House of Mirth (2000)

"Astonishing!  Newsday
"One of the best films of the year! A crowning achievement!  Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

Editor's Note Terence Davies (DISTANT VOICES, STILL LIVES) triumphs with his sumptuous, painterly adaptation of Edith Wharton's novel, which is set amid the vicious moneyed classes of 1905 New York and features a heartrending, perfectly nuanced performance by Gillian Anderson as doomed heroine Lily Bart. Lily, though strikingly beautiful and socially prominent, remains unmarried at the late age of 29. She jokes that marriage is a woman's vocation, but she is conflicted between her desire to marry a wealthy man and her love for handsome, elegant Lawrence Selden (Eric Stoltz), who, unforgivably, must work for a living. Lily's options begin to narrow, however, when her backstabbing friend, Bertha Dorset (Laura Linney), informs potential suitors of her gambling debts. In a world where the slightest hint of impropriety equals social death, Lily's self-professed genius in doing the wrong thing at the right time leads to trouble. A potential solution to Lily's downward social spiral arrives when a useful secret falls into her lap. In order to save herself, Lily must struggle with her naïveté, pride, and ineptitude at playing the elite's deadly, coded game. Davies's beautifully composed, richly textured images and Anderson's skillful evocation of quiet desperation make for a visually stunning, emotionally resonant tale.

	Anthony LaPaglia
	Eric Stoltz
	Gillian Anderson
	Laura Linney
	Edith Wharton - Based On Novel By
	Terrence Davies - Director
	Remi Adefarasin - Director of Photography
	Adrian Johnston - Musical Score
	Pippa Cross, et al. - Producer
	Terence Davies - Screenplay

USA Today
"...[Anderson handles] the role [of Lily Bart] skillfully..." -- 3.5 out of 4 stars 12/21/2000 p.4D

Entertainment Weekly
Ranked #2 in Entertainment Weekly's "Lisa Schwarzbaum's BEST MOVIES OF 2000" -- "Gorgeous, bracing....[Anderson is] magnificent..." 12/22/2000 pp.106-17

Box Office
"...Gillian Anderson is a revelation....The scenes between Anderson and Stoltz are impressively charged..." 11/01/2000 p.153

Los Angeles Times
"...Davies does a splendid job as a writer and director..." 12/22/2000 p.C18

Total Film
"...Gillian Anderson turns in a compelling performance for this excellent Edith Wharton adaptation..." 03/01/2001 p.110

Salon.com 9 of 10
Davies (with the help of cinematographer Remi Adefarasin) does an impeccable job of showing us, in the movies first half, both the hypnotic comforts and the deadliness of the life Lily aspires to... The second half is darker and more visually somber, as Lily struggles to keep her life together... Anderson's Lily is the kind of heroine who earns our protectiveness by never begging for it; it's an astonishing performance... - Stephanie Zacherek

Chicago Sun-Times 8 of 10
...[the move] conceals rage beneath measured surface appearances. This is one of the saddest stories ever told about the traps that society sets for women... Anderson's talent has many notes, and I liked the presence she brought to Lily Bart... - Roger Ebert