david-lambourne This film has much to recommend it, including great performances by both leading actresses. Unfortunately it is unlikely to be watched by anyone but fans of Henry James' novels, and they will find it unsatisfactory in most of the ways that count. The symbolism comes over as creakingly obvious, and some of the performances -- Nick Nolte's in particular -- are mannered in a way that does not work in a naturalistic medium. There is a scene in which he sheds a sentimental tear that I found unbearably fake. An even more toe-curling moment comes when James Fox makes a snorting whahay! noise as he cuddles up with Angelica Huston. She however provides the most Jamesian performance of them all, cool, intelligent, principled, and yet irretrievably corrupt. Kate Beckinsale is perfect in the part of Maggie, a John Singer Sergeant portrait come to life. Uma Thurman as Charlotte provides the required blend of sexuality and desperation. But the impact of these performances is all too often dissipated by heavy-handed direction and an over-insistence on significance at the expense of naturalism. The loaded set pieces like the swashbuckling scene of Italian erotic intrigue and the peculiar oriental mime are unnecessary and laboured to death. The comic song at the Matcham weekend is incredibly irritating and yet it is brought back in over and over again. Overall the film succeeds in capturing the sense of the destructive power of the Ververs with their enormous wealth and passion for collecting things -- people as well as objects. But it does so with an over-reliance on artifice. Unfortunately much the same is true of the novel, as it is of late James in general. This project was doomed from the start.

Chrysanthepop Having loved the splendid 'Howard's End' and the delightful 'A Room With A View', I always look forward to a Merchant Ivory film no matter what the outcome. 'The Golden Bowl' does not reach the level of the aforementioned two films but it still was a good watch. Ivory does successfully manage to create a feel of that time period. The sets and costumes look quite authentic. Through subtle references one can see how James Ivory has been influenced by classic movies. The story is about complex relationships, between a father and his daughter, between two former lovers and between husbands and wives. The characters are very well etched and layered and it is the mystery of these characters that has intrigued me the most. How long has Verver known about Amerigo and Charlotte's relationship? Since when has Maggie known? Did Charlotte have any feelings at all for Verver? The film does move at a slightly tedious pace but it picks up when Maggie starts suspecting the relationship between Charlotte and Amerigo. Northam's Amerigo takes some getting used to. I found him funny initially but once one is passed that he's quite good and terrific in the scenes where he's restrained. Uma Thurman sizzles. Charlotte may come across as a temptress at times but Thurman portrays her vulnerability and despair with gusto. Kate Beckinsale is equally fantastic. Hats off to Nick Nolte for a studied and subtle performance of a father who has to make the ultimate sacrifice in order to save his daughter's marriage. Angelica Huston makes herself noticeable. 'The Golden Bowl' may not be the best of Ivory Merchant but it's still an interesting period drama a fascinating study of characters.

John Holden Merchant-Ivory-Jhabvala films are mostly pretentious, precious, coy, and overlong. Scenes, glances, stares, long shots, and dialogues seem to be designed for length=art. I appreciate some of MIP but overall find it artsy.James was a great novelist but most of his later works ponderous and captious to the extreme.James & MIP are much alike and combining MIP with James can be a disaster eg. The Bostonians.Golden Bowl was a pleasant surprise. Thurman, usually nicely understated, overacts; Northam, typically in control of his role, isn't; Nolte is out of time and place; Beckinsale, a fluffy TV actress, is clear in her character and does a nice job.It all works (except maybe Nolte).It's a bit modernized: James had his characters "making love" via a quick glance; Northam drives Thurman towards orgasm with his hand in her crotch.It's almost as if MIP decided to make a crisp and tough film version of James. Or perhaps they saw themselves in James and overreacted. In any case, it's a decent movie overall and mostly worth seeing.

Rosie This film was pretty bad. Uma Thurman was painfully bad in a hysterical over-the-top performance, Jeremy Northam - who I usually love - had this really weird Italian accent going on and Kate Beckinsale and Nick Nolte, while giving decent performances, were just boring. It's a combination of boring characters and characters which are just awful – and not in the fun Dangerous Liaisons kind of way – that make this film kind of painful in a "I can't believe I stayed up until 2:00am watching this crap" way. I only gave it a 3 because some of the scenery is very pretty to look at. If you are a huge Henry James fan, then you might want to give it a try, otherwise, run! Run far away!!