The Wings of the Dove (1997)

An impoverished woman who has been forced to choose between a privileged life with her wealthy aunt and her journalist lover, befriends an American heiress. When she discovers the heiress is attracted to her own lover and is dying, she sees a chance to have both the privileged life she cannot give up and the lover she cannot live without.

Director:

Iain Softley

Writers:

Henry James (novel), Hossein Amini (screenplay)

Stars:

Helena Bonham Carter, Linus Roache, Alex Jennings

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 16 wins & 28 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Helena Bonham Carter	...	Kate Croy
Linus Roache	...	Merton
Alex Jennings	...	Lord Mark
Charlotte Rampling	...	Aunt Maude
Ben Miles	...	Journalist 1
Philip Wright	...	Journalist 2
Michael Gambon	...	Kate's Father
Alexander John	...	Butler
Alison Elliott	...	Milly
Elizabeth McGovern	...	Susan
Shirley Chantrell	...	Opium Den Lady
Diana Kent	...	Merton's Party Companion
Georgio Serafini	...	Eugenio
Rachele Crisafulli	...	Concierge

Storyline

Kate Croy's (Helena Bonham Carter's) mother was born to wealth and privilege, but she threw it all away to marry Kate's Father (Sir Michael Gambon), a penniless opium addict who admits to having stolen from his wife. After her mother's death, Kate is offered an opportunity to return to the life her mother gave up. There is one condition, however: Kate must sever all of her old ties, not only to her father, but also to her lover, the muck-raking journalist Merton Densher (Linus Roache), whom she has promised marriage. Kate reluctantly agrees to this, and in the meantime becomes friendly with "the world's richest orphan", Milly Theale (Alison Elliott), an American making the Grand Tour. Desperate to see Kate, Merton crashes a party that she and Milly are attending, and Milly is attracted to him. When Kate learns that Milly is dying, she comes up with a plan to have her cake and eat it too, but all does not go as planned.

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Plot Keywords:

based on novel | italy | horse drawn carriage | pubic hair | female pubic hair | 

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Taglines:

A couple with everything but money. An heiress with everything but love. A temptation no one could resist.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexuality

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ewan McGregor was considered for the role of Merton Densher.

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Goofs

The tile pattern on the Underground stations the train passes through at the beginning of the film are identical in pattern and color for each station. Each station on the Piccadilly line had its own tile pattern and color scheme so that the illiterate could still recognize their station without needing to read the station name.

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Quotes

Merton: And I said, 'Oh, that I had wings like a dove for then I would fly away and be at rest.'

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Connections

Featured in The 55th Annual Golden Globe Awards (1998)

User Reviews

Great film!

This is one of my favorite films of the 90's. Great cast, fantastic screenplay, simply an incredible telling of a compelling story. The movie moves along in organic fashion, never feeling contrived or manipulative (probably because the story comes from a good novelist). The characters are well developed and make the choices you believe these characters would make. Helena Bonham Carter, Linus Roach and Allison Elliot are all excellent, and Charlotte Rampling is always good. I also like the contrast set up with the dreary English settings vs. the romantic and elegant Venetion scenes. I think this movie is vastly underrated and should be seen by any serious film fan.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 March 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Wings of the Dove

Filming Locations:

Palazzo Barbaro, Venice, Veneto, Italy

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$183,610, 9 November 1997

Gross USA:

$13,692,848

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$13,692,848

Company Credits

Production Co:

Miramax, Renaissance Dove

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Rankcolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1