Talkback & Q&A after film.
Were you (or a relative) in the movie? Did you work on the movie? Do you have photos of the production? Email us at info@theparktheatre.org.
TICKETS $10/$9
Event presented in partnership with HISTORIC NEW ENGLAND, the owner of Barrett House in New Ipswich which plays a major location role in the movie.
James Ivory’s The Europeans (1979) is an elegant, beautifully observed Merchant Ivory adaptation of Henry James’s 1878 novel, set amid the brilliant autumn colors of 1850s New England. When the sophisticated but financially troubled Baroness Eugenia Münster (Lee Remick) and her charming, artistic younger brother Felix (Tim Woodward) arrive from Europe to visit their wealthy American relatives, the reserved Wentworth family finds its orderly world suddenly disrupted. Eugenia sets her sights on the prosperous Robert Acton (Robin Ellis), while the exuberant Felix is drawn to the independent-minded Gertrude Wentworth (Lisa Eichhorn). What follows is a wonderfully subtle comedy of manners about romance, money, class and the cultural divide between European sophistication and New England restraint. The film helped establish the style that would become synonymous with Merchant Ivory: literary intelligence, meticulous period detail, magnificent locations and emotions simmering just beneath a polished surface. The film earned an Academy Award nomination for Judy Moorcroft’s costume design, as well as BAFTA nominations, and competed for the Palme d’Or at Cannes. (Wikipedia)
More than four decades later, The Europeans has aged beautifully. Its newly restored presentation brings renewed richness to Larry Pizer’s extraordinary cinematography—the white clapboard houses, candlelit interiors and golden New England landscapes can look almost like 19th-century paintings. The currently available Merchant Ivory Collection version is identified as 4K restored, an important distinction from the earlier Cohen Media Group theatrical restoration, which was presented in 2K. (Hanway Films) Contemporary critics have been especially appreciative on revisiting the film: the Los Angeles Times praised its “pleasurable finery and delicate ironies,” while Time Out called it a “wonderfully elegant adaptation” distinguished by superb performances and exquisite settings. (Rotten Tomatoes) At the time of its original release, Time’s Richard Schickel praised Ivory and screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala for creating a faithful, literate adaptation filled with subtle, intelligent conversation and beautifully captured New England scenery. (TIME) Today the film holds an impressive 84% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes, affirming its stature as an early landmark in the Merchant Ivory partnership. (Rotten Tomatoes)
CAST
- Lee Remick — Baroness Eugenia Münster
- Robin Ellis — Robert Acton
- Tim Woodward — Felix Young
- Lisa Eichhorn — Gertrude Wentworth
- Wesley Addy — Mr. Wentworth
- Tim Choate — Clifford Wentworth
- Kristin Griffith — Lizzie Acton
- Nancy New — Charlotte Wentworth
- Norman Snow — Mr. Brand
- Helen Stenborg — Mrs. Acton
- Gedda Petry — Augustine
CREW
- Director: James Ivory
- Producer: Ismail Merchant
- Screenplay: Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, based on the novel by Henry James
- Cinematography: Larry Pizer
- Editing: Humphrey Dixon
- Costume Design: Judy Moorcroft
- Music: Richard Robbins; theme incorporating music by Clara Schumann
Runtime: 90 minutes
Rating: Unrated
Year: 1979
Genre: Period Drama / Romance / Comedy of Manners
Restoration: 4K Restored