IMDb > The Age of Innocence (1993)
The Age of Innocence
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The Age of Innocence (1993) More at IMDbPro »

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The Age of Innocence (1993) -- US Home Video Trailer from Columbia Tristar
The Age of Innocence (1993) -- ZuGuide.com - Trailer (Flash)
The Age of Innocence (1993) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)
The Age of Innocence (1993) -- Moviesbox.us - Trailer (Flash)
The Age of Innocence (1993) -- MattTrailer.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
7.1/10   14,529 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 6% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Martin Scorsese
Writers (WGA):
Edith Wharton (novel)
Jay Cocks (screenplay) ...
more
Contact:
View company contact information for The Age of Innocence on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
1 October 1993 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | Romance more
Tagline:
In a world of tradition. In an age of innocence. They dared to break the rules.
Plot:
Tale of 19th century New York high society in which a young lawyer falls in love with a woman separated from her husband, while he is engaged to the woman's cousin. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Won Oscar. Another 10 wins & 14 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(6 articles)
Decade in Review: 2000 Top Ten
 (From FilmExperience. 5 November 2009, 1:07 PM, PST)

Winona Ryder
 (From Interview Magazine. 24 October 2009, 1:01 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
Underrated masterpiece from the top director of our times. more (117 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Daniel Day-Lewis ... Newland Archer

Michelle Pfeiffer ... Ellen Olenska

Winona Ryder ... May Welland

Alexis Smith ... Louisa van der Luyden
Geraldine Chaplin ... Mrs. Welland
Mary Beth Hurt ... Regina Beaufort
Alec McCowen ... Sillerton Jackson
Richard E. Grant ... Larry Lefferts

Miriam Margolyes ... Mrs. Mingott

Robert Sean Leonard ... Ted Archer
Siân Phillips ... Mrs. Archer

Jonathan Pryce ... Rivière
Michael Gough ... Henry van der Luyden

Joanne Woodward ... Narrator (voice)

Stuart Wilson ... Julius Beaufort
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Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated PG for thematic elements and some mild language.
Runtime:
139 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby SR
Filming Locations:
Albany, New York, USA more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The final Martin Scorsese picture to be edited on a Moviola. more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: When Ellen declares her love to Newland, on the wall behind her can be seen the painting "The Art, the Caresses, the Sphynx" that was painted by Fernand Khnoppf in 1896. The movie is set in the 1870s. more
Quotes:
Newland: Honest? Isn't that why you always admire Julius Beaufort? He was more honest than the rest of us, wasn't he, we've got no character, no color, no variety. I wonder why you just don't go back to Europe.
Ellen: I believe that's because of you.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Will & Grace: A Chorus Lie (#4.15)" (2002) more
Soundtrack:
Tales From The Vienna Woods more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
25 out of 29 people found the following comment useful.
Underrated masterpiece from the top director of our times., 7 February 2000
9/10
Author: Woody-82 (thaniou@hotmail.com) from Athens, Greece

For those who wonder what is Mr. Scorsese looking for in a film like "The Age of Innocence", (probably more suitable to a director such as James Ivory), the man himself gives the answer: "This film deals with the same matters that can be found in my work in the last 25 years. There is guilt, desire, obsessed passion and the weakness to satisfy that passion".

The story takes place in New York, around 1880. Newland Archer (Daniel Day-Lewis) must choose between his current fiancee May Welland (Winona Ryder) and her cousin who has just arrived from Poland and is recently divorced, Helen Ollenska (Michelle Pfeiffer). May is the symbol of a world he's familiar with, and Helen represents the world he's dreaming of.

Living in a conservative world full of compromises, Newland is as much trapped by his social circle as the Italian-American heroes of Mean Streets and GoodFellas. However, the Mafia here is called New York aristocracy and kills with words, with a gesture or with a look of contempt and rejection, instead of using guns. Scorsese fans who expect to see psychotic characters, violence or De Niro-style performances, will be disappointed. Everything in this movie is based on the observation and recording of the social behaviour codes, the unexpressed feelings and of things which are not not said but implied. Scorsese portrayed with absolute preciseness, almost paragraph to paragraph, Edith Wharton's classic novel. However, he managed to give the film his own unique personal view, proving his gigantic talent and that he's capable of creating masterpieces, whatever the heroes, the story or the genre of the film. Winona Ryder should definitely have won the Oscar for her wonderful performance, but Lewis and Pfeiffer are marvellous as well. What's left to say? The Age of Innocence is an un-excusably underrated all time classic.

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Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Sorry, but I hated it Agent_Mulder89
Winona Ryder vs. Anna Paquin impossibledreamer
Why so much anti-May? easol
What was Newland Archer thinking? Johnny____
Did Anyone Else Not Like It? packers56789
Martin Scorcese martyst-1
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