Load of rubbish!!

just watch it!

I have absolutely never seen anything like this movie before. You have to see this movie.

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

Can I please have those two hours of my life back?This movie was really much ado about nothing. So they had an affair; a common occurrence among the rich aristocrats of the time. Yes, her being the friend of his wife made it worse but the father and daughter had their own affair going on. One might ask what kind but it seemed rather incestuous, even if only emotionally.I found the young wife so annoying. She's so one dimensional; like her father = yawn. Her constant suspicions and then when she does confront and learn the truth, she is over it in a heartbeat all because he writes her one love letter. *Rolling my eyes*And they made such a big deal about when and where to sleep together it was ludicrous... especially when the hostess had hand picked them to stay over an extra day to enable them the time alone together (as she was having her own fun).For them to go out of their way to find an Inn was so far fetched. Those old mansions were known to have back doors and hidden doors... and so if they wanted to rendezvous they simply would have on site which was much less risky than going off to an Inn risking being seen, etc...Plus to come home so late, missing dinner even made it much more obvious.In those days when they had those parties every body was sleeping with everyone else and it wasn't a big deal. Sure it was a big deal to the odd partner but they did it discreetly enough that no one knew to see it, it was behind doors. But this movie took such a simple act of them sleeping together once in five years and dragging it out into some production it was annoying.Then the rest of the movie which was very long was just the wife being suspicious and upset, etc... and the golden bowl being delivered and the store owner telling her these details about seeing her husband there with her friend and that they seemed married. Pleeeease = Such a stretch!In those days, a store owner would know that discretion was paramount to good business and there's just no way he would go into someone's house, unattended and start studying photos and collectibles to even see those pictures to identify them as a couple and then to share that info was also ludicrous.So the story was flawed and not at all an accurate depiction of the times and I found it unbearable and I kept checking the clock and I almost ditched it when there was an hour left but I thought perhaps it would improve, maybe the affair would get steamy, or something interesting would happen.But nothing interesting ever did happen. It's a boring movie. It's a bad movie. Spend two hours of your life watching something worthwhile.

Charlotte Slant, an penniless American socialite, left her country to settle in Europe. This way, perhaps, her reduced means would go further in the Europe of the last part of the XIX century. In Florence, she meets, and falls in love, with an impoverished Italian prince. They become lovers, but neither one has the money to live well in the society both loved. When Charlotte goes to London, her good friend Fanny Assingham, an American with a lot of social connections, has a plan to marry her to Adam Verver, the first American billionaire, whose own daughter, Maggie, happened to be Charlotte's friend.Amerigo had followed Charlotte to England, but he was seeing Maggie, a possible meal ticket, a way out for his money problems. One day, Charlotte and Amerigo visited an antique shop where they found a gorgeous vase decorated with gold. The owner tells them it is a perfect piece. The price though, kept it out of her budget, besides, she was not completely sure Maggie would like it. Amerigo's marriage to Maggie is a match made in heaven for Adam, who now can add a noble title to his future grandchildren.Maggie and Amerigo divided their time between the house in London and her father's splendid palace he rents in Leicestershire. Charlotte, now married to the older Adam, had not stopped loving Amerigo. Their passion is stronger, if anything. One week-end Charlotte and Amerigo go to a country estate where a celebration is happening. When they are to return to London, they decide to stay overnight at Gloucester, where they spend the night at an out of the way inn. Maggie is worried, but when they reappear, Amerigo explains how they wanted to see the magnificent cathedral. In doing so, he mentions something he has not the correct answer. Who is buried at the cathedral? Was it Richard II, or Edward II? Maggie, who obviously knows the answer is upset.Maggie, shopping at the antique shop is offered the golden bowl. The owner explains she can have it for less since he discovered a flaw in the crystal. When the merchant goes to deliver the piece, he notices the picture of Amerigo and Charlotte on a table. He mentions to Maggie this was the couple interested in buying the precious vase a few years ago. Maggie realizes the deception. Adam, noticing his daughter's distress, decides it is time for him to go back to America where he is building a museum to house all his European treasures. Charlotte, reluctantly, is made to go. In spite of her distaste for her native country, Charlotte will become a bigger socialite because of Adam's money, but in the process, she loses Amerigo.If there was anyone meant to bring Henry James' novel to the screen, it was James Ivory, a man that had made excellent adaptations of mostly English classic authors. The adaptation was entrusted to Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, an usual collaborator, who had done well transferring the original works into cinematic terms. Unfortunately, this venture did not pay off the same way that most of the other efforts did. Part of the blame must go into the casting of the four principal roles, and the almost static staging of the novel. Henry James' work presents some difficulty for the transfer to the screen.Uma Thurman is a ravishing creature. Her Charlotte is not exactly what one would have thought it could be. Complicating matters, there is no chemistry between her and Amerigo. Jeremy Northam's accent is not convincing for a noble Italian prince. Nick Nolte, who had worked with Mr. Ivory before, has a minor role. Kate Beckingsale, as Maggie is also not at her best. The only one that seems at ease is Anjelica Huston, whose Fanny is the best thing in the picture, but she is only a minor character.The film is gorgeously photographed in authentic settings. Tony Pierce-Roberts' camera captures those great places in all its splendor. The musical score is by Richard Robbins.

Prince Amerigo (Jeremy Northam) has a castle on the verge of ruin and empty pockets. Although he lusts after a poor but beautiful lady named Charlotte, he decides to marry her very rich friend instead. His new wife, Maggie, is a lovely, innocent human being, totally unspoiled by wealth. Maggie hopes to see her widowed father happily remarried and encourages his interest in Charlotte. It happens. Charlotte agrees to marry America's first billionaire, what a tough gig. But, why? Does she have any affection for Maggie's father? Or does she want to stay in close contact with Amerigo? It seems the latter, for Charlotte and the Prince go everywhere together, now that it is acceptable for two "relatives" to gad about. What is happening here? The book was written over 100 years ago but this story of human nature shows that very little changes under the sun. Northam and Thurman excel as the egocentric and evil humans who are so very lovely to look upon, it hurts. Beckinsale and Nolte likewise give nice turns as the folks who still have hearts beating in their breasts, despite their riches. As period pieces go, the costuming, the scenery, the staging, and the cinematography here are sumptuous. True, the pace is somewhat slow and the tale is intricate and subtle, requiring a repeat viewing, perhaps. However, Merchant and Ivory fans and non-fans will be rewarded by sitting through this timeless and tantalizing tale. If anyone wants to arrange for friends to share a movie evening together, the Bowl will have everyone talking.

"The Golden Bowl" felt more like recent Edith Wharton adaptations like "Age of Innocence" and "House of Mirth" than its Henry James provenance, because the focus is more on the social criticism of a society that forces the impecunious upper class into marriage with pecunious upstarts than the individual faults of people this hypocritical society produces.But maybe my mind wandered as this was a bit over-long as I seemed to have missed some crucial epiphany when characters changed their relationships where they find true love a manipulable characteristic -- with the audience responding with sharp intakes of breath.I was surprised how good Uma Thurman was in a costume drama as I had thought of her only as a modernist, while I thought Nick Nolte far too subdued to be a robber baron.The costumes and settings were gorgeous.The audience was typical Merchant/Ivory fans -- the woman on my right chastised me during the opening credits for eating my popcorn too loudly, while the guy on my left was snoring almost as soon as the movie started.(originally written 5/13/2001)