The Bostonians (film)


The Bostonians is a 1984 British romantic drama film based on Henry James' 1886 novel The Bostonians. It was adapted by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. The film stars Vanessa Redgrave, Christopher Reeve, Madeleine Potter, and Jessica Tandy. The movie received respectable reviews and showings at arthouse theaters in New York, London and other cities. The film received Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations for Redgrave's performance and its costume design.

Plot

The film is set among the Back Bay uppercrust of the 19th century. Basil Ransom, bored by his opulent lifestyle and his "proper" friends, is fascinated by his cousin, outspoken suffragette Olive Chancellor. Basil and Olive's mutual friend is likeable, gregarious Verena Tannant. Soon a triangle develops, albeit an unorthodox one: Basil and Olive both find themselves pursuing Verena, Basil because he is in love with her, and Olive because she wants to exploit Verena's social connections and use Verena's gift for public speaking to promote her own political ideology. Lurking in the background is Verena's true love, poor-but-honest attorney Henry Burrage.

Cast

[1984 [National Society of Film Critics Awards|National Society of Film Critics Awards]]

praised the film, giving it 3 out of 4 stars and observing:

...intelligent and subtle and open to the underlying tragedy of a woman who does not know what she wants, a man who does not care what he wants, and a girl who does not need what she wants.

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an 83% approval rating based on 12 reviews, with an average rating of 6.58/10.

Location

This film was principally photographed at: