[Quick Summary: Archer is torn between May, his family approved betrothed, and Ellen, her fascinating married cousin with whom he is more compatible.]
I remember this film's trailers, which seemed to be about infidelity (I was wrong).
I thought it would be boring and stuffy (I was wrong).
I was really moved by Archer's longing for the right woman, but settles for a socially approved one. Archer really struggles and vacillates.
Scorsese notes two things that make the emotion ring true: 1) Tension and 2) Step forward, step back:
....This is a film about a society where emotions are not readily apparent or visible. There are only one or two scenes where people do get to finally say what they want and feel. So the enjoyment of shaping a scene in the editing comes from the tension between the emotion and not showing the emotion....It should make people [watching] uncomfortable, the way the characters are uncomfortable in the frames.
I like the complexity of the characters....When one of them takes a step forward, the other steps back. It's like life. (Mirabella, Sept. 1993, p. 80)
These are seen in the scene below:
- Note the use of a calling card as a symbol of wanting to show he cares and not show it.
- Note his step forward (sending roses) and step back (taking back the card).
EXT./INT. STREET AND FLORIST NIGHT
Walking home from Ellen's along Fifth Avenue, Archer passes a flower shop. He gets only a few steps beyond it, then turns and goes back.
Inside the shop, the florist greets him instantly.
FLORIST: Oh Mr. Archer, good evening. We didn't see you this morning, and weren't sure whether to send Miss Welland the usual.
ARCHER: The lilies-of-the-valley, yes. We'd better make it a standing order. [Archer puts his fiancee first. He does the socially right thing.]
He notices a cluster of yellow roses almost fiery in their beauty.
ARCHER: And those roses. I'll give you another address.
He draws out a card and places it inside an envelope, on which he starts to write Ellen's name and address. But he stops. He removes his card and hands the clerk the empty envelope with only the name and address on it. [Yet he longs to connect with Ellen. He wavers, "I'd better not"]
ARCHER: They'll go at once?
In extreme CLOSE-UP, Archer folds his calling card in two and places it safely in his pocket. [We sense his social safety, but his heart is heavy.]
WHAT I'VE LEARNED: I really felt the reality of longing - how it comes in waves, forward, backwards, the tension of wanting and not wanting.
The Age of Innocence (1993)
by Jay Cocks & Martin Scorsese
Based on the novel by Edith Wharton
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