The Age of Innocence

In terms of craftsmanship and aesthetics, this film is top-notch. The camera work is excellent, and the sets and locations are amazing. The story, however, is peculiar at least. The first half in particular is slow and incredibly tedious. I really liked the storytelling style, but the pace really needed to be faster. Nevertheless, the depiction of the lifestyle of that time is precise. (03/12/2004)

Formally precise, but reprehensibly shallow and uninteresting in content. Lewis and Pfeiffer have a lot of feeling, as do masters Scorsese and Bernstein, but due to its emotional coldness and excessive runtime, I unfortunately can't view the film as anything other than an educational glimpse into the lives of the social elite of the 18th century. And the fact that it is a very believable and visually impressive glimpse doesn't change that. Not even the best director could have saved this romance. 65% (01/10/2014)

"The Age of Innocence" is a film about a man who already has his place in society certain, he is popular and respected. Partly, it is because of where and when he was born. He lives in a society where a woman is the one who is in charge of the household, or she is the one who is obedient and, as a good Christian, gets married soon and stays in that marriage. However, the main character, Newland Archer (played convincingly by Daniel Day-Lewis), has slightly different views on society and, unlike other men, sees women as equals. Perhaps that's why Ellen Olenska (Michelle Pfeiffer) impresses him. She has divorced, after all. So here we have another woman who stands against fate, against society, but this time it is the man we focus on. He is actually the weak one, he is the one who submits to society. Even though he loves another woman, he made a promise to someone else and will marry her, even though she will never be loved as she deserves. This time it is the man who is the weak hero, he is the one who can be considered - feminized. In this direction, Scorsese shows how society has changed, how roles intertwine and are quite unstable. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2013/03/vek-nevinnosti-1993-80.html (04/10/2013)

It is clear to me why this film from Martin Scorsese’s filmography is not talked about much. In terms of its story, The Age of Innocence is unbelievably boring, and the only thing that salvages it is the way Scorsese filmed it. Michelle Pfeiffer’s story might have been the most interesting thing in the whole movie. But that’s still not enough to turn this into a good film. Just imagine that the movie you’re watching is not set in New York but in the English countryside and the level of its blandness becomes clear. This movie aspired to give me a visual brain lobotomy. (11/30/2014)

Though Martin Scorsese had never dabbled in the genre of sad romance, either before or since, he did a great job with this period piece. The dialogue between the main trio is both painful and uplifting, and if it wasn't for the slow pace, which is a bit too generous, this drifting ship would have sailed even further. (01/28/2006)