The Foibles Of The
Mayfair Swells -The Film Adaptation Of Edith Warton’s The Age Of Innocence” (1934)-A
Review
DVD Review
By Film Critic Sandy
Salmon
The Age of Innocence,
starring Irene Dunne, John Boles, based on Edith Wharton’s novel of the same
name, 1934
A couple of points
before I dig into a short review of the film under review, the cinematic
adaptation of Edith Wharton’s classic Mayfair swells novel The Age Of Innocence (or maybe New York Knickerbocker society is
better as a way to designate the high society in Manhattan around the turn of
the 20th century). Edith Wharton like expatriate Henry James
certainly knew the ins and outs, the mores, morals, and custom of New York high
society and could write reams about it. Also I thought that only we Irish
neighborhood bred denizens (brought up by grandparents Dan and Anna Riley in my
case) were not the only ones who had a taboo against “airing dirty linen in
public” if a view of the film is any true indication of what was going on in
those inner city mansions and brownstones.
That said this story
line done in a flashback form in a conversation between a grandfather and his
errant grandson centers on the potentially illicit romance between a married
woman, the Countess, played by Irene Dunne and a love struck high society
lawyer, Newland Archer, played by John Boles who nevertheless is engaged to a
proper young high society prospect which will unite two families like glue upon
consummation. The drama, or maybe better put, melodrama, is the built up to the
final decision by the Countess, a woman who has left her husband and was in the
throes of seeking a divorce, very taboo in gentile society, hell, maybe all
society then once she warms up to Newland. The tensions among the engaged and then
newly-wedded couple, Newland’s infatuation with the Countess and the high
society matrons attempts to put a lid on the affair drive the film. In the end
Newland stays with his wife and spent the rest of his life longing for the
Countess.
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