Home Theater Forum - View Single Post - Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

Lew Crippen · 11-20-2003, 12:51 PM

I love The Age of Innocence more than it probably deserves. I am always so swept away by the production and cinematography that I wind up ignoring its narrative defects.

I do think that Scorsese has captured Edith Wharton’s vision of late 19th Century, New York Society so well that I’m not particularly put off by any variations from the text. For me the voice-over narrative really worked—most that I remember are direct quotes from the novel.. I love it when a filmmaker’s take on a novel is the same as mine in concept and don’t care much if detail is omitted or changed. Unfortunately, I don’t often think that films do much justice to the source, but in this case I’m pleased.

BTW, IIRC, Rosenbaum calls this something like a ‘noble but failed effort’. It did not fail for me.

11-20-2003, 12:51 PM	#1205 of 3734
Lew Crippen Member Location: Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexíco Join Date: May 2002 Local Time: 06:09 PM Local Date: 12-04-2008 Posts: 11,441	I love The Age of Innocence more than it probably deserves. I am always so swept away by the production and cinematography that I wind up ignoring its narrative defects. I do think that Scorsese has captured Edith Wharton’s vision of late 19th Century, New York Society so well that I’m not particularly put off by any variations from the text. For me the voice-over narrative really worked—most that I remember are direct quotes from the novel.. I love it when a filmmaker’s take on a novel is the same as mine in concept and don’t care much if detail is omitted or changed. Unfortunately, I don’t often think that films do much justice to the source, but in this case I’m pleased. BTW, IIRC, Rosenbaum calls this something like a ‘noble but failed effort’. It did not fail for me. ¡Time is not my master!