other.

It doesn't help that MIP films have tended to be shot on such tight time/money budgets that it may be impossible to shoot all the scenes that were scripted, let alone to reshoot a scene when needed. As such, they rely heavily on editing the footage they have. Anyone who studies their films may well find that this approach leads to most unsatisfying results.

I've seen ten or more MIP films since this one, in an attempt to determine if this was an isolated misstep on their part, or the norm for them. I found the latter to be the case. Their films make me think of the children's fairy tale of the emperor who had no clothes. But, in the case of MIP fare, it's just the reverse: it's all clothes -- and no emperor!

0 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
'Europeans' First-Class Stinker *, 17 September 2011
Author: edwagreen from United States

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Woe is us! The writer of the book was the same author who gave us the great "Washington Square," which was turned into an Oscar-winning vehicle for Olivia De Havilland in 1949's "The Heiress."

What a misery Lee Remick, of all people, found herself in this 1979 film. It's set in the 1850s or, just like "Washington Square" with Massachusetts being the area depicted. The father, an erudite figure, disowned his sister for marrying a Catholic, and the film deals with the children that she had who visit their family from Europe.

The adult children meet the two sisters Charlotte and Gertrude. The latter is a woman ahead of her times. For some unexplained reason, the father wants her to marry the town pastor; he is so suited instead for the plain Charlotte. We needed 1 1/2 hours to be made to understand this? Their seems to be someone for everyone here, but the film ends and we really don't know if the Remick wound up with her cousin. To be honest, by that point, we really don't care.

4 out of 16 people found the following review useful:
Beautiful Costumes...otherwise odd, 10 April 2002

Author: (motozulli@aol.com) from New York

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.

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