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The Wings of the Dove

The movie The Wings of the Dove was based on the book The Wings of the Dove.

Which one did you like better, the movie or the book?  There are 5 votes for the book, and 5 votes for the movie.

Movie details for The Wings of the Dove

The movie was released in 1997 and directed by Iain Softley. The Wings of the Dove was produced by Miramax. More information on the movie is available on Amazon.com and also IMDb.

Actors on this movie include Helena Bonham Carter, Linus Roache, Alison Elliott, Charlotte Rampling, Elizabeth McGovern, Michael Gambon, Alex Jennings, Ben Miles, Philip Wright, Alexander John, Shirley Chantrell, Diana Kent, Georgio Serafini and Rachele Crisafulli.

 

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Queen of the costume drama Helena Bonham Carter finally got a chance to loosen her corset a bit with this exquisitely mounted (Sandy Powell's costumes were nominated for an Academy Award) romantic drama based on Henry James's classic novel. Set in turn-of... Read More
Queen of the costume drama Helena Bonham Carter finally got a chance to loosen her corset a bit with this exquisitely mounted (Sandy Powell's costumes were nominated for an Academy Award) romantic drama based on Henry James's classic novel. Set in turn-of-the-century London and Venice, Wings of the Dove is a stately departure--more PBS than MTV--for Iain Softley, director of Hackers and the birth-of-the-Beatles biopic Backbeat. But there's enough romantic intrigue to perhaps fuel a week's worth of daytime TV talk shows: My Lover Seduced a Dying Heiress for Her Money.

Bonham Carter, who won several critics association honors for her performance (she was nominated for a Golden Globe and Oscar as well) stars as Kate, who is engaged in a secret affair with Merton (Linus Roache), a journalist whose poor financial standing makes marriage impossible. Kate's manipulative aunt (Charlotte Rampling) threatens to disown her unless she marries the more suitable Lord Mark (Alex Jennings). Opportunity--admittedly sordid--arrives in the form of Millie (Alison Elliott), an American heiress whom Kate befriends. When Kate learns that Millie is dying, she suggests to Merton that he seduce her to make her last days happy, and ensuring that Millie will leave Merton her money when she dies. Merton reluctantly agrees, just as Kate begins to have second thoughts that threaten to sabotage the scheme.

One of the most rapturously reviewed films in recent years, Wings of the Dove is a must-own film for the Merchant-Ivory crowd. But guys: don't dismiss this as a "chick flick." Beneath its Masterpiece Theatre exterior beats the wild and untamed heart of Dawson's Creek. --Donald Liebenson

Book details for The Wings of the Dove

The Wings of the Dove was written by Henry James. The book was published in 1902 by Signet Classics. More information on the book is available on Amazon.com.

Henry James also wrote Portrait of a Lady, The Golden Bowl (1904), The Turn of the Screw (1915), The Bostonians (1945) and Washington Square (2004).

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