Portrait of a Lady (1996). Photofest.
(Jane Campion, UK/US 1996, 144 min., 35mm)
Three years after the success of The Piano, director Jane Campion was granted the largest studio budget she would ever have and a cast full of renowned actors to bring her stylish interpretation of the Henry James novel to the screen. Campion herself made the perverse choice to adapt this novel, which some called “unfilmable.” Isabel Archer (Nicole Kidman) is an American heiress who sets off to Europe to find herself. Misguided choices find Isabel trapped in a loveless marriage, and in true Campion style, our heroine must come to terms with her poor decisions and make her way through the options left to her as a woman. Campion’s gift for imagery is able to visually express the passions lying hidden in the novel and explore the complexities of human nature in the characters. The strong cast includes John Malkovich, Barbara Hershey, Cristian Bale, and Viggo Mortensen.