Washington Square (1997)

Director:

Agnieszka Holland

Writers (WGA):

Henry James (novel)
Carol Doyle (screenplay)

Release Date:

10 October 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

She must choose between her father's fortune... Or the man she loves.

Plot:

Catherine Sloper has found the man of her dreams in Morris Townsend, but her plans to marry him are strongly opposed by her father...

Plot Keywords:

Money | Self Destructiveness | Betrayal | Party | Surrogate Mother

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Jennifer Jason Leigh	...	Catherine Sloper
Albert Finney	...	Dr. Austin Sloper
Maggie Smith	...	Aunt Lavinia Penniman
Ben Chaplin	...	Morris Townsend
Judith Ivey	...	Aunt Elizabeth Almond
Arthur Laupus	...	Mr. Almond
Jennifer Garner	...	Marian Almond
Robert Stanton	...	Arthur Townsend
Betsy Brantley	...	Mrs. Montgomery
Nancy Daly	...	Maureen (Maid)
Sara Ruzicka	...	Catherine Sloper (age 11)
Rachel Layne Sacrey	...	Sarah Almond
Rachel Osborne	...	Alice Almond
Scott Jaeck	...	John Ludlow
Peter Maloney	...	Jacob Webber (Notary)

MPAA:

Rated PG for thematic elements including some sensuality, a childbirth scene and brief mild language.

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:16 (including commercials) | Iceland:L | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | France:U | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | UK:PG | USA:PG | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Company:

Alchemy Filmworks

Trivia:

At one point, Brooke Shields was cast as Catherine Sloper, but dropped out due to her commitment to the TV series "Suddenly Susan" (1996).

Quotes:

Dr. Austin Sloper: If a prelude is necessary, the news must be bad.

Movie Connections:

Version of The Heiress (1961) (TV)

Soundtrack:

L'Absence

If you like this movie, then you should try....

If you liked this movie, then you should try William Wyler's "The Heiress" (1949) featuring GWTW's Melanie, Olivia de Havilland and Montgomery Clift. Both of these movies contain moving performances from all of the lead actors. Catherine Sloper is skillfully portrayed as an unworldly, naive, young woman who falls for financially-unmatched, well-cultured, dashing Morris Townsend. The overprotective yet unloving Dr. Austin Sloper, Catherine's father, will make your blood boil! Both movies have the making for some intense soap opera-like drama - suspenseful in every regard, keeps you reaching for that bowl of popcorn or that box of Kleenex. To truly understand the plight of the young lovers and especially to get a sense of the tension behind the relationship between daughter and father, one must view "The Heiress" and "Washington Square" for the two films are lovely by themselves, but they certainly complement each other. You'll see what I mean after watching both ;) Enjoy!