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The Bostonians is a 1984 British romantic drama film based on Henry James's novel The Bostonians. It was adapted by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. The film stars Vanessa Redgrave, Christopher Reeve, Madeleine Potter and Jessica Tandy. The movie received respectable reviews and showings at arthouse theaters in New York, London and other cities. Vanessa Redgrave received 1984 Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations for Best Actress, and the movie earned other award nominations for its costume design.
| The Bostonians | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | James Ivory |
| Produced by | Ismail Merchant |
| Written by | Ruth Prawer Jhabvala |
| Based on | The Bostonians by Henry James |
| Starring | Christopher Reeve Vanessa Redgrave Jessica Tandy Madeleine Potter Nancy Marchand Wesley Addy Barbara Bryne Linda Hunt Charles McCaughan Nancy New John Van Ness Philip Wallace Shawn |
| Music by | Richard Robbins |
| Cinematography | Walter Lassally |
| Distributed by | Almi Pictures (USA) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 122 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $1,009,700 |
Screenplay
The film is set among the Back Bay uppercrust of the 19th century. Basil Ransom (Christopher Reeve), bored by his opulent lifestyle and his "proper" friends, is fascinated by his cousin, outspoken suffragette Olive Chancellor (Vanessa Redgrave). Basil and Olive's mutual friend is likeable, gregarious Verena Tannant (Madeleine Potter). Soon a triangle develops, albeit an unorthodox one: Basil and Olive both find themselves pursuing Verena, Basil because he is in love with her, and Olive because she wants to exploit Verena's social connections (although some have thought she was also a lesbian, but did not know it) and use Verena's gift for public speaking to promote her own political ideology. Lurking in the background is Verena's true love, poor-but-honest attorney Henry Burrage (John Van Ness).
- Christopher Reeve as Basil Ransom
- Vanessa Redgrave as Olive Chancellor
- Jessica Tandy as Miss Birdseye
- Madeleine Potter as Verena Tarrant
- Nancy Marchand as Mrs. Burrage
- Wesley Addy as Dr. Tarrant
- Barbara Bryne as Mrs. Tarrant
- Linda Hunt as Dr. Prance
- Charles McCaughan as Music Hall Police Officer
- Nancy New as Adeline
- John Van Ness Philip as Henry Burrage
- Wallace Shawn as Mr. Pardon
1985 National Society of Film Critics
- Won: Best Actress - Vanessa Redgrave
1985 Golden Globes
- Nominated: Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama - Vanessa Redgrave
1985 Academy Awards
- Nominated: Best Actress in a Leading Role - Vanessa Redgrave
- Nominated: Best Costume Design - Jenny Beavan, John Bright
1985 BAFTA Awards
- Nominated: Best Costume Design - Jenny Beavan, John Bright
Roger Ebert praised the film, giving it 3 out of 3 stars and observing:
...intelligent and subtle and open to the underlying tragedy of a woman who does not know what she wants, a man who does not care what he wants, and a girl who does not need what she wants.
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an 80% approval rating.
This film was principally photographed at:
- The Library of the Boston Athenaeum
- Gibson House Museum
- Beacon Hill, Boston
- Harvard University
- Chateau-sur-Mer, Newport, Rhode Island
- Troy Savings Bank Music Hall
- Central Park (including Belvedere Castle), New York City
- Martha's Vineyard
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