She and Archer have an intimate discussion about May and about Ellen’s desire to become completely American again after living abroad for so long. Ellen Olenska brings up the general "Woman Question" in modern literary criticism. Known primarily for modern street pictures, such as Taxi Driver and GoodFellas, Scorsese shows he can flex an entirely different set of muscles and still make a great movie. May has gone to St. Augustine with her family and has asked Archer to be good to Ellen in her absence.

Scorsese dedicated the film to his father, Luciano Charles Scorsese, who had died the month before the film was released. Luciano and his wife, Catherine Scorsese, had small cameo appearances in the film.

The characters take pride in their social standings and those that come from "old money" feel threatened by those that are coming from "new money". The Age of Innocence is a novel by Edith Wharton, published to widespread acclaim in 1920. A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies, George Harrison: Living in the Material World, Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese, Fighting France: From Dunkerque to Belfort, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Age_of_Innocence_(1993_film)&oldid=982641833, Films featuring a Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe-winning performance, Films that won the Best Costume Design Academy Award, Films with screenplays by Martin Scorsese, Films featuring a title sequence by Saul Bass, Pages with non-numeric formatnum arguments, Short description is different from Wikidata, Album articles lacking alt text for covers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Cahir, Linda Costanza. He watches Ellen for a long time, but when she doesn’t turn to look at him, he returns to the house without speaking to her. We frame the ending remembering the multiple losses... not only the loss of Roosevelt but the destruction of the prewar world and all that Wharton valued in it."[5]. Later he comes to experience the same molding by May which was imposed upon Mr. Welland. She attends parties with disreputable people such as Julius Beaufort and Mrs. Lemuel Struthers, and she invites Newland, the fiancé of her cousin May, to visit her.

She controls the money—withholding Ellen's living allowance (when the family is angry with Ellen), and having niece Regina Beaufort ask for money when in financial trouble. Just that afternoon, May Welland has agreed to marry him. Archer reassures May that he is in love with her. The film recounts the courtship and marriage of Newland Archer (Day-Lewis), a wealthy New York society attorney, to May Welland (Ryder); Archer then encounters and legally represents Countess Olenska (Pfeiffer) prior to unexpected romantic entanglements. Got it. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does.

In the carriage ride back, he insists that they need to find a way to be together, but Ellen says that they can’t. Ellen has returned to New York from Europe after scandalously separating herself (per rumor) from a disastrous marriage to a Polish count. SparkNotes is brought to you by Barnes & Noble. But then suddenly, the countess announces her intention to return to Europe. Still … On arriving outside the apartment building, Newland sends up his son alone to meet Ellen, while he waits outside, watching the balcony of her apartment. Yet he finds reason to doubt his choice of bride after the appearance of Countess Ellen Olenska, May's exotic and beautiful 30-year-old cousin. The theme of innocence changes throughout the novel, as May states she is pregnant only to ensure that Ellen stays away from Newland. Rita Kempley, also in the Washington Post, wrote: Perhaps it shouldn't come as such a grand surprise that he [Martin Scorsese] is as deft at exploring the nuances of Edwardian manners as he is the laws of modern-day machismo. We learn through their gossip that it is rumored that she had left her unfaithful husband, a Polish count. May suddenly asks Archer to announce their engagement to her cousin Ellen Olenska. As a period piece, it's a joy to behold, but with such an indecisive little newt of a protagonist, it's just hard to give a damn what happens.[24]. The Age of Innocence is a 1993 American historical romantic drama film directed by Martin Scorsese. May throws a grand farewell dinner for Ellen, which Archer drifts through, hardly aware of what’s happening. LitCharts Teacher Editions. See Plot Diagram Summary Book 1 Set in Victorian-era New York, The Age of Innocence tells the story of Newland Archer, a young man who inwardly bristles at the respectability and duty that his social position demands.Newland is consumed by his unconsummated love affair with his wife's cousin, the scandalous "foreign" Countess Ellen Olenska.. Left alone with Ellen, Archer tells her about his conversation with May in St. Augustine. In that time, the Archers have had three children and May has died from pneumonia. After the countess announces her intention of divorcing her husband, Archer supports her desire for freedom, but he feels compelled to act on behalf of the family and persuade the countess to remain married. "[7], The story's protagonist is a young, popular, and successful lawyer living with his mother and sister in an elegant New York City house. The van der Luydens agree to invite Ellen to a dinner they’re having for a visiting duke in order to send a message that Ellen should be accepted. Newland and May marry. Ellen has moved to Washington D.C.; she returns to stay with her grandmother briefly, but later leaves to visit Boston. Her unhappiness activates her manipulative nature, and Newland does not see it until too late. He does not, however, consider breaking his engagement to May but constantly seeks reasons to justify what is to the rest of his group an excellent union. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. At first, Ellen's arrival and its potential taint on the reputation of his bride-to-be's family disturbs Newland, but he becomes intrigued by the worldly Ellen, who brazenly flouts New York society's fastidious rules. He tries to convince her to get married sooner, but she asks whether he wants to do so because he’s not confident in his love for her, and she tells him that if there’s someone else, they shouldn’t get married. Convincing himself that he was seeing too much of Ellen, Archer goes to St. Augustine to visit May, who is vacationing there with her mother and her hypochondriac father.