My love for historical dramas led to this recommendation that I received in my review of The Gilded Age written a few days ago. So I decided to search for this film and watch it. I got two recommendations actually and will find the second one soon.
Washington Square (1997) is an American romance based on Henry James' novel of the same name. It's set in the 1850s before the Civil War and focuses on Catherine Sloper (played by Jennifer Jason Leigh), the daughter of a wealthy physician who almost gets engaged.
https://youtu.be/_Dovw7gfM_I?si=z2Nsw3j5apNxB87xSource: YouTube
Catherine is the only surviving child of Dr Sloper whose wife passed away after birthing Catherine. He sees her as a 'simple-minded' girl and seems to resent her while Catherine is sweet and always affectionate with her father. She's also wealthy, receiving $10,000 annually from her dead mother's estate.
Dr Sloper invites his sister, Lavinia Penniman (played by Maggie Smith), to care for Catherine as a chaperone and teach her social graces. Catherine's unexciting life dramatically changes when she meets handsome Morris Townsend (played by Ben Chaplin) at her cousin's engagement party. He begins to show genuine interest in her and Dr Sloper becomes sceptical, believing Morris wants Catherine for her money. Will Morris succeed in proving his love for Catherine and disproving Dr Sloper's notions?
Review
I love that the plot of this film is quaintly straightforward. I had expected something complicated yet fascinating but the way the story is told, it's easy to miss the main theme because it's subtle. The themes are love—storge and eros—and money, of course.
Catherine Sloper is shy and socially inept right from childhood but her heart is innocent. She showers her proud, egotistic and cruel father with childlike affectionate such that it bores him and makes him look down on her as though it's a foolish thing to do. Then comes along this charming young man who shows Catherine a different kind of love, and her eyes are opened to the reality of the life around her. It's a rude awakening that shapes her into a determined lady.
The cast's performance is excellent, especially Jennifer Jason Leigh. Her character is a complex one. She's shy and timid to the point of making viewers think she's a little retarded and doesn't know her own mind. Later she becomes bold, almost stubborn and determined. Ms Leigh pulls off these characteristics seamlessly and makes Catherine relatable.
Maggie Smith plays the role of the hilarious aunt and chaperone who loves romance and the melodrama that comes with it. I think this iconic actress had a delightful time acting her part. Albert Finney who plays Dr Sloper is good. He got a rise out of me for his condescending and cruel behaviour towards Catherine. Ben Chaplin is handsome as Morris Townsend and that's all there is to his character.
Also, the setting, photography and production design are superb. The scenes are few and confined mostly to Catherine and Dr Sloper's drawing room, Almond's house and few shots of places in Europe to denote the time Sloper takes Catherine on a European tour hoping to change her mind about Morris.
Overall, Washington Square is a fine story flawlessly told with compelling acting. It's the type of film you watch lounging with a bowl of popcorn. I've not read the novel and hope it's better. I enjoyed seeing this and recommend it to historical drama lovers. I'll give it 3 stars out of 5.
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Other images are screenshots from the movie
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