Washington Square

Agnieszka Holland's wan version of Henry James' novella demonstrates conclusively that fidelity to the source material does not a superior adaptation make. James' drama is internalized, for the most part, eschewing pithy dialogue a la Austen or gothic melodrama a la the Brontes, so the only reliable way to convey his characters' heady emotions onscreen is to completely re-imagine the material. That's exactly what Ruth and Augustus Goetz did with their stage adaptation, The Heiress, which was beautifully filmed by William Wyler back in 1949; while it sometimes subverts James' themes, especially in its invented conclusion, it also achieves a dramatic power that Holland's more faithful version sorely lacks. With actors like Jennifer Jason Leigh (a bit too fluttery at first, she gradually settles into a more believable and affecting frailty), Albert Finney, and Maggie Smith in the cast, Washington Square isn't a total, um, wash, but Holland's attempts to pump up the volume with cheap devices like the opening trick shot (stolen outright from the opening shot of The Birdcage, where it was almost as meaningless) are transparently feeble. And hunky Ben Chaplin, as the enigmatic Morris Townsend, is way out of his depth. Not unwatchable by any means, but hardly necessary, or even welcome. Optional. (M D'Angelo) [Blu-ray/DVD Review—Jan. 15, 2019—Kino Lorber, 115 min., PG, DVD: $14.95, Blu-ray: $29.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and debut on Blu-ray, 1997’s Washington Square features a fine transfer with a DTS-HD 2.0 soundtrack on the Blu-ray release. Extras include audio commentary by director Agnieszka Holland. Bottom line: an uneven adaptation of a work by the notoriously difficult-to-adapt author Henry James, this at least looks nice on Blu-ray.]