| | | In a world of tradition, in an age of innocence, they dared to break the rules.
Features: DVD, Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 2.35:1, Dolby Digital (5.1), Dolby Surround Sound, French, Dubbed & Subtitled, Spanish, Subtitled
Martin Scorsese, one of the great directors of our time, directs Oscar-winner Daniel Day-Lewis, Michelle Pfeiffer and Winona Ryder in a brilliant adaptation of Edith Wharton's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. A ravishing romance about three wealthy New Yorkers caught in a tragic love triangle, the ironically-titled story chronicles the grandeur and hypocrisy of high society in the 1870s. At the center of the film is Newland Archer (Day-Lewis), an upstanding attorney who secretly longs for a more passionate life. Engaged to the lovely but ordinary socialite May Welland (Ryder), Newland resigns himself to a life of quiet complacency. But when May's unconventional cousin, Countess Ellen Olenska (Pfeiffer), returns to New York amid social and sexual scandal, Newland risks everything for a chance at true love. A spellbinding portrait of hidden romance and regret, The Age Of Innocence is "A masterpiece! It's phenomenal!" (Joel Siegel, ABC-TV)
"Scorsese sweeps us away on waves of dizzying eroticism and rapturous romance." Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
"A masterpiece! It's phenomenal!" Joel Siegel, ABC-TV
"Known primarily for modern street pictures...Scorsese shows he can flex an entirely different set of muscles and still make a great movie" Desson Howe, Washington Post
Editor's Note
Set in 1870s New York, Martin Scorsese's THE AGE OF INNOCENCE examines the tyranny of tradition and family heritage--and the tragic consequences of breaking society's unspoken rules. Newland Archer (Daniel Day-Lewis), an upstanding gentleman and partner in a lucrative and conservative law firm, is engaged to the perfect society woman, the pretty and polished May Welland (Winona Ryder). They are hoping to push forward their wedding date when Newland meets Countess Ellen Olenska (Michelle Pfeiffer), May's beautiful, cosmopolitan, and scandal-ridden cousin. Ellen, who has resided in Europe and cultivated a more permissive continental sensibility, believes she's found a kindred spirit in Newland. Slowly the two fall in love, and Ellen entices Newland with the vision of a life not ruled by the rigid guidelines of New York's stuffy upper crust. But May represents all the temptations and benefits of wealth, position, and propriety. Newland must make the painful choice between a passionate life with Ellen and a placid, safe life with May--the life he was born and raised to lead. In adapting the classic novel by Edith Wharton, Scorsese meticulously reconstructs the elegant world of mid-19th-century Manhattan, using an onslaught of materialistic vices--including an endless barrage of sumptuous foods--to capture the elite world even more fastidiously.
Plot Summary
Set in New York during the 1870s, a high-society lawyer resigns himself to a passionless marriage. When a ravishing family acquaintance arrives amid the scent of sexual scandal, he contemplates acting on his awakened desires, threatening his stable, established life in the process. Based on Edith Wharton's 1920 novel, Martin Scorsese's Oscar-nominated drama is a visual feast, featuring stellar performances by Daniel Day-Lewis, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Winona Ryder.
| Features | Production Notes | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selections | | Subtitles: English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, Thai | | Theatrical Trailers | | Filmographies | | Digitally Mastered Audio & Anamorphic Video | | Widescreen Version | | Audio: English 5.1 Dolby Digital & 2-Channel Dolby Surround, French |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Columbia Tri-Star |
| Release Date: 4/24/2007 |
| Running Time: 138 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1993 | | Catalog ID: 52637 | | UPC: 00043396526372 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English, French Dubbed | | Available Subtitles: English, French, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai, Chinese | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | 2.35:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Oscar (1994) |  | Gabriella Pescucci, Winner, Best Costume Design | | | Dante Ferretti, Nominee, Best Art Direction | | | Elmer Bernstein, Nominee, Best Music | | | Winona Ryder, Nominee, Best Supporting Actress | | | Jay Cocks, Nominee, Best Screenplay Based On Material From Another Medium |
| Memorable Quotes| "People are going to be expecting a funeral, and now they'll have to be entertained."----Mrs. Mingott (Miriam Margolyes), annoyed to discover that the entire family has been told she was dying when she had suffered only a mild stroke. | | "You gave me my first glimpse of a real life and then asked me to lead a false one!"----Newland Archer (Daniel Day--Lewis) to Countess Olenska (Michelle Pfeiffer), the cousin of his wife and his lover in spirit but not deed |
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| | Professional Reviews | New York Times
"...A robust gamble that pays off....The work of one of America's handful of master craftsmen..." 09/17/1993 p.C1Premiere
"...A celebration....Magnificent performances....[Ryder] is a revelation..." - Recommended 04/01/1994 p.141 Sight and Sound
"...All the performances are excellent, and the production is a visual tour de force..." 02/01/2994 p.45-6 Variety
"...An extraordinarily sumptuous piece of filmmaking....Day-Lewis cuts an impressive figure....Ryder is also perfect..." 09/13/1993 Chicago Sun-Times
"...THE AGE OF INNOCENCE is filmed with elegance....Each performance is modulated to preserve the delicate balance of the romantic war..." 09/17/1993 p.47 Washington Post 9 of 10
...Perhaps it shouldn't come as such a grand surprise that [Scorsese] is as deft at exploring the nuances of Edwardian manners as he is the laws of modern-day machismo... Scorsese seems to be parting the curtains so that we may glimpse not only the gorgeous excesses but the gossipy intimacies of Old New York... - Rita Kempley
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