The golden bowl

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Movie
German title The golden bowl
Original title The Golden Bowl
Country of production USA , France , UK
original language English
Publishing year 2000
length 125 minutes
Age rating FSK 6
Rod
Director James Ivory
script Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
production Paul Bradley , Richard Hawley , Ismail Merchant
music Richard Robbins
camera Tony Pierce-Roberts
cut John David Allen
occupation

The golden bowl (original title: The Golden Bowl ) is an American - French - British film drama directed by James Ivory from the year 2000. The plot is based on the novel of the same title by Henry James from 1904.

action

At the beginning of the film it is shown how one of the ancestors of Prince Amerigo catches his wife with the stepson red-handed and kills them both. Amerigo tells this story to his lover Charlotte Stant while they tour his property in Italy.

England in the first years after the turn of the 20th century. A small group of wealthy Americans spends time idling in London and on mansions. They are joined by the impoverished aristocrat Amerigo, who has traveled from Italy, fears for the continued existence of his palazzo in need of renovation in Rome and hopes for a rich marriage. On the mediation of Fanny Assingham, he finally married Maggie Verver, daughter of the widowed American billionaire Adam Verver. He made his fortune with fossil fuels , withdrew from the business and is now active in Europe as an art collector of important works by old masters . His goal is to use the acquisitions to create a museum in his hometown of American City. Charlotte, a former school friend of Maggie's, joins the circle. What no one except Fanny knows: Charlotte and Amerigo once had a passionate affair in Rome that did not lead to marriage due to both lack of assets. The two still feel erotically drawn to each other. Charlotte marries Adam Verver so that she can continue to be with her lover. Amerigo and Charlotte secretly continue their relationship on Charlotte's initiative and after Amerigo's initial scruples - favored by the close relationship between father and daughter, who tend to avoid parties and events, prefer to enjoy their togetherness and let their respective spouses go to parties alone. Fanny and Adam also suspect the affair, but hold back out of consideration for the gullible and naive Maggie.

Five years go by and Amerigo and Maggie now have a son. Maggie discovered her husband's affair by chance when, as a present for her father, she bought the precious gold-plated bowl made of lead crystal , which Charlotte once wanted to buy as a wedding present from an antique dealer in London three days before Maggie's wedding . The dealer can still remember Charlotte and Amerigo very well, as lovers. He discovers a photo of them in the salon as he personally brings the bowl to Maggie to tell her that it is cracked and therefore costs less than previously agreed. Maggie is hysterical when she realizes that Amerigo and Charlotte were already dating before her and Amerigo's wedding. The randomly present Fanny lets the Corpus Delicti shatter on the floor. Maggie confronts Amerigo about his infidelity. He shows himself repentant, decides in favor of Maggie and their son and finally rejects the devastated Charlotte. Because of the great love for Amerigo and out of consideration for her father, Maggie does not reveal anything to him; even Charlotte does not learn that her secret has been discovered. Instead, Maggie persuades her father to leave for America with Charlotte as soon as possible. After initial reluctance, Charlotte agrees and tries to make the best of her situation. She worked her way into art history and soon became a recognized expert on her husband's art collection. Together with their collection, the couple leaves Europe on the steamer and is enthusiastically acclaimed by the press when they arrive in America.

Reviews

Roger Ebert wrote in the Chicago Sun-Times on May 18, 2001 that the story seemed an ideal project for James Ivory, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, and Ismail Merchant. However, the filmed novel is one of the most difficult novels by Henry James, in which the story is essentially told through what remains unspoken. He does not make it easy for contemporary film viewers who expect a clear separation of good and bad and a happy ending. His real villain is the class-based system that forces poor people to follow the rules of the game for rich people. Ebert wrote that he admired the film (" I admired this movie ").

The lexicon of international film wrote that film was an “ intelligent game of trials and tribulations ”. The representations and the pictures are praised, but the “ formal brilliance ” is criticized as old-fashioned.

Katrin Wissbar described the film in the Berliner Zeitung as an " opulent masterpiece " of landscapes, sets and costumes. She criticized the " sometimes lengthy " plot.

Awards

James Ivory was nominated for the Palme d'Or in 2000. Production designer Andrew Sanders won the Evening Standard British Film Award in 2001 .

background

The shooting took place in various mansions, on country estates and castles in England and in Rome, u. a. in the Palazzo Borghese and in the Palazzo Massimo alle Colonne . Production costs were estimated at 15 million US dollars . The film grossed approximately $ 3 million in US cinemas.

swell

  1. ^ Review by Roger Ebert
  2. ^ Lexicon of International Films
  3. ↑ Criticism from Katrin Wissbar  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.bz-berlin.de  
  4. ↑ Filming locations for The Golden Bowl
  5. ^ Business Data for The Golden Bowl

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