The Bostonians (1984)

Director:

James Ivory

Writers:

Henry James (novel)
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (screenplay)

Release Date:

September 1984 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

A BEAUTIFUL FILM . . . An intimate and exquisite probe of the feminist heart. [Australia Theatrical]

Plot:

19th-century Boston woman dedicated to the suffrage movement, meets a faith healer's daughter, a Mississippi lawyer also has eyes for the young woman.

Plot Keywords:

Lesbian | Womens Lib | Independent Film | Based On Novel

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Christopher Reeve	...	Basil Ransome
Vanessa Redgrave	...	Olive Chancellor
Jessica Tandy	...	Miss Birdseye
Madeleine Potter	...	Verena Tarrant
Nancy Marchand	...	Mrs. Burrage
Wesley Addy	...	Dr. Tarrant
Barbara Bryne	...	Mrs. Tarrant
Linda Hunt	...	Dr. Prance
Charles McCaughan	...	Music Hall Policeman
Nancy New	...	Adeline
Jon Van Ness	...	Henry Burrage (as John Van Ness Philip)
Wallace Shawn	...	Mr. Pardon
Peter Bogyo	...	Mr. Gracie
Martha Farrar	...	Mrs, Farrinder
Dusty Maxwell	...	Newton Tarrant

Runtime:

USA:122 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

USA:Not Rated | UK:PG | Singapore:PG | Argentina:Atp | Finland:K-3 | Australia:G | West Germany:12 (f) | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

Back Bay, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Company:

Merchant Ivory Productions

Trivia:

During filming, actress Madeleine Potter noticed that one of her costumes had the name "Nastassja Kinski" sewn into it. As it turned out, the dress had originally been made to be used in the movie Tess (1979).

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Dawson's Creek: The Bostonians (#5.1)" (2001)

Merchant/Ivory offering falls flat

Well meant production from the magical Merchant/Ivory/Jhabvala team. This one was made before they hit their stride, however. The first mistake was casting Christopher Reeve in the lead. He always looks like he's acting, there's nothing natural about it. His performance here is in par with cheap 70's pornography acting. He is supposedly classically trained as an actor, but I guess anyone who pays for and attends acting classes can say the same. Some have it and some don't, he doesn't. The costumes, art direction and sets are all lavish and appealing. The dialog is far too updated to make one believe that it's taking place in another century, it's almost like a high school production in that aspect. Redgrave and Marchand both give good performances, nothing remarkable at all, but acceptable. The rest of the cast is a mish-mash of mostly b-listers. Scriptwriter Jhabvala has proved herself time and again to be quite the artist, but the script here is flat. Perhaps the book it was based on is this dull and unconvincing. I was left simply unaffected by any message they were trying to convey about the period. I'm a fanatic when it comes to Merchant/Ivory pictures, but this one just didn't cut it. It seems they were more in their element with their amazing and opulent European productions. The quality of their American films seems to be quite cheap in production in comparison. I'm simply left wondering what a masterpiece this could have been had it been set in and filmed in England. If you're an Ivory/Merchant fan, stick with their better titles "A Room With A View" & "Sense And Sensibility", they both surpass this effort by leagues.