Wealthy American widower Adam Verver and his daughter Maggie live a refined life in Europe, surrounded by art. Maggie marries impoverished Italian Prince Amerigo, while Adam marries Maggie's friend Charlotte Stant. The Prince and Charlotte are having an affair, which Maggie discovers and navigates through a silent, psychological battle of wills, ultimately using her cunning to preserve her marriage and protect her father.
Direction
James Ivory squeezing dread from afternoon tea and statuary.
Production
Palaces so gorgeous they feel like characters judging everyone.
Acting
Kate Beckinsale's eyes doing three acts of silent warfare.
Director
James Ivory
Kate Beckinsale
Maggie Verver
Uma Thurman
Charlotte Stant
Jeremy Northam
Prince Amerigo
Nick Nolte
Adam Verver
Anjelica Huston
Fanny Assingham
James Fox
Colonel Bob Assingham
Madeleine Potter
Lady Castledean
Nicholas Day
Lord Castledean
Peter Eyre
A.R. Jarvis, Shopkeeper
Nickolas Grace
Lecturer
Francesco Giuffrida
Duke's Younger Son
Rossano Rubicondi
Duke's Older Son
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Henry James's 1904 novel was considered unfilmable for decades; Merchant Ivory finally cracked it by leaning into the silences James built his sentences on.
The film's 5.9 rating reflects impatience, not quality—it's deliberately withholding the catharsis audiences expect from affair dramas, which is exactly James's point.
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Reactions from the web
I was an extra in the film at Burghley House and loved the experience.
@lewiscray9052 2
Uma playing the same kind of role Glenn Close had in Dangerous Liaisons.
@DeepScreenAnalysis
What is the music playing in the background? I like it.
@claytonsanders6421 3
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