The Golden Bowl (2000)
Review by Cosette & Thespia
Film:
DVD:

Directed by James Ivory
Written by Ruth Prawer Ihabvala, based on the novel by Henry James
Starring Uma Thurman, Kate Beckinsale, Nick Nolte, Jeremy Northam, Anjelica Huston Features:

• Theatrical trailer
  

Anamorphic: Yes.

My Advice: Wait for MST3K.

Adam Verver (Nolte) is an American ubermillionaire, and he's travelling about in Europe along with his daughter, Maggie (Beckinsale). He tries to hook up his daughter with the Italian, Prince Amerigo (Northam). Sounds like a pretty good idea unless you consider the fact that Amerigo used to have a thing for Maggie's best friend, Charlotte (Thurman). Now, this could be a proper scandal, unless Fanny Assingham (Huston) can come up with a solution...which it appears she has.

We know that it is indeed possible to make a good film out of a rather dry Henry James novel, as evidenced by the 1949 flick The Heiress with Olivia de Havilland. Unfortunately, this adaptation of The Golden Bowl is a waste of precious film stock, as well as a waste of the five hours of our lives that it stole away (actually, it was only 134 minutes, but it really felt like five hours).

The storyline and writing in general are just plain sad. If the title concept had been cut out of the movie, it would have been much improved. By the end of the film, the emphasis on the metaphor of the Golden Bowl is very much like a cheap piece of gum chewed for hours on end, begging to be spat out. The plot is slow and predictable until it finally builds up to a non-existent climax. We also know that the actors in this film are indeed talented and capable of portraying characters with depth and substance. Why, then, did we hate every character that crossed the screen? Did the actors actually read the script before they signed on, or is this the Michael Caine Method--did they take the roles because they needed a house?

Although the locations are lavish and the costumes are of average attractiveness (not excitingly memorable), the visual elements of the film are not enough to save it. (One of the most distracting visuals in the film is the wig design for the actresses, who look like they have muppets perched on their heads.) Merchant-Ivory films have a reputation for their art direction and exquisite costumes and sets, but we found The Golden Bowl to be far below the quality of other films created by this team.

The DVD boasts no features except a trailer. Even with such material as this to work with, at least a few featurettes could have been included, such as what it was like to work in such lavish surroundings. Commentaries are also usually quite interesting--even if the movie itself isn’t much to talk about, behind-the-scenes stories might have added a bit of entertainment when watching it. Even some cast biographies or something like that would have given the DVD a little substance.

In general, both the film and the DVD are a waste of time, materials, and talent. We don’t know why, but quite a few things obviously went very wrong with this movie’s creative process. What could have (and should have) been quite an impressive film ended up being more worthless than the damaged antique it is named for. Don’t buy it. Don’t rent it. Just stay away.