The Age of Innocence (1934 film)
- Irene Dunne: Countess Ellen Olenska
- John Boles: Newland Archer
- Lionel Atwill: Julius Beaufort
- Helen Westley: Granny Mason Mingott
- Laura Hope Crews: Augusta Newland
The Age of Innocence is an American film based on the novel by Edith Wharton template with Irene Dunne and John Boles in the lead roles. The fabric has been repeatedly adapted into a film again, among others in 1993 by Martin Scorsese with Michelle Pfeiffer and Daniel Day Lewis under the title The Age of Innocence.
Action
The unstandesgemäße relationship Dallas Archer, the talk of the town in New York in the early 1920s, prompted his grandfather Newland Archer, a highly respected attorney, to remember his own unfortunate relationship in 1875. Newland was then nearing the betrothal to Mary Welland, who comes from one of the most distinguished families of New York. One day Newland meets again on Ellen, a friend from childhood, who married the Polish Count Olenska and now seeks a divorce from her husband. Your relatives insist on a continuation of the marriage because they fear the scandal and divorce Ellen would ruin society for all time. Newland is responsible for carrying out and falls gradually with the Countess Olenska. He later changes his mind and urges Ellen to divorce, while he himself plays with the idea to solve his engagement to marry Ellen. Things are complicated by the intervention of the respective families that indicate both Ellen and Newland on their respective responsibilities for the reputation of their relatives. Finally, there is a somewhat hasty marriage between Newland and Mary. His feelings for Ellen remain the same and the two meet, even after the marriage in secret. Suddenly, the Countess Olenska is leaving without notice America to go back to Europe and to seek reconciliation with her husband. Newland takes the opportunity, Mary to ask for a divorce, as this will reveal himself to be pregnant and that Ellen was the first person who had Mary reveals her circumstances. The flashback ends at this point and the young Dallas Newland brings about his grandfather the news that Ellen would wait in a nearby hotel on Newland. To the surprise of Dallas Newland waived the reunion after over forty years. He wants to keep the love Ellen so in my memory as it was.
Background
The career of Irene Dunne had not come despite a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress in the Western pioneers of the wild west and financial successes like Backstreet and The Secret of Madame Blanche properly by the body. In her studio, RKO, it was ranked in the internal hierarchy behind Ann Harding and Katharine Hepburn. Usually they only got the roles that had one of the two stars, or even both rejected.
The film adaptation of Edith Wharton's famous novel The Age of Innocence was first planned with Katharine Hepburn as Ellen Olenska. However, Hepburn decided against it and the role that went to Irene Dunne. The novel, for Edith Wharton won the Pulitzer Prize in 1920, had already been made into a film in 1924. 1928 created a theatrical adaptation with Katharine Cornell in the lead role in 209 performances. The studio brought Irene Dunne here again with John Boles together, who had already played in Backstreet at her side. At the end of the hoped for financial success of the film failed to materialize.
Reviews
Most critics found the film lengthy and the social problems that have been described as completely passé.
Variety, the leading industry publication said, laconically:
" [ The film ] has a dubious appeal to the younger audience, the action and excitement want to see in the cinema. "