Bostonians, The (1984)
Director(s): James Ivory
Theatrical Release: 1984
Cast: Christopher Reeve, Vanessa Redgrave, Madeleine Potter, Jessica Tandy, Nancy Marchand, Linda Hunt
Genre(s): Drama, period piece
Countries: United Kingdom
Location in store: United Kingdom / Irish Cinema
IN
(1 / 1)
Running Time:
122m.
Adapted by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala from the novel by Henry James, Merchant/Ivory's The Bostonians is set among the Back Bay uppercrust of the 19th century. Basil Ransom (Christopher Reeve), bored by his opulent lifestyle and his "proper" friends, is fascinated by his cousin, outspoken suffragette Olive Chancellor (Vanessa Redgrave). Basil and Olive's mutual friend is likeable, gregarious Verena Tannant (Madeleine Potter). Soon a triangle develops, albeit an unorthodox one: Basil and Olive both find themselves pursuing Verena, Basil because he is in love with her, and Olive because she wants to exploit Verena's social connections and gift for public speaking to promote her own political ideology. Lurking in the background is Verena's true love, poor-but-honest attorney Henry Burrage (John Van Ness). (allmovie.com)
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Merchant Ivory Collection DVD Special Features:
! New digital transfer, enhanced for widescreen televisions
! Conversation With the Filmmakers, part of a new series of interviews with Ismail Merchant, James Ivory, and Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
! Original theatrical trailer
! English subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired
Adapted by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala from the novel by Henry James, Merchant/Ivory's The Bostonians is set among the Back Bay uppercrust of the 19th century. Basil Ransom (Christopher Reeve), bored by his opulent lifestyle and his "proper" friends, is fascinated by his cousin, outspoken suffragette Olive Chancellor (Vanessa Redgrave). Basil and Olive's mutual friend is likeable, gregarious Verena Tannant (Madeleine Potter). Soon a triangle develops, albeit an unorthodox one: Basil and Olive both find themselves pursuing Verena, Basil because he is in love with her, and Olive because she wants to exploit Verena's social connections and gift for public speaking to promote her own political ideology. Lurking in the background is Verena's true love, poor-but-honest attorney Henry Burrage (John Van Ness). (allmovie.com)
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Merchant Ivory Collection DVD Special Features:
! New digital transfer, enhanced for widescreen televisions
! Conversation With the Filmmakers, part of a new series of interviews with Ismail Merchant, James Ivory, and Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
! Original theatrical trailer
! English subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired
