The Wings of the Dove (B+ or 3.5/4 stars)
London, 1910: an impoverished British woman named Kate (Helena Bonham Carter) goes to live with her cultured, wealthy aunt (Charlotte Rampling) in 'The Wings of the Dove', directed by Iain Softley. Kate's mother has died, & her father (Michael Gambon) has no $$. So, with her aunt, Kate hopes to get back on the right social & monetary track by finding a suitable husband. But to achieve this, she must adhere to one specific condition: that she sever a relationship with her fiance/lover, Merton (Linus Roache); a lowly journalist. Kate reluctantly agrees to the condition & becomes fast friends with an American heiress named Millie (Alison Elliott); she is in England for health reasons. To temporarily escape from her stature-conscious aunt, Kate accompanies Millie on a trip to Venice.
Meanwhile, Merton gets word of this trip, & in desperate fashion, crashes a party that the two women are attending in Venice. Millie takes an instant liking to him. And when Kate discovers that Millie is both attracted to her ex AND fatally ill, she plots for Millie to make a play for him (Millie doesn't know the history btwn. Kate & Merton). If Merton marries Allie, upon her eventual death, he would inherit the riches and social status that Kate's aunt so desires for her. Can Merton hold out for Kate if & when Millie ever dies? Will Kate obtain both the privileged life of her aunt AND the lover she can't live without. Faced with this moral dilemma, & loving both Merton and Millie, can Kate have her cake & eat it, too? Or will Kate damage everyone's lives that she's touched?
'The Wings of the Dove' shows how the consequences of each character's actions destroy their own psyches. Don't go into this film looking for a cheery ending. It's not a happy story, but it IS memorable, offering intriguing characters (ambiguous, even), gorgeous cinematography, beautiful sets, period costuming, witty dialogue & astute acting. When I say memorable, I mean ... it has lingered in my mind for days now. I love these types of immersive movies; sad or not. And when I mention the cinematography, it must be said that both the indoor & outdoor depictions of turn-of-the-century London & Venice are magical. The locales & the people in them are shot with soft lighting, interesting angles (lots of close-ups) & nostalgic wonderment.
This is a seductive film; drawing you in to the characters at hand. And the acting on display is tender, dense & revelatory. I mentioned close-ups before. I've never seen such raw, subtle, psychological depictions of the human mind as expressed on the faces of the characters in this film. And the characters, at hand, are something else. Kate is a flawed woman who desires both wealth & love. Her plot to join Merton with Millie is distasteful & calculated, but she's not a cruel person. And watching her make minor mistake after minor mistake after minor mistake is quietly devastating. Helena Bonham Carter really makes us both like & dislike Kate; a very hard thing to accomplish. Her morals, like some others in the film, are all mixed up.
You've also got Merton, a seemingly kind, vulnerable young man who actually must share some of the responsibility of what he's doing to Millie, as well. And Millie, seeming to be the classic, helpless victim, is actually much stronger (we find) by the end of the film than we could have imagined. The linearity/arcs that these characters go on prevent us from predicting just who they are as human beings. Watching these 3 try to figure one another out is fascinating. 'The Wings of the Dove' is a slow potboiler of a movie; leading to a dubious climactic scene. It's thoughtful, slow, unevenly paced, but still a great film about the simultaneous excitement & danger of social climbing, forbidden love, friendship, loyalty & betrayal.
Meanwhile, Merton gets word of this trip, & in desperate fashion, crashes a party that the two women are attending in Venice. Millie takes an instant liking to him. And when Kate discovers that Millie is both attracted to her ex AND fatally ill, she plots for Millie to make a play for him (Millie doesn't know the history btwn. Kate & Merton). If Merton marries Allie, upon her eventual death, he would inherit the riches and social status that Kate's aunt so desires for her. Can Merton hold out for Kate if & when Millie ever dies? Will Kate obtain both the privileged life of her aunt AND the lover she can't live without. Faced with this moral dilemma, & loving both Merton and Millie, can Kate have her cake & eat it, too? Or will Kate damage everyone's lives that she's touched?
'The Wings of the Dove' shows how the consequences of each character's actions destroy their own psyches. Don't go into this film looking for a cheery ending. It's not a happy story, but it IS memorable, offering intriguing characters (ambiguous, even), gorgeous cinematography, beautiful sets, period costuming, witty dialogue & astute acting. When I say memorable, I mean ... it has lingered in my mind for days now. I love these types of immersive movies; sad or not. And when I mention the cinematography, it must be said that both the indoor & outdoor depictions of turn-of-the-century London & Venice are magical. The locales & the people in them are shot with soft lighting, interesting angles (lots of close-ups) & nostalgic wonderment.
This is a seductive film; drawing you in to the characters at hand. And the acting on display is tender, dense & revelatory. I mentioned close-ups before. I've never seen such raw, subtle, psychological depictions of the human mind as expressed on the faces of the characters in this film. And the characters, at hand, are something else. Kate is a flawed woman who desires both wealth & love. Her plot to join Merton with Millie is distasteful & calculated, but she's not a cruel person. And watching her make minor mistake after minor mistake after minor mistake is quietly devastating. Helena Bonham Carter really makes us both like & dislike Kate; a very hard thing to accomplish. Her morals, like some others in the film, are all mixed up.
You've also got Merton, a seemingly kind, vulnerable young man who actually must share some of the responsibility of what he's doing to Millie, as well. And Millie, seeming to be the classic, helpless victim, is actually much stronger (we find) by the end of the film than we could have imagined. The linearity/arcs that these characters go on prevent us from predicting just who they are as human beings. Watching these 3 try to figure one another out is fascinating. 'The Wings of the Dove' is a slow potboiler of a movie; leading to a dubious climactic scene. It's thoughtful, slow, unevenly paced, but still a great film about the simultaneous excitement & danger of social climbing, forbidden love, friendship, loyalty & betrayal.