Other Titles • Washington Square • Die Erbin vom Washington Square (1998)
Synopses for Washington Square (1997)
1.
Henry James’s biting novel WASHINGTON SQUARE is given a lush adaptation from acclaimed director Agnieszka Holland (EUROPA EUROPA), buoyed by sharp performances from its cast. The story concerns Austin Sloper (Albert Finney), a wealthy, widowed doctor who is unable to hide his disdain for his plain, shrinking violet daughter, Catherine (Jennifer Jason Leigh). When Morris Townsend (Ben Chaplin) enters her life--a charming, but penniless, suitor--Austin’s lack of faith in his daughter’s ability to charm convinces him that Morris’s intentions are only mercenary. Catherine doesn't take kindly to her stern father's restrictions and continues the relationship, assisted by her romantically inclined dowager aunt, Lavinia Penniman (Maggie Smith).
With WASHINGTON SQUARE, Holland adds another cinematic genre, American period drama, to her impressive resume. Working with production designer Allan Starski and costume designer Anna Sheppard, Holland recreates Victorian-era New York City with a visual beauty that belies the film’s sharp dramatic edge. Featuring standout performances by an all-star cast (notably Leigh, Finney, Chaplin, and Smith), WASHINGTON SQUARE is a memorable work from the versatile director.
(20 votes)
2.
In biographies written before 1990, Jennifer Jason Leigh claims to have been born in 1958. Recently, she's changed that to 1962. In either case, she definitely looks a bit odd in this 1998 release playing a 20-year-old opposite the youthful Ben Chaplin. Even stranger is the fact that she's been cast as the ugly girl; after all, she was voted one of America's 10 most beautiful women by Harper's Bazaar. Still, this film captures to a T the Henry James novel on which it is based. The story concerns Catherine Sloper, a 19th-century heiress whose father disapproves of the man she loves. In a twisty plot, questions are raised about both her father's and her suitor's motives, and Catherine must untangle the connections between love and money. This provides fodder for Henry James's critiques of the shallowness and sexism of his society. Some find James's work stiff, self-important, and a bit dull, while others see him as the most astute social critic of his time, so your enjoyment of this film may be a matter of taste. But it's definitely a period piece done right, which is to say that it fully captures its era, and never stoops to anachronisms that would interrupt the viewer's sense of an older, crueler world. --James DiGiovanna
(19 votes)
3.
After the Jane Austen boom of the mid-1990s, film-makers looked for another hot literary property, settling upon the great American writer Henry James. Washington Square stars Jennifer Jason-Leigh and is a well-crafted version of the novel previously filmed in 1949 as The Heiress. In 19th-century America Catherine Sloper (Jennifer Jason-Leigh) falls in love with Morris Townsend (Ben Chaplin), but her father (Albert Finney), who blames Catherine for his wife's death in child-birth, threatens to disinherit her if she marries her new love. Finney suspects Townsend may only be after his daughter's fortune, but Finney's motives are a complex mix of guilt and resentment, setting the scene for a dark psychological drama sometimes leavened by the humorous interjections of Maggie Smith's Aunt Lavinia.
Director Agnieszka Holland, best known for The Secret Garden (1993), makes everything look elegant, and the film is romantic and thoughtful, without ever really achieving greatness. Jason-Leigh is good, but the film belongs to Albert Finney in one of his best performances of the 90s. Released around the same time was Jane Campion's version of James' The Portrait of a Lady (1996), and the superb The Wings of the Dove, with a magnificent central performance from Helena Bonham Carter(1997).--Gary S. Dalkin
(19 votes)
4.
She must choose between her father's fortune Or the man she loves. Riveting performances from an all-star cast highlight this passionate tale of a young heiress who must choose between love or money! Jennifer Jason Leigh (Single White Female) is Catherine, a lonely young woman in search of happiness ... until she is swept off her feet by the handsome Morris Townsend (Ben Chaplin -- Murder by Numbers, The Thin Red Line). Suspicious of the young man's true intentions, however, her controlling father threatens to disown Catherine if she follows her heart and marries against his wishes! You're sure to find this timeless story both powerful and entertaining!
(19 votes)
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