Review of The Age of Innocence (1993) by Jochen W — 20 Jul 2010

The acting, cinematography, & costumes are beautiful. However, most of the characters are so quietly malicious, it's difficult to watch. This combined with the slow pacing, make the film a little boring. This is what everyone says about this film though.

I recently noticed a couple of things about the film people don't always talk about, though. One, it's a really clumsy adaptation. Most of the character development, exposition, and a good chunk of the plot are TOLD to you by a narrator, rather than shown. While the narrator sums up 20 years of plot, the camera simple spins around an empty room. This goes one for about 2 minutes. Also, there are some weird scene transitions, wipes, and this really awkward moment when a big circular highlight is cast on the main characters and the rest o the room is dimmed. It's ineffective in a dramatic film, and I have expect Benny Hill music to start up!