The Europeans (1979)

EUROPEANS (seen on 7-2-2009) - a HBO movie
Director: James Ivory
Awards: Oscar for Costumes
Based on Henry James' novel
"It's the fall of 1850, a few miles outside Boston. The household of the dour Mr. Wentworth receives two unannounced visitors from Europe, Eugenia and Felix, the daughter and son of his half sister. Gertrude, one of Wentworth's two daughters, is instantly infatuated with her cousins, thinking them sophisticated and worldly. She turns her back on the local Unitarian minister, Mr. Brand, who has been calling on her, to delight in the pleasure and amusement Felix offers. Another wealthy neighbor, Mr. Acton, is attracted to Eugenia, who is going through a divorce with a European aristocrat. Are the Americans being used by the penniless Europeans? Or is there real affection?" (IMDB summary)
My comments: 1. Superb period recreation with all its costumes, manners, living style.
2. Filmed in the fall colors of Boston, each frame comes through as a great painting. Achingly beautiful.
3. James' novel now impresses me more as a 'humors' story, with each character flatly representing a typically desirable or despicable quality and not as rounded full-blooded individuals. But even with this artifice, one can glean the refinements and insights that are characteristic to great writing.