Pictures of Polite Society: Henry James at the Movies January 11 – 24 at the Quad

The Quad surveys the filmic adaptations of Henry James' baroque literary universe, from the loose to the faithful. With films by Jacques Rivette, Peter Bogdanovich, Jane Campion, William Wyler, Agnieszka Holland, François Truffaut, and more!

Series runs in conjunction with the release of The Aspern Papers, starring Vanessa Redgrave and executive produced by James Ivory, opening Fri January 11

“I glory in the piling up of complications of every sort,” declared novelist Henry James. He was speaking to his niece about his prose style, but he could easily have been acknowledging his sure hand at plotting out crossroads, conundrums, and class conflicts for his characters. James wrote his observational fiction from experience: reared in New York State—both in Albany and in Manhattan—he became keenly attuned to the mores he absorbed from his family’s lofty perch on the social ladder. An adolescence spent in Europe would affirm his aesthetic interests in cross-cultural currents on both sides of the pond, and this American abroad would ultimately make his home in England. His novels have attracted filmmakers and actors ever since his passing a century ago; they offer cinematic enticements that might begin with ornate costuming and settings that draw the eye but which then veer towards the heart as people wrestle with matters of love and propriety. On the occasion of The Aspern Papers, the latest in a rich history of James adaptations executive produced by James Ivory and opening Fri January 11, the Quad presents a range of interpretations of James’ highly subjective marrying of internal struggles and external forces.
Aspern
Eduardo de Gregorio, 1982, Portugal/France, 96m, 35mm
The Bostonians
James Ivory, 1984, UK, 122m, DCP
Céline and Julie Go Boating
Jacques Rivette, 1974, France, 193m, 35mm
Daisy Miller
Peter Bogdanovich, 1974, U.S., 91m, 35mm
The Golden Bowl
James Ivory, 2000, U.S./France/UK, 130m, 35mm
The Green Room
François Truffaut, 1978, France, 95m, 35mm
The Heiress
William Wyler, 1949, U.S., 115m, DCP
The Innocents
Jack Clayton, 1961, UK, 100m, DCP
The Lost Moment
Martin Gabel, 1947, U.S., 89m, 35mm
The Nightcomers
Michael Winner, 1971, UK, 96m, 35mm
The Portrait of a Lady
Jane Campion, 1996, UK/U.S., 144m, DCP
Sérail (Surreal Estate)
Eduardo de Gregorio, 1976, France, 83m, 35mm
Washington Square
Agnieszka Holland, 1997, U.S., 115m, 35mm
The Wings of the Dove
Iain Softley, 1997, U.S./UK, 102m, 35mm

The Aspern Papers

Opens Fri January 11
Julien Landais, UK/Germany, 90m, DCP
Rife with deception, lust, and literary intrigue, this adaptation of Henry James’ 1888 novella stars a commanding Vanessa Redgrave as the ailing (but formidable) former lover of deceased poet Jeffrey Aspern—and the supposed recipient of a cache of his personal letters. Posing as a prospective lodger, conniving American editor Jonathan Rhys Meyers courts Redgrave’s niece (played by her real-life daughter Joely Richardson) in the hopes of gaining access to the mysterious—and potentially scandalous—contents of the missives. But is the past best kept in the past? Executive produced by James Ivory. A Cohen Media Group Release