The Portrait of a Lady [Special Edition] [Blu-ray]

Director: Jane Campion Jane Campion

Overview

Based on a novel by 19th-century author Henry James, this romantic costume drama follows the life of a headstrong American woman. After inheriting a fortune, Isabel Archer finally gets the chance to fulfill her dream of seeing the world and then throws it all away to marry an oppressive man.

Product Details

Release Date:	12/11/2012
UPC:	0826663136876
Original Release:	1996
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	Shout Factory
Region Code:	A
Language:	English
Time:	2:24:00
Sales rank:	24,201

Special Features

Portrait: Jane Campion and The Portrait of a Lady Documentary; Theatrical Trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Nicole Kidman	Isabel Archer
John Malkovich	Gilbert Osmond
Barbara Hershey	Madame Serena Merle
Mary-Louise Parker	Henrietta Stackpole,Actor
Martin Donovan	Ralph Touchett
Shelley Winters	Mrs. Touchett
Richard E. Grant	Lord Warburton
Shelley Duvall	Countess Gemini
Christian Bale	Edward Rosier
Viggo Mortensen	Caspar Goodwood
Valentina Cervi	Pansy Osmond
John Gielgud	Mr. Touchett
Roger Ashton-Griffiths	Bob Bantling
Catherine Zago	Mother Superior
Alessandra Vanzi	Nun No. 2
Katie Campbell	Miss Molyneux No. 1
Katherine Anne Porter	Miss Molyneux No. 2
Eddy Seager	Strongman's Spruiker
Pat Roach	Strongman
Emanuelle Carucci Viterbi	Roccanera Butler
Francesca Bartellini	Isabel's Maid
Achille Brugnini	Footman at Ballroom
Amy Lindsay	Miss Molyneux #1
Emanuele Carucci Viterbi	Roccanera Butler
Wojciech Kilar	Composer
Franz Schubert	Composer

Technical Credits

Jane Campion

Henry James

Laura Jones

Jane Campion	Director,Screenwriter
Beth Charkham	Casting
Steve Golin	Producer
Monty Montgomery	Producer
Henry James	Screenwriter
Ann Wingate	Producer
Laura Jones	Screenwriter
Martin Body	Special Effects
Gethin Creagh	Sound Effects
Robert Deschaine	Sound Effects
Peter Glossop	Sound Effects,Sound Effects,Sound/Sound Designer
Bronwen Gower	Sound Effects

Editorial Reviews

Given The Piano's singular period story about an independent-minded woman, it is not surprising that Jane Campion's stylized version of Henry James' The Portrait of a Lady (1996) is more of an interpretation rather than an adaptation. With an opening montage of modern women, Campion and screenwriter Laura Jones stake a claim to the contemporary resonance in the story of naïve American heiress Isabel Archer. Injecting moments of surreal fantasy into the beautifully expressive, blue-tinged period surroundings, Campion alludes to the cravings that provoke Isabel to reject a safe marriage in favor of freedom. Why Isabel is easily seduced by the scheming Mme. Merle and the reptilian fortune hunter Osmond, however, remains elusive; John Malkovich's transparently malevolent Osmond makes Nicole Kidman's Isabel an inexplicable fool for love. Still, Barbara Hershey's complex Mme. Merle speaks to the damage inflicted on women by an oppressive social order, while Martin Donovan's eloquently restrained cousin Ralph powerfully attests to what might have been for Isabel. Provoking a deeply mixed response, The Portrait of a Lady failed to repeat The Piano's success, though the costumes and Hershey's performance earned Oscar nominations.