The Wings of the Dove . Newcity Chicago . 10-13-97

The Wings of the Dove

DIRECTED BY: Iain Softley

REVIEWED: 10-13-97

While Helena Bonham Carter came to attention as a face seemingly transported from another century in movies such as "Room with a View," her flashing eyes and quick smile make her modern roles, such as in "Mighty Aphrodite" or "Portraits Chinois," equally convincing and unexpected treats.

In the film adaptation of Henry James' "The Wings of the Dove," the 32-year-old actress is given her largest role yet, and she manages to pull off a particular coup: seeming utterly modern in a plush, moody period piece set early in the century. Making the rounds at the Toronto Film Festival, Bonham Carter's hair is short and spiky, and she's come in for no small amount of grief from writers who don't appreciate the look. (The same journos seem much more impressed by an explicit, emotionally devastating nude scene late in the movie than by the actress in the flesh.)

When asked if she's read James' cross-class dissection of English society, the chain-smoking actress reveals her secret to working in adaptations: "To be absolutely frank, I didn't really read it. I did sort of labor through about two-thirds of it and then I realized that the eyes were going across the page but not much was going on besides. During the week of rehearsal, we were all avoiding the subject of the book and then we realized that none of us read it! I got as much as I could from the book, but it is a very free adaptation. Thank God! We had a great script and that's what we were making, not the book."

--Ray Pride

Interviews
The Wings of the Dove
The Wings of the Dove
The Wings of the Dove

Full Length Reviews
The Wings of the Dove
The Wings of the Dove
The Wings of the Dove
The Wings of the Dove
The Wings of the Dove
The Wings of the Dove

Capsule Reviews
The Wings of the Dove
The Wings of the Dove
The Wings of the Dove

Film Vault Suggested Links
Carrington
Kama Sutra
Kissed

Rate this Film
If you don't want to vote on a film yet, and would like to know how others voted, leave the rating selection as "Vote Here" and then click the Cast Vote button.