Washington Square (1997)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Agnieszka Holland

Writers (WGA):

Henry James (novel)
Carol Doyle (screenplay)

Release Date:

10 October 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

She must choose between her father's fortune... Or the man she loves.

Plot:

Catherine Sloper has found the man of her dreams in Morris Townsend, but her plans to marry him are strongly opposed by her father...

Plot Keywords:

Money | Domineering Father | Midwife | Heiress | Aunt Niece Relationship

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Jennifer Jason Leigh	...	Catherine Sloper
Albert Finney	...	Dr. Austin Sloper
Maggie Smith	...	Aunt Lavinia Penniman
Ben Chaplin	...	Morris Townsend
Judith Ivey	...	Aunt Elizabeth Almond
Arthur Laupus	...	Mr. Almond
Jennifer Garner	...	Marian Almond
Robert Stanton	...	Arthur Townsend
Betsy Brantley	...	Mrs. Montgomery
Nancy Daly	...	Maureen (Maid)
Sara Ruzicka	...	Catherine Sloper (age 11)
Rachel Layne Sacrey	...	Sarah Almond
Rachel Osborne	...	Alice Almond
Scott Jaeck	...	John Ludlow
Peter Maloney	...	Jacob Webber (Notary)

MPAA:

Rated PG for thematic elements including some sensuality, a childbirth scene and brief mild language.

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:16 (including commercials) | Iceland:L | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | France:U | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | UK:PG | USA:PG | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Company:

Alchemy Filmworks

Trivia:

At one point, Brooke Shields was cast as Catherine Sloper, but dropped out due to her commitment to the TV series "Suddenly Susan" (1996).

Quotes:

Catherine Sloper: You treated me badly. I felt it very much. I felt it for years. It made a great change in my life. But I can't talk about it.
Morris Townsend: Why didn't you marry then. Levinia tells me there've been chances.
Catherine Sloper: I didn't wish to marry. Yes.
Morris Townsend: You had nothing to gain.
Catherine Sloper: I had nothing to gain. What ever else happened, I did, I did love once. Well, actually.
Morris Townsend: Do you hate me?
Catherine Sloper: No. But please don't come here again.

Movie Connections:

Version of Arvtagerskan (1962) (TV)

Soundtrack:

The Tale Of The String

It does not work for me.

I do not know who is to blame, Miss Leigh or her director, but her performance as Catherine is almost impossible to watch. Ben Chaplin on the other hand does a superior job - against all odds as far as I am concerned. His character is entirely too charming and appealing. but certainly not shown as greedy enough, to put up with Leigh's character's silliness. Chaplin appears bemused by what cannot possibly be understood as Leigh's shyness and lack of grace, but rather her orthopedic unsteadiness. There has to be some element of believability to his interest, but as played it is incomprehensible. The performances do not jibe. Maggie Smith and Albert Finney are, of course, wonderful despite any effort to derail them. The supporting cast is also a pleasure to watch. What a pity, too, the leads don't work together because the production is lovely to look at.