Touchstone and Beyond: "Washington Square"

Feature Presentation: Washington Square

Cast of Characters

• Jennier Jason Leigh as Catherine
• Albert Finney as Dr. Austin Sloper
• Ben Chaplin as Morris
• Maggie Smith as Aunt Lavinia

Elevator Pitch

Catherine is the only child to the wealthy and miserable Dr. Austin Sloper. For years she has endured his dislike for her, blaming the death of his wife on her birth. The young girl has grown up without love, and when she does start a romance with Morris, only Aunt Lavinia will encourage her.

Dr. Sloper cares nothing for Catherine, nor does he think Morris truly loves her. The temperamental dad thinks Morris is only interested in his daughter for her money. The misery that the man has towards his one and only child manifests in a tirade of vile treatment that leads the young girl to end her relationship with her one and only true love.

The only problem for Catherine is that no matter what she does, her father will never love her, and she needs to decide what’s best for her. The compassion and care she hopes for will not be found in the heart of Dr. Austin Sloper. 

The Orson Welles Award of Brilliance

The set decoration and the feel of 19th century. There is a wonderful quality of realism with the dirt roads, the horses, and the wardrobe. 

The Alan Smithee Award of Anonymity

The casting is not right. They have Catherine with her American accent playing the daughter of British thespian titan Albert Finney, and niece to Maggie Smith. Plus, she falls in love with Morris who is played by Ben Chaplin, another British actor. Finney, Smith, and Chaplin are incredible. The problem I have is that throughout the film I am left wondering why Catherine is played by the only American actor in an American story with British compatriots. Only Jennifer Garner adds some sense of the setting with her presence, but she isn’t in the film long enough to contribute much to the story. 

For much of the film, I wondered if this story took place in London. The audience can’t be distracted by questions like this. It takes away from the power of the narrative.

Jennifer Jason Leigh is phenomenal in the role, but Catherine doesn’t get much in the story, and for this to be billed as an epic story from a legendary writer, I was hoping for more of a resolution than what we got. 

Production Team

• Directed by Agnieszka Holland
• Produced by Hollywood Pictures / Alchemy Filmworks / Caravan Pictures
• Written by Henry James / Carol Doyle
• Release Date: October 10, 1997
• Budget: $15 million
• Domestic Box Office Gross: $1,851,761

I Know Their Name

Yes, that really is Jennifer Garner as Marian Almond. I just wish she had a better role in the film. 

Deep Dive Behind the Scenes

• The film is adapted from the Henry James 19th Century book of the same name.
• The movie was a box office disaster with an opening weekend gross of $14,352.
• Brooke Shields was reportedly cast as Catherine but dropped out due to the shooting schedule with her NBC show Suddenly Susan.
• Jennifer Jason Leigh connected deeply with the character of Catherine. Reportedly, when she learned of the new film adaptation, she met with the director and campaigned for the part. Leigh supposedly beat out Meg Ryan, Diane Lane, and Anne Heche for the role.
• The film was shot over an eight-week period.
• Though based on the New York City park of the same name, Baltimore’s Union Square filled in for the New York location.
• Directing legend William Wyler previously adapted the book to the screen with Olvia de Havilland and Montgomery Clift. His film was titled The Heiress and was released in 1949.

Bill’s Spicy Take

I’m starting to think I REALLY don’t like the period films of Touchstone and Hollywood Pictures. Rather than getting great films with powerful casts, I am reminded that period pictures are based on texts written in a time when people really were miserable, had little options for their life choices, and generally the common day was terrible for many. 

Oscar Thoughts

(These rankings are awarded based on my love for Hitchcock films)

{Frenzy Award-Skip this Film, Torn Curtain Award-Desperate for Something to Watch, For the Birds-A Perfect Film for Any Device, Rear Window Award- You Must Watch This Film on a Big Screen because this film is cinema.}

I did not enjoy Washington Square. I didn’t hate it, but I was left wondering why this movie was even made. The casting is all wrong, either a British actress should have been cast as Catherine, or Morris, Lavinia, and Dr. Sloper should have been played by North American actors. The distinction in accents was enough to distract me throughout the film, which caused me not to care about the story.

Truthfully, a story of a miserable father who vents his anger on his only daughter even after he dies, is not a film I want to remember or treasure, and that is why I give Washington Square my Frenzy Award. Skip this movie, everyone else did.