The Age of Innocence (1993)
I get the sense that the people who lived before us took life, and its comings and goings rather a whole lot more seriously than we do; especially if they belonged to the upper class. Honour and reputation meant a great deal; a good deal more than they do today. People made promises that were kept and they loved with immense passion and sincerity. There was a great sense of dignity and pride in everything they did and felt. Soft, virginal, beautiful, well-behaved women who wore expensive clothes, smiled, simpered, listened and acted the way a ‘lady’ was supposed to were loved. And men who worked respectable, lucrative jobs in lavishly furnished office buildings, wore well-tailored suits, took care of and protected their families and their honour, held fast to promises, spoke about business and handled grave matters while smoking ridiculously expensive cigarettes were highly commended.
And yet, there was a great deal of hypocrisy in these societies. There still is in high societies, I expect. While maintaining smooth and clean appearances, people resorted to all sorts of depraved behavior behind closed doors and were quick to cast aspersions on others who have not been intelligent enough or didn’t care enough to conceal their vices, to exert their moral superiority. And the funny thing is that everyone knew what everyone else was up to, but as long as no one was caught, it was all hunky dory.
At least that’s the sense I got of the New York Elite in the 1870s from the film ‘The Age of Innocence’ directed by Martin Scorsese. This is another film about the upper class society, but it is rife with passion and emotion. The film stars Daniel Day-Lewis, Winona Ryder and Michelle Pfeiffer in the leading roles. Daniel-Day Lewis plays Newland Archer, a young man from a very wealthy, respectable family in New York who is engaged to a young woman from another wealthy, respectable family called May Welland, played by Winona Ryder. But he falls madly in love with May’s very charming cousin Ellen, played by Michelle Pfeiffer. Now Ellen’s life is steeped in scandal. She’s left her husband and had till recently, allegedly been living with his secretary.
Newland holds fast to custom, tradition and honour, but is quite modern and liberal in his thinking. He believes in the freedom of women, and he believes that Ellen must have left her husband for good reason. But his fiancé May is everything a woman is expected to be among the New York elite, and then some. She is very pretty, soft spoken, modest, polite, endearing, has a very sweet disposition, does what she is told, never asks questions, comes from a well reputed and wealthy family, and probably doesn’t have a single independent thought in her head. She’s been conditioned to behave exactly like that. It’s all she’s ever known. She doesn’t know or understand anything outside of that. May represents everything that is good and stable in Newland’s world. She is endearing. She is respectable. She is perfect. And Newland is very fond of her.
Ellen, on the other hand, is intelligent, funny, charming, interested in art (as demonstrated by the shots of the long, strange paintings hanging in her house), is mischievous, upfront, says exactly what she thinks even if it is unseemly and possesses beauty that is of a distracting quality. She has traveled the world with her parents, and is therefore worldly and has tasted true freedom. She has dared to live her life on her own terms and has taken her life into her own hands. Newland is instantly attracted to this scandalous, amusing, nonchalant girl and finds himself enjoying, even craving, her company. Before he knows it, he has fallen head over heels in love with her.
Ellen falls in love with Newland too. But she finds herself sinking into the quagmire that is the rigid customs of the New York elite. She has to if she wants any semblance of a peaceful life around these people. She tells Newland that they cannot be together as that would deeply wound May and cause a major scandal. Besides, her estranged husband wants her to come back to him. Newland does not wish to hurt May either, nor does he wish to humiliate anyone or be embroiled in any sort of scandal. So, he agrees. He neatly and comfortably settles into conformity, even though he does not believe in it. But his attraction towards Ellen is undeniable. She ignites something raw and real inside of him.
He has decided to marry May, because she’s the perfect kind of woman to marry, but Ellen is someone Newland finds absolutely remarkable, and whose company and presence make him feel a whole range of feelings that has nothing to do with keeping up an appearance, upholding honour or doing one’s duty. It’s raw and visceral. It’s real and honest. So do Ellen and Newland get together despite everything? The film keeps you one edge and wondering at every turn. When will they meet again? Will they kiss? Will Ellen go back to her husband? Will Newland leave May?
To me, the film is a commentary on the norms of the high society and its general hypocrisy. Breaking the norms would mean forsaking everything you and your forefathers built up and hold dear: respect, honour and reputation. Things are done not because one wants to do them, but because one is expected to and it is simply the right thing to do. One’s most visceral needs and desires always take a backseat or are achieved on the sly. The biggest priority is to uphold one’s image. There is a part in the narration where it is mentioned that the truth is never spoken and no one is really themselves. Nobody ever says what they truly feel. Everything is carefully curated and controlled to maintain the appearance of a perfect and smooth running environment where everyone smiles, attends parties, makes small talk, dances and clinks together wine glasses. The little bit that is honestly conveyed is done so via arbitrary signs like declining party invitations to make one’s displeasure or dislike known. All of this is an indication that the inhabitants of this society must be terribly stifled and lonely, or terribly stupid and empty.
It must be mentioned that ‘The Age of Innocence’ is based on the book of the same name written by Edith Wharton. It was published in 1920, and must have been modern even for that time. The 1870s were terrible for women’s rights. In the 1920s the feminist movement was gathering traction, but the norms set for women by society were still pretty rigid. The narration by yesteryear actor Joanne Woodward is sumptuous and has been taken almost word for word from the book. There is one instance where the path to the magnificent ballroom at a house is described and it’s been done so beautifully.
There are several shots of the finery and jewelry, and sweeping shots of the magnificent homes and their interiors to drive the point home about just how well these people lived. And don’t even get me started on the food. They had several courses for every meal, and each course was a very elaborate dish; dishes made with meat, cream and butter, served in large portions. I was reminded of a line from the show Downton Abbey, which is a about an English aristocratic family in the early 1900s, in which a maid remarks, “It’s a wonder they’re not all the size of a tub!” They really did live very lavishly. Almost decadently. But most were unhappy, because nobody was really themselves. And those who were, were largely ostracized and spoken ill of, or they simply did it on the sly.
The opening shot of the film is of buds blooming into flowers. That can be presumed as a symbol of one in their youth finding out what it really means to feel their first pangs of real and true passion. I suppose that’s why the title of the story is what it is: ‘The Age of Innocence’. I would suggest watching ‘The Age of Innocence’ for the convincing performances, how nuanced the depiction of the upper class life in 19th century New York is, the detail in the background and most importantly the beautiful love story that it is. You will experience a range of emotions and find yourself rooting so hard for Newland and Ellen. The film lingered with me long after I watched it.
(Images from various sources on Google)
