The Golden Bowl (film)
| The Golden Bowl | |
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Original poster
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| Directed by | James Ivory |
| Produced by | Ismail Merchant |
| Screenplay by | Ruth Prawer Jhabvala |
| Based on |
The Golden Bowl by Henry James |
| Starring |
Kate Beckinsale James Fox Anjelica Huston Nick Nolte Jeremy Northam Madeleine Potter Uma Thurman |
| Music by | Richard Robbins |
| Cinematography | Tony Pierce-Roberts |
| Edited by | John David Allen |
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Production
company |
Merchant Ivory Productions
TF1 International |
| Distributed by | Lionsgate |
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Release date
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Running time
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130 minutes |
| Country | United States United Kingdom France |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $15 million |
| Box office | $5,753,678 |
The Golden Bowl is a 2000 drama film directed by James Ivory. The screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala is based on the 1904 novel of the same name by Henry James, who considered the work his masterpiece.
Dignified but impoverished aristocrat Prince Amerigo, whose illustrious Italian family occupies the decaying Palazzo Ugolini in Florence, is engaged to American socialite Maggie Verver. She shares an extremely close relationship with her millionaire father Adam, a retired widowed tycoon living in England who intends to finance the construction of a museum to house his invaluable collection of art and antiquities in an American city.
Prior to their engagement, and unbeknownst to his fiancée, Amerigo had a long and passionate affair with Charlotte Stant, who attended school with Maggie. The two separated because of his lack of funds, but Charlotte is still in love with him. When she receives an invitation to the wedding, she seizes the opportunity to reunite with him, which she does at a party thrown by Maggie's meddlesome Aunt Fanny.
A few days before the ceremony, Amerigo and Charlotte wander into an antique store in search of a wedding gift from her to the couple. Proprietor A.R. Jarvis shows them an ancient bowl, carved from a single piece of rock crystal and embroidered with gold, he asserts is flawless, but Amerigo thinks contains a noticeable crack. Charlotte is indecisive about buying it, and Jarvis sets it aside until she makes up her mind.
Despite knowing Amerigo and Charlotte's history, Aunt Fanny suggests the young woman and Adam would be a perfect match. The two eventually wed, much to the delight of Maggie, who had been concerned about her father's loneliness. The two couples find their lives closely interlocked, although the fact Maggie and Adam spend so much time together irritates their spouses, and when they find themselves at a weekend party in the country without their mates, Charlotte and Amerigo rekindle their affair. Fanny becomes aware of the illicit romance but, wanting to protect her niece from being hurt, says nothing. As time passes, however, Maggie becomes suspicious of the amount of time her husband and stepmother spend together.
In search of an unusual gift for her father, Maggie chances to wander into Jarvis' shop, and he shows her the bowl he had set aside for Charlotte years ago. Maggie agrees to buy it and asks that it be delivered to her home. When Jarvis discovers the barely discernible crack Amerigo had noticed, he brings it to Maggie himself, reveals the defect, and offers it at half price. While waiting for her in the drawing room, he recognizes Amerigo and Charlotte in photographs on a table, and he innocently reveals they were the couple who originally considered purchasing the bowl, three days before the wedding, which Maggie always has believed was the first time her husband and friend met. The object suddenly becomes a symbol of adultery rather than a beautiful work of art, and Fanny intentionally drops it, hoping her niece will dispose of it and move on.
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