The Wings of the Dove

It's depressing to consider, but the truth is that this is the best of the recent Henry James movies precisely because it's the most shallow and superficial--because it goes to the least effort to capture the essence of James' genius. Seem paradoxical? That's the trouble with adaptations of great novels: it's almost impossible to do them justice in terms of psychological and thematic complexity, so the best you can hope for is that the movie version will be simplified to the point where it bears little resemblance to its source, apart from basic plot details. Director Iain Softley and screenwriter Hossein Amini have gutted the novel, following Hemingway's dictum "take out all the good lines, and see if it still works," and this one does. In addition to a lucid, fierce performance by Helena Bonham Carter, it's got a terrific pitch: desperate woman (Bonham Carter) under thumb of cruel benefactor (Charlotte Rampling) loves poor working-class fellow (Priest star Linus Roache), can't live without money, manipulates lover into affair with rich dying American (Alison Elliott of The Underneath, insufficiently beguiling) so they can inherit her dough and live happily ever after. The result isn't remotely James, but believe me--that's a good thing. Recommended. (M D'Angelo)