Wings of the Dove (1997)

Sight and Sound
"...[A] skillful, graceful movie..." 01/01/1998 p.55-6

USA Today
"...[An] exquisitely mounted romantic gem..." -- 3 1/2 out of 4 11/07/1997 p.8D

Entertainment Weekly
"...Ravishing...[and] impassioned..." -- Rating: B 06/19/1998 p.82

New York Times
"...Spellbinding....This magnificent film conveys an intimation of what values count the most, of what really matters....Intelligent and sympathetic..." 10/15/1997 p.E18

Chicago Sun-Times
"...This story has a life and logic of its own..." 10/15/1997 p.47

New York Times 9 of 10
Few films have explored the human face this searchingly and found such complex psychological topography. That's why The Wings Of The Dove succeeds where virtually every other film translation of a James novel has stumbled... [this] is a movie of surprisingly few words, given its source. Instead of relying on speeches and interior monologues, the English director has found the equivalent of James' elaborately analytical prose in the shadow play of eagerness, suspicion and self-doubt flickering across the faces of its troubled three main characters... - Stephen Holden
 
New York Times 0 of 10
The sumptuously appointed London town houses and Venetian palazzos that dazzle the eye in The Wings of the Dove are just the trimmings in Iain Softley's spellbinding screen adaptation of Henry James's 1902 novel. Few films have explored the human face this searchingly and found such complex psychological topography. That's why The Wings of the Dove succeeds where virtually every other film translation of a James novel has stumbled. Although Hossein Amini's economical screenplay includes some rich dollops of dialogue, [this] is a movie of surprisingly few words, given its source. Instead of relying on speeches and interior monologues, the English director has found the equivalent of James's elaborately analytical prose in the shadow play of eagerness, suspicion and self-doubt flickering across the faces of its troubled three main characters... The film bestows equal measures of compassion on the members of its threesome. Ms. Carter, in the performance of her career, makes Kate a kind of witchy, English Scarlett O'Hara, whose impatient, sulky glances steadily deepen into a brooding, hunted expression as she becomes aware of her own corruption and the price she may have to pay for it. Ms. Elliott, who resists making Millie a simpering goody-goody, registers every nuance of Millie's doubt, fear and woundedness, but also conveys a beatitude that is all the more heartbreaking for its seeming so frayed. As the camera glides through the canals and markets of Venice and observes a masked ball crowded with ominous portents, you feel the intensity of her lust for life increasing even as her strength deteriorates. Roache's Merton is a calm, beautifully understated portrait of a decent man gone slightly adrift. In suggesting ever so delicately that his admirable moral scruples may also indicate a certain shortsightedness and even a lack of courage, the movie takes a decidedly contemporary view of his role in the triangle. - Stephen Holden
 
HBO On-Line 0 of 10
The Wings Of The Dove is a meaty costume drama bringing a Henry James turn-of-the-century tale to vibrant life... Ms. Carter is in her element here and performs faultlessly. She has been honored as the year's best actress by the Los Angeles and Boston film critics circles. The script, which delicately molds the James work to the screen, is by Hossein Amini, who earlier did a decent job on Thomas Hardy with Jude. He even manages to squeeze in a steamy love scene that seems entirely appropriate. Director Iain Softley has recovered from Hackers and, interestingly enough, has claimed some film noir influence in his approach to Henry James. Triangles and conspiracies and deceptions, oh my. - Jim Byerley
 
HBO On-Line 8 of 10
The Wings Of The Dove is a meaty costume drama bringing a Henry James turn-of-the-century tale to vibrant life... Ms. Carter is in her element here and performs faultlessly. She has been honored as the year's best actress by the Los Angeles and Boston film critics circles. Director Iain Softley has recovered from Hackers and, interestingly enough, has claimed some film noir influence in his approach to Henry James. Triangles and conspiracies and deceptions, oh my. - Jim Byerley