I really liked the Age of Innocence. Having just read Wharton's novel six weeks ago for the first time, I decided to see how Scorsese handled the material I noticed several places where he diverged form the literature with mixed results, but the overall affect was fantastic. Scorsese spent far more time lingering on the wealth and extravagance of 1870's NYC, and he did so by composing elaborate dining scenes and showing the lavish painting collections of wealthy socialites. The dinner scenes did not feel as suffocating as they do in the the book, but rather seemed quite fun and elaborate. I ended up enjoying looking at them in a way the reversed the sense of alienation Archer felt while sitting at these dining rooms. In general, I thought the one place Scorsese missed was the sense of suffocation Archer felt which drives the book. Age of Innocence comes off as a movie with a social critique around a plot of denied love. I rather had the feeling that the love was a product almost wholly of a stagnant society in which Ellen embodied the potential for a femisit movement and social change.

Still, the paintings, which Wharton does not spend as much attention on was a very productive and innovative addition by Scorsese. Most of the paintings he shows come out of the Modernist movement, and with them he makes subtl allusions to the changing values of the social landscape. They serve as an allusion of what is to come while still effectively demonstrating the extreme wealth of their buyers.

I liked the casting a lot, and was surprised to see how good Ryder did as May. That was an unexpectedly good casting choice.

I'm sure that had I not read the book so recently I would have had a different interpretation of the movie, but as it stands The Age of Innocence was sumptuous, well-composed, beautiful to look at, and 85% 'there' as far as the spirit of the novel. B+

It's one of Scorsese's most underrated movies. Michelle was incredible in it, as was DDL. The look of the film, the sights of New York, it's a great looking picture! I remember loving very much the opening credits sequence with the flowers. How could I forget Winona? Sad how her career has basically ended. She gave a couple really good performances and this is one of them. It's been a few years since I saw it, but it ranks high among my favorite Scorseses.