The Age of Innocence
Watching a Martin Scorsese's movie without guns, gangsters and seductresses is like imagining a story about Belgium minus the waffles. Just does not happen. And then, there is the additional element of walking into the unknown when you start watching acclaimed movies, not knowing what the plot is and where the story is set.
So, watching late 19th Century England life of the aristocrats with the elaborate finery in dressing, dining, demeanor and opulence.. all in a Martin movie was a jolt to begin with. Add to it, watching the essential American girls like Winona Ryder and Michelle Pfeiffer rambling about in English accents does not make it any easier. Daniel Day Lewis' accent takes you right back to "My Left Foot".
Appreciating the slow pace of the movie over 2 hours does take a toll on you if you are not cut out for the intense romantic fare that this movie is but the last 5 minutes of the movie can melt hearts that have been on perma freeze since the age of the mammoths.
There is a bit of everyone's story in Lewis' life. Dreams that you once harbored for yourself that you gave up for all the good reasons and then having the courage to walk away when you have the chance to confront them, even if that chance comes in 30 years too late. This last scene should only be watched with a handful of super absorbent tissues. All of the agony and heartbreak captured in Lewis' expressions and sublime acting.
Watching a Martin Scorsese's movie without guns, gangsters and seductresses is like imagining a story about Belgium minus the waffles. Just does not happen. And then, there is the additional element of walking into the unknown when you start watching acclaimed movies, not knowing what the plot is and where the story is set.
So, watching late 19th Century England life of the aristocrats with the elaborate finery in dressing, dining, demeanor and opulence.. all in a Martin movie was a jolt to begin with. Add to it, watching the essential American girls like Winona Ryder and Michelle Pfeiffer rambling about in English accents does not make it any easier. Daniel Day Lewis' accent takes you right back to "My Left Foot".
Appreciating the slow pace of the movie over 2 hours does take a toll on you if you are not cut out for the intense romantic fare that this movie is but the last 5 minutes of the movie can melt hearts that have been on perma freeze since the age of the mammoths.
There is a bit of everyone's story in Lewis' life. Dreams that you once harbored for yourself that you gave up for all the good reasons and then having the courage to walk away when you have the chance to confront them, even if that chance comes in 30 years too late. This last scene should only be watched with a handful of super absorbent tissues. All of the agony and heartbreak captured in Lewis' expressions and sublime acting.
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