WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT?, PART I: THE AGE OF INNOCENCE, SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION

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Feb 24, 2004

In our society, we're taught to be happy with what we have, as well as to be happy with our society. Of course, that isn't always true, as there have been countless people who have been alienated from society. There have also been people who seem contented with their life until, for some reason, they begin to see things differently and question their existence (as well as others). This sentiment, notably expressed in Talking Heads' "Once in a Lifetime" ("You may find yourself with a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife/And you may ask yourself, 'Well, how did I get here?'"), has also been expressed in movies since they began (ironic, since Hollywood has also been among those who preach that you should be content with your life). Two of the movies that explored this were Martin Scorsese's THE AGE OF INNOCENCE and Fred Schepisi's SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION.

When critics heard Scorsese was filming an adaptation of Edith Wharton's novel about 19th century New York City (filmed in 1924 and then again in 1934, with Irene Dunne), they thought he had taken leave of his senses. What was the director of such profane classics as MEAN STREETS and RAGING BULL doing in Merchant/Ivory territory? But when Scorsese's friend Jay Cocks (who co-wrote the screenplay) gave him the novel, he correctly guessed that the themes of the novel would resonate with him, and in this mostly stirring adaptation, they resonate with us in the movie as well.

As in the novel, the movie tells the story of Newland Archer (Daniel Day-Lewis), an aspiring barrister, who is engaged to be married to May Welland (Winona Ryder), a nice young woman. One night, Newland attends the opera, and the society elite, headed by Larry Lefferts (Richard E. Grant) and Sillerton Jackson (Alec McCowen), murmur in distaste when they see May and her family have been joined by her cousin, Countess Olenska (Michelle Pfeiffer). It seems the Countess has come back from Europe in an attempt to flee from a bad marriage and an affair with her husband's secretary (Jonathan Pryce), and in that time, both of those were a no-no. As a familial obligation, Newland is dispatched by his superior, Mr. Letterblair (Norman Lloyd), to handle the divorce. In the process, Newland discovers he no longer likes the society he so wanted to join. He also falls in love with the Countess, and she with him, but because of society's dictates, there's nothing they can do about it.

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