TheLittleSongbird The book is a masterpiece and this adaptation is almost up to that level, just as richly told and emotional. It is not the kind of adaptation that will suck people in straightaway but the slow pace and how subtle a lot of aspects are actually add to the storytelling rather than distract and shouldn't be reasons to dismiss it. While I can understand completely why not everybody will like The House of Mirth some of how the detractors express their opinion reek of ignorance, like with the I'm-right-you're-wrong attitude. The House of Mirth does have a slow start and Eric Stoltz's performance can seem rather lightweight for such a complex character, though he is not without his affecting moments. The casting does have the "is this going to work" thought initially but the performances come across really well. Laura Linney sinks her teeth into her role and is suitably bitter, Eleanor Bron is formidable, Dan Aykroyd also comes across surprisingly well in a menacing and cunning turn and Jodhi May is charming and sympathetic. Terry Kinney, Anthony LaPaglia, Penny Downie and Elizabeth McGovern are also very good. The best of the lot is Gillian Anderson, whose performance is magnetic and truly heartfelt, her last scene with Stoltz is just heart-wrenching. The House of Mirth is shot very elegantly and the whole adaptation's period detail looks gorgeous. The lack of music is a good choice, allowing the intimate, understated atmosphere of the storytelling speak for itself. The dialogue is distinctively Edwardian and very literate without being stilted, how it's adapted is very thoughtfully done and any observations of the attitudes and classes of the time are sharply done. The story takes its time to unfold which is not a bad thing, period dramas often benefit from this especially when it's adapted from complex source material, and thankfully this deliberate pacing is not done in a self-indulgent way. Narratively The House of Mirth is incredibly touching and rich in theme and character, allowing you to identify with the characters(written and characterised believably) and with the interactions and the emotion it always maintained my interest. The direction is very intelligent and subtle. All in all, a truly beautiful adaptation. 9/10 Bethany Cox

suzieiloveny As someone who has read the book and enjoyed it immensely I was looking forward to seeing the film. However, the very first moment of the movie, when we see Lily Bart I got really confused. I remember reading the first chapter, in which Wharton described her as stunningly beautiful, charming and blonde. I'm sorry but this was completely ruined by the actress. The way she talked and moved was extremely annoying, not to mention she was hardly beautiful, what is wrong with her mouth??? When reading the book I imagined someone like a hybrid between Grace Kelly and Veronica Lake. A graceful, sublime beauty. Not this annoying woman. The same goes for Seldon. Wasn't he supposed to be handsome too? Dear god, who the hell cast these people? This alone managed to ruin the movie for me. I would urge anyone to read the book, since it's masterfully written. But the movie is an abomination. Once again, Lily was meant to be a stunner!!!!!

Dan1863Sickles In Old New York, a lovely and exquisitely refined young woman without money, friends or family is slowly ground down and destroyed by the city's uncaring elite.Edith Wharton's classic novel works solely because Lily Bart is such a gentle, refined, and sensitive personality. Time after time, she does foolish, cowardly things -- but she is never coarse, cruel or vulgar. That is what sets her apart from the rest of New York society, and that is why she must die.Unfortunately, director Terence Davies and his star Gillian Anderson both fail to grasp Lily's essential charm. The Lily they create is dumber, lazier, weaker, and greedier than her literary prototype. Each classic scene is redone in a way that makes Lily less a sensitive soul and more a luckless tramp. Instead of being an angel fouled by gossip she's simply a sexy girl caught with her hand in the cookie jar.In the book when Lily and Lawrence Selden chat it's purely a meeting of kindred spirits. They enjoy each other's company, certainly. But there's no real sexual tension, let alone heavy breathing. In the movie Lily all but devours Selden with her eyes, and the effect is comic rather than tragic. Poor Lily looks so heated and rumpled leaving his flat that it's entirely reasonable for outsiders to get the wrong idea.The same problem mars Lily's relationship with the women in her set. In the book Lily falls in with cruel Bertha Dorsett only because she's naive and innocent. In the movie it's obvious that Lily longs for the luxuries and pleasures of being a perpetual house guest, especially when Bertha and Bertha's husband George are paying the bills. Watching Lily moan with pleasure on the massage table while sly Bertha promises her an extended Mediterranean cruise totally underlines the wrong point -- that Lily is weak and easily tempted, not refined and easily misled. And it's even more ridiculous when Lily's shown gorging herself on fruits and ices, resting in the shade while sly Bertha plants rumors in the ears of the gentlemen that she's easy and available! In the book Lily's story is excruciatingly sad. In the movie it's sleazy, tawdry, and often unintentionally funny. All in all this film is a classic example of what happens when a modern director completely fails to understand the spirit of classic literature.

toddstlmo This was the absolute *Worst* movie I've ever watched. Yes, the scenery was nice, the costuming was fairly good, and the story line may have been a realistic portrayal of the powerlessness of women in that time period. However, the movie was not quite as exciting as watching paint dry, and significantly more depressing. Sooooo terribly Boring! And did I mention, depressing? How about depressingly boring? Imagine something like a root canal, without the fun and excitement, but lasting for hours on end. I couldn't muster the willpower to care about the characters, hoping that somehow the plot would lead *somewhere* - but it didn't. Last but not least, let's face it, the accents didn't cut the mustard. If you consider "Jane Eyre" to be an edge-of-your-seat action/adventure novel that you just couldn't put down, then this movie is for you! Everyone else, *please* do yourself a favor - don't watch this movie! If you ignore my review and watch it anyway, and if you have the fortitude to stay awake to the end, and if you manage not to hang or eviscerate yourself out of sheer depression, you will still curse yourself for not heeding this warning and wasting almost 2 & 1/2 hours of your life!