Washington Square

Catherine, the daughter of a wealthy New York doctor, is shy, awkward and constantly belittled by her father. He lost his wife in childbirth and has never forgiven his daughter for it. One day the handsome and penniless Morris begins courting her. The father is certain the man is only after the inheritance and tells Catherine so outright. The subject is not love but the father's contempt for his daughter being proved right. The doctor is probably telling the truth; but the way he says it convinces her she was never worth loving. That is the real tragedy. The form is restrained for a period production. Heavy interiors, a still camera, dark colour. Agnieszka Holland does not inflate the emotional scenes with music. The source is Henry James's novel. The same book was filmed in 1949 as The Heiress and that version is considered a classic; this adaptation makes the comparison unavoidable and builds Catherine as less a victim and more a difficult person. Jennifer Jason Leigh plays Catherine, Albert Finney the father, Ben Chaplin plays Morris and Maggie Smith the aunt. Who it is for: viewers who like period adaptations and James. Who it is not for: anyone who knows the 1949 version; the comparison works against this film.