TheLittleSongbird Not all of Henry James' work has adapted well to screen, but there are three film adaptations especially that were adapted beautifully and are brilliant films in their own right. They are 1949's The Heiress (my personal favourite), 1961's The Innocents and this.It is hard to decide where to begin praising The Wings of the Dove, but a definite starting point would be the production values. Simply put, The Wings of the Dove is not only one of the most visually stunning films personally seen in recent memory but also one of the most beautiful ever, strongly reminiscent of a Merchant-Ivory film. It's exquisitely shot, especially in the Venetian scenes and the final scene between Millie and Merton, the settings and period detail are so colourful and evocative and The Wings of the Dove has to contain some of the best and jaw-droppingly amazing costume design in all of film. The sensitive and beautifully elegant music score and rightly restrained direction also add a great deal.Hossein Amini received an Oscar nomination for the film's script, and it is not hard to see why. It is a literate, deliciously dark and beautifully nuanced script that is never devoid of emotion, and adapts very difficult source material remarkably cleverly and with utmost coherence. The story is deliberate in pace, but dark and poignant- the latter scenes being incredibly powerful emotionally- and it is throughout told with complete control and respect for James' work. It also succeeds brilliantly as a mood piece, the darkness, poignancy and lyricism very well brought out. The characters also fascinate, compellingly real and human rather than labelled just good and bad.The Wings of the Dove contains fine performances, with that of Helena Bonham Carter ranking among the year's and her best, her character makes some questionable decisions to put it lightly but the many nuances Bonham Carter brings to the role allows one to really sympathise with her and understand why she makes them. Allison Elliot was also charming and heart-breaking in a role that easily could have been played annoyingly or blandly in lesser hands, and Linus Roache handles the hardest role of the whole film and story very, very well. Charlotte Rampling, Michael Gambon, Elizabeth McGovern and Alex Jennings are all talented actors too and give excellent support.All in all, wonderful film and one of the best Henry James film adaptations ever made. 10/10 Bethany Cox

toxmibazar Great beauty, great visuals and also very good drama and a positive love triangle. A triangle that says a lot about manner, honor, the relativity of being right and wrong. It's about how conflicts, inner conflicts, can be. How can impact you.The life is complicate. The established rules for right and wrong are far from to be true. It also talk how people change. How the man who doesn't love the girl, finally couldn't not love her. When you go through new feeling experience you'll change. You will not comes back. There is no restore point in feeling.This film, depicts how complicated human drama is. How complex its emotions is and How dynamic he/she is. I think this film enlighten the viewer to take a deeper look to complex human interactions and how simple are our religion and established norms and stereotypes.

Amy Adler Kate (Helena Bonham Carter) is a young woman in love with a poor journalist, Merton (Linus Roache). Its Edwardian England and, having no money of her own, Kate lives with a wealthy aunt (Charlotte Rampling) who is avid to marry Kate well. Thus, the beautiful lady will not be free to wed Merton or any man of her choosing, if he doesn't have the goods. They meet secretly and passionately, even arranging a clandestine trip to Italy. Once there, the two cross paths with an extremely wealthy American, Millie (Alison Elliott) who casts her eye on Merton. Since neither Kate nor Merton have revealed that they are a couple, a difficult triangle is created, for Millie also chooses Kate as a friend. This becomes even more complex when the British duo learn that Millie, despite being young and beautiful, is incredibly ill with a respiratory ailment. Temptation arrives. What would happen, Kate asks Merton, if HE romances Millie, marries her and inherits her wealth upon her death? Why, the secret lovers would be set for life! Merton is appalled at the idea of making advances on a dying girl but, eventually, gives in. What neither Kate or Merton count on is the young gentleman's growing attraction to Millie, for she is sweet and funny as well as very lovely. Is tragedy in the future for this trio? Unfortunately, yes. This stunningly gorgeous film, based on the novel of Henry James, is a superior piece of movie making that cannot be denied. The three actors, Bonham Carter, Roache, and Elliott are extremely compelling in their difficult roles and all of the lesser cast members do fine work, too. Then, the setting in Italy, mostly, is lovely, with cinematography of the very finest. Costumes, too, are gorgeous, especially Elliott's garments and accessories. But, naturally, it is the powerful story of love and deception, with tragic results, that is the strongest asset of all. It should be stated that there are a couple of explicitly sexual scenes that might upset a few viewers. But, for the majority of film fans, they will be accepted as a necessary part of the story's elements. If you have never picked up this film, don't delay! Wings of the Dove is a soaring achievement that should be seen by everyone who loves great cinema.

[email protected] Although neither of them had anything to do with "Wings of the Dove," it reminded me strongly of the string of Merchant-Ivory films. It's a period film, based on a famous novel (by Henry James), set in gorgeous locations (London and Venice), with magnificent costuming and a largely English cast led by Helena Bonham Carter, who graced many a Merchant-Ivory film. "Wings of the Dove" is widely regarded as her finest performance. It earned an Oscar nomination. Although she lost out to Helen Hunt, many critics thought she deserved the honor more. Here she plays Kate Croy, the impoverished niece of her wealthy Aunt Maude (Charlotte Rampling) in love with a handsome, impecunious radical (Linus Roache) and decidedly not in love with her Aunt's choice, Lord Mark (Alex Jennings). I won't give away the scheme that is at the root of the story but Bonham Carter is both distinctively beautiful and a powerful actress. Only Rampling holds her own -- in a much less prominent role, although Michael Gambon in a small part as Kate's ne'er do well father is excellent (as always). Subsequent to "Wings of the Dove," Bonham Carter drifted in the direction of films (the Harry Potter series, for example) that failed to utilize her enormous talent or take full advantage of her slightly unusual but distinctive beauty. She's still young enough to make a big splash at some point in the future but she seems to have lost the urge to make the most of her considerable talent. If so, this film, which she made at the age of 31, may turn out in retrospect to have been her career high.