The Portrait of a Lady (film)

The Portrait of a Lady
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Jane Campion
Screenplay by	Laura Jones
Based on	The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
Produced by	Steve Golin Monty Montgomery
Starring	Nicole Kidman John Malkovich Barbara Hershey Mary-Louise Parker Martin Donovan Shelley Winters Richard E. Grant Shelley Duvall Christian Bale Viggo Mortensen Valentina Cervi John Gielgud
Cinematography	Stuart Dryburgh
Edited by	Veronika Jenet
Music by	Wojciech Kilar
Production company	PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
Distributed by	Gramercy Pictures (United States) PolyGram Filmed Entertainment (United Kingdom)[1]
Release dates	28 August 1996 (1996-08-28) (VFF) 24 December 1996 (1996-12-24) (United States) 28 February 1997 (1997-02-28) (United Kingdom)
Running time	142 minutes
Countries	United Kingdom United States
Language	English
Box office	$3.7 million (United States)

The Portrait of a Lady is a 1996 film adaptation of Henry James's 1881 novel The Portrait of a Lady directed by Jane Campion.

The film stars Nicole Kidman, Barbara Hershey, John Malkovich, Mary-Louise Parker, Martin Donovan, Shelley Duvall, Richard E. Grant, Shelley Winters, Viggo Mortensen, Valentina Cervi, Christian Bale, and John Gielgud.

Premise[]

The film tells the story of Isabel Archer, an innocent young woman of independent means who is manipulated by her "friend" Madame Merle, and the devious Gilbert Osmond.

Plot[]

Isabel Archer is a very beautiful woman, who has already rejected many suitors: among them the wealthy Lord Warburton and Caspar Goodwood, to whom she had initially given hope. Caspar's arrival is arranged by Henrietta, a close friend of Isabel, who cares for her deeply. Isabel's strong character and free-spirited nature is adored by her cousin, Ralph Touchett, who persuades his father, her uncle, to give Isabel money so that she can be rich and independent. Upon her uncle's death, Isabel receives a fortune.

Isabel encounters Madame Serena and instantly likes her, however, learning about Isabel's wealth, Serena decides to arrange a marriage between Isabel and Serena's former lover Gilbert Osmond, who lives in Florence, Italy. Gilbert is a widower and has a daughter Pansy, who grew up in a convent and is not allowed to leave the house, even to walk in the garden, when her father is away. Isabel is enchanted by Gilbert and accepts the proposal; however, she's warned by Ralph that Gilbert is a "small man" and Isabel is giving up her dreams to be in a cage with a worthless husband. Isabel is enraged and slaps Ralph, to which he calmly answers that he said what he must, that he loves Isabel, and that he knows he has no hope (it's also evident that he's slowly dying from consumption).

Gilbert is nice to Isabel until after they are married. Isabel finds herself trapped in Rome in an unhappy marriage with a fear of her abusive husband, who gradually disconnects her from all of her friends - Henrietta, Ralph, and Caspar all leave for England. Pansy is also a victim of her father's overly protective behavior - she's in love with Rosier, but Gilbert has decided to arrange a marriage between her and Lord Warburton (who is attentive to Pansy just to get closer to Isabel). Isabel sees the mutual love between Pansy and Rosier and is deeply moved; Gilbert sees through Isabel's schemes to prevent Pansy becoming engaged to Warburton, but too late - Lord Warburton leaves Italy. Gilbert angrily slaps Isabel and steps on her dress so that she falls on the ground. Serena deeply regrets organizing the fateful union between Gilbert and Isabel.

Isabel learns that Ralph is overtaken by consumption and is on his deathbed. She asks Gilbert to let her to go to England to be with her dying cousin, but receives a cold and negative answer. Pansy is sent to a convent away from her lover. Isabel is pitied by Gilbert's sister, who finally opens Isabel's eyes, telling her that Gilbert's first wife was childless and Pansy is, in fact, Gilbert and Serena's daughter. Isabel finally decides to go against her husband's wishes and leave for England. She visits Pansy and proposes the girl to flee, but Pansy refuses, saying that she wants to please her father. In the convent, Isabel also encounters Serena, but proudly ignores her attempts to start a conversation. However, in the last minute before Isabel leaves, Serena runs to her - she has guessed Isabel is going to England to Ralph and reveals to Isabel that Ralph is the one that persuaded the uncle to give Isabel her fortune. On Ralph's deathbed, Isabel tearfully confesses that he's been her best friend and she loves him. Henrietta and Caspar attend Ralph's funeral. In the garden, Caspar tries to persuade Isabel to let go of her fear of her husband. They kiss passionately, but Isabel runs away to the house. She suddenly stops before the house door, and leans against it, looking back into the garden.

Cast[]

Reception[]

The Portrait of a Lady received mixed reviews from critics, as it holds a 46% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 72 reviews. The consensus summarizes: "Beautiful, indulgently heady, and pretentious, The Portrait of a Lady paints Jane Campion's directorial shortcomings in too bright a light."

Awards and nominations[]

Home media[]

On December 11, 2012, Shout! Factory released The Portrait of a Lady: Special Edition on DVD and Blu-ray.^[13]

See also[]

• Cinema of Australia

Notes[]

References[]

External links[]

• The Portrait of a Lady at IMDb
• The Portrait of a Lady at Rotten Tomatoes
• The Portrait of a Lady at Box Office Mojo

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