The Age of Innocence (1993)

A tale of nineteenth-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.

Director:

Martin Scorsese

Writers:

Edith Wharton (novel), Jay Cocks (screenplay)

Stars:

Daniel Day-Lewis, Michelle Pfeiffer, Winona Ryder

Won 1 Oscar. Another 14 wins & 32 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Daniel Day-Lewis	...	Newland Archer
Michelle Pfeiffer	...	Ellen Olenska
Winona Ryder	...	May Welland
Linda Faye Farkas	...	Female Opera Singer
Michael Rees Davis	...	Male Opera Singer
Terry Cook	...	Male Opera Singer
Jon Garrison	...	Male Opera Singer
Richard E. Grant	...	Larry Lefferts
Alec McCowen	...	Sillerton Jackson
Geraldine Chaplin	...	Mrs. Welland
Mary Beth Hurt	...	Regina Beaufort
Stuart Wilson	...	Julius Beaufort
Howard Erskine	...	Beaufort Guest
John McLoughlin	...	Party Guest
Christopher Nilsson	...	Party Guest

Storyline

Society scion Newland Archer is engaged to May Welland, but his well-ordered life is upset when he meets May's unconventional cousin, the Countess Olenska. At first, Newland becomes a defender of the Countess, whose separation from her abusive husband makes her a social outcast in the restrictive high society of late-19th Century New York, but he finds in her a kindred spirit and they fall in love.

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Plot Keywords:

catholic | f rated | new york | countess | woman | 

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Taglines:

In a world of tradition. In an age of innocence. They dared to break the rules.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for thematic elements and some mild language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

1 October 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

La edad de la inocencia

Filming Locations:

Villa Nuits, Westchester Village, Irvington, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$32,200,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Cappa Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

139 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo SDDS (8 channels)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Daniel Day-Lewis checked into the Plaza Hotel as "N. Archer" and lived there for 2 weeks wearing clothes suitable to his film character as research for Newland Archer.

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Goofs

The opera which is supposedly performed in the opening scene is Gounod's "Faust", written in French. However, what is actually sung is a scene from Boito's version of the same story, "Mefistofele", written in Italian. At the end of the scene, as we see the carriages outside the opera house, the music has reverted to Gounod's "Faust", sung in French.

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Quotes

Ellen Olenska: Are you very much in love with her?
Newland Archer: As much as a man can be.
Ellen Olenska: Do you think there's a limit?

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Crazy Credits

The Columbia logo turns sepia to look like a 19th-century photograph.

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Connections

Featured in MsMojo: Top 10 Best Winona Ryder Performances (2017)

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Soundtracks

Emperor Waltz Op 437
Written by Johann Strauss
Performed by The London Philharmonie
Courtesy of Collins Classics by arrangement with Allegro

User Reviews

A Stunning Law Breaker

I saw "The Aviator" a couple of days ago and while I still have Howard Hughes flying through my brain I felt the need to see again another Scorsese. I have all of his films in my collection. I closed my eyes and picked one, just like that, at random. "The Age Of Innocence" This is what happens with great artists, you can always re visit them and you'll come out of the experience with something new, something valuable. Transported by the sublime voice of Joanne Woodward I took the trip again to discover that everything in this extraordinary universe that Martin Scorsese, based on Edith Wharton work, is not what it appears. Conventions out of the window, breaking every imaginable rule. Just as the characters get off their trucks, swimming against the tide of the times. Scorsese breaks cinematic rules with such artistry that we're allow to inspect, re live and enjoy a story as old as the world from a completely new perspective. Is as if Luchino Visconti had suddenly woken up with a new contemporary sight to look back with. Daniel Day Lewis is so marvelous that the pain of his predicament becomes more than visual, becomes visceral. For Michelle Pfeiffer and Winona Ryder this was the zenith of their careers. They are sensational. The casting, as usual in a Scorsese film, is superb even in the smallest roles. Glimpses of Sian Phillips, Alexis Smith and Geraldine Chaplin add to the pleasures, making this overwhelming banquet of a film one of the most rewarding film experiences I've ever had.