19世紀アメリカ、ボストン。女性の権利を主張する美しい女性が恋に落ちて……。ヘンリー・ジェイムズの原作を映画化。主義と恋愛感情の間で苦悩する主人公をヴァネッサ・レッドグレーヴが好演。
監督: James Ivory
脚本: ルース・プラワー・ジャブヴァーラ / Henry James
音楽: Richard Robbins
制作: Michael S. Landes / Albert Schwartz / Ismail Merchant
撮影監督: Walter Lassally
There's a lovely line in this otherwise unremarkable adaptation of the Henry James novel from Vanessa Redgrave who announces something along the lines of being eternally grateful for not having the vote! It did make me smile. That, sadly, is about all that did as we trudge through this stylish but turgid story of the embryonic American suffragette movement. Amidst this struggle for enfranchisement, the bright "Verena" (Madeleine Potter) is facing the affections of the more traditional "Basil" (Christopher Reeve), himself a man who she ought to have little time for. Might there be the slightest chance that something might develop between them? Initially, there is some sparky conversation amongst the well-heeled citizens and there is potency in some of the dialogue, but boy - after about half an hour the whole things slows to a glacial pace; is seriously over-written and even the usually charismatic Jessica Tandy ("Miss Birdseye") struggles to breath life into what ought to have been a sharp and wittily constructed dramatisation of a story about politics, empowerment and - yes, romance too. Reeve is as wooden as a washboard which doesn't help and though Potter does give it her all, the film just lacks spark, pace or oomph. As ever with Merchant Ivory films, the things looks a million dollars, but there's no excusing the weaknesses all around here and it takes for ever, too.
