Though overswamped with authentic period decor (and dishware) in too many scenes, Martin Scorsese's The Age of Innocence is an adroit, easy-to-follow adaptation of Edith Wharton's 1920 novel. Set in the upper circles of New York society in the 1870s, the film stars Daniel Day-Lewis as Newland Archer, a proper gentleman who falls in love with demure but fascinating socialite Countess Ellen Olenska (Michelle Pfeiffer). Newland would like to marry her, but he is prevented from doing so: she is in the process of getting a divorce, and as such is socially unacceptable. He takes the somewhat dull May Welland (Winona Ryder) as his consolation bride, all the while hoping for a reunion with Ellen. The affair-by all indications a very chaste one-takes place, but Ellen eventually sends him back to May, who turns out not to be as na?ve or easily led as she seems. Scorcese's meticulous production values are complemented by the velvety offscreen narration of Joanne Woodward, whose spirited "presence" helps this very long film move apace. The film won a "best costume design" Academy Award, while screenwriters Scorsese and Jay Cocks and actress Wynona Rider received nominations. See if you can spot Scorsese and his parents in cameo roles-and also watch for that anachronistic pack of breath mints in Michelle Pfeiffer's purse! An earlier, long-unseen version of The Age of Innocence, filmed in 1934 and starring Irene Dunne and John Boles, was restored for TV showings in 1996.
