The Wings of the Dove

Kate Croy, left without money in London, lives under her aunt's protection and is not permitted to marry Merton, a journalist. They meet Millie, rich, American and mortally ill. Kate makes a plan: Merton will grow close to Millie, inherit when she dies, and then they will marry. The plan works. The problem is that everyone begins genuinely to feel. The film is not interested in intrigue. It is interested in calculation ruining feeling: Kate makes the plan herself and cannot carry its result. Its final scene is not an explanation but two people who can no longer be in the same room. The form is period production: London in 1910, the canals of Venice, heavy fabrics and dark interiors. The photography prefers shadow to the customary brightness of costume films. Iain Softley directed, from Henry James's novel. The adaptation simplifies the plot and shows sexuality openly, which sets it apart among James adaptations. Helena Bonham Carter plays Kate and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress; the film was also nominated for its screenplay, costumes and cinematography. Linus Roache plays Merton and Alison Elliott plays Millie. Who it is for: viewers who like period drama and adaptations of Henry James. Who it is not for: anyone wanting pace. The film is slow, the Venice section is long, and its characters' decisions are made with looks rather than words.