The Portrait of a Lady (film)

{{Infobox film

| name = The Portrait of a Lady

| image = Portraitofladyposter.jpg

| caption = Theatrical release poster

| alt =

| director = Jane Campion

| producer = Steve Golin
Monty Montgomery

| screenplay = Laura Jones

| based_on = {{based on|The Portrait of a Lady|Henry James}}

| starring = {{Plainlist|

}}

| music = Wojciech Kilar

| cinematography = Stuart Dryburgh

| editing = Veronika Jenet

| studio = PolyGram Filmed Entertainment

| distributor = Gramercy Pictures (United States)
PolyGram Filmed Entertainment (United Kingdom){{cite web|title=The Portrait of a Lady (1996)|work=BBFC|access-date=8 April 2021|url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/the-portrait-of-a-lady-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0yote4ntu}}

| released = {{Film date|df=yes|1996|8|28|Venice|1996|12|24|United States|1997|2|28|United Kingdom}}

| runtime = 142 minutes

| country = United Kingdom
United States{{cite news|url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b7d04a829|title=The Portrait of a Lady|date=|website=bfi|url-status=dead|access-date=10 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170824012129/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b7d04a829|archive-date=August 24, 2017}}

| language = English

| budget =

| gross = $20 million{{cite magazine|magazine=Screen International|date=5 September 1997|pages=16–17|title=International Star Chart}}

}}

The Portrait of a Lady is a 1996 British-American film directed by Jane Campion and adapted by Laura Jones from Henry James' 1881 novel of the same name.

The film stars Nicole Kidman, Barbara Hershey, John Malkovich, Mary-Louise Parker, Martin Donovan, Shelley Duvall, Richard E. Grant, Shelley Winters, Viggo Mortensen, Valentina Cervi, Christian Bale, and John Gielgud. It received two nominations at the 69th Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actress (Hershey) and Best Costume Design (Janet Patterson).

The film tells the story of Isabel Archer, an innocent young woman of independent means manipulated by her "friend" Madame Merle, and the devious Gilbert Osmond.

Plot

Isabel Archer is a woman who has already rejected many suitors, including the wealthy Lord Warburton and Caspar Goodwood, to whom she had initially given hope. Caspar's arrival is arranged by Henrietta, a close friend of Isabel who cares for her deeply. Isabel's strong character and free-spirited nature are adored by her cousin, Ralph Touchett, who persuades his father, her uncle, to give Isabel money so that she can be rich and independent. Upon her uncle's death, Isabel receives a fortune.

Isabel encounters Madame Serena and instantly likes her. Learning about Isabel's wealth, Serena decides to arrange a marriage between Isabel and Serena's former lover Gilbert Osmond, who lives in Florence, Italy. Gilbert is a widower and has a daughter Pansy, who grew up in a convent and is not allowed to leave the house, even to walk in the garden, when her father is away. Isabel is enchanted by Gilbert and accepts the proposal; however, she is warned by Ralph that Gilbert is a "small man" and Isabel is giving up her dreams to be in a cage with a worthless husband. Isabel is enraged and slaps Ralph, to which he calmly answers that he said what he must, that he loves Isabel, and that he knows he has no hope. It is also evident that he is slowly dying from consumption.

Gilbert is nice to Isabel until after they are married. Isabel finds herself trapped in Rome in an unhappy marriage with a fear of her abusive husband, who gradually disconnects her from all of her friends. Henrietta, Ralph, and Caspar all leave for England. Pansy is also a victim of her father's overly protective behavior; she is in love with Rosier, but Gilbert has decided to arrange a marriage between her and Lord Warburton, who is attentive to Pansy just to get closer to Isabel. Isabel sees the mutual love between Pansy and Rosier and is deeply moved. Gilbert sees through Isabel's schemes to prevent Pansy from becoming engaged to Warburton, but he is too late; Lord Warburton leaves Italy. Gilbert angrily slaps Isabel and steps on her dress so that she falls on the ground. Serena deeply regrets organizing the fateful union between Gilbert and Isabel.

Isabel learns that Ralph is overtaken by consumption and is on his deathbed. She asks Gilbert to let her go to England to be with her dying cousin but receives a cold and negative answer. Pansy is sent to a convent away from her lover. Isabel is pitied by Gilbert's sister, who finally opens Isabel's eyes, telling her that Gilbert's first wife was childless and Pansy is, in fact, Gilbert and Serena's daughter. Isabel finally decides to go against her husband's wishes and leave for England. She visits Pansy and proposes to the girl to flee, but Pansy refuses, saying she wants to please her father. In the convent, Isabel also encounters Serena but proudly ignores her attempts to start a conversation. However, at the last minute before Isabel leaves, Serena runs to her - she has guessed Isabel is going to England to Ralph and reveals to Isabel that Ralph is the one who persuaded the uncle to give Isabel her fortune. On Ralph's deathbed, Isabel tearfully confesses that he has been her best friend and she loves him. Henrietta and Caspar attend Ralph's funeral. In the garden, Caspar tries to persuade Isabel to let go of her fear of her husband. They kiss passionately, but Isabel runs away to the house. She stops before the house door, and leans against it, looking back into the garden.

Cast

Nicole Kidman as Isabel Archer
John Malkovich as Gilbert Osmond
Barbara Hershey as Madame Serena Merle
Mary-Louise Parker as Henrietta Stackpole
Martin Donovan as Ralph Touchett
Shelley Winters as Mrs. Touchett
John Gielgud as Mr. Touchett
Shelley Duvall as Countess Gemini
Richard E. Grant as Lord Warburton
Viggo Mortensen as Caspar Goodwood
Christian Bale as Edward Rosier
Valentina Cervi as Pansy Osmond
Roger Ashton-Griffiths as Bob Bantling

Reception

The Portrait of a Lady received mixed reviews from critics. It holds a 47% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 73 reviews, with an average rating of 5.9/10. The consensus summarizes: "Beautiful, indulgently heady, and pretentious, The Portrait of a Lady paints Jane Campion's directorial shortcomings in too bright a light."{{Citation |title=The Portrait of a Lady |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1074321-portrait_of_a_lady |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes |language=en |access-date=2024-06-22}} On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating, the film has a score of 60 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".{{Citation |title=The Portrait of a Lady Reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-portrait-of-a-lady |publisher=Metacritic |access-date=2022-04-03}} Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "B−" on an A+ to F scale.{{Cite web |title=Home |url=https://www.cinemascore.com/ |access-date=2022-04-03 |website=Cinemascore }}

The film grossed $3.7 million in the United States and Canada and $20 million worldwide.{{Citation |title=The Portrait of a Lady (1996) |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl1634436609/weekend/ |website=Box Office Mojo}}

Accolades

class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
Award ! Category ! Nominee(s) ! Result ! {{Ref heading}}
rowspan="2"\| Academy Awards \| Best Supporting Actress \| Barbara Hershey \| {{nom}} \| rowspan="2" style="text-align: center;"\| {{cite news \|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1997 \|title=The 69th Academy Awards (1997) Nominees and Winners \|access-date=October 23, 2011 \|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences \|url-status=live \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141109082132/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1997 \|archive-date=November 9, 2014}}
Best Costume Design \| Janet Patterson \| {{nom}}
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards \| Best Supporting Actress \| Barbara Hershey \| {{nom}} \| style="text-align: center;"\| {{cite web\|url=https://chicagofilmcritics.org/awards-blog/archives \|title=1988-2013 Award Winner Archives \|website=Chicago Film Critics Association \|access-date=August 24, 2021}}
rowspan="2"\| Chlotrudis Awards \| Best Supporting Actor \| Martin Donovan \| {{nom}} \| rowspan="2" style="text-align: center;"\| {{Cite web\|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117364/awards\|title=The Portrait of a Lady - IMDb\|via=www.imdb.com}}
Best Supporting Actress \| rowspan="3"\| Barbara Hershey \| {{nom}}
Golden Globe Awards \| Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture \| {{nom}} \| style="text-align: center;"\| {{cite web\|url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/film/portrait-lady \|title=The Portrait of a Lady – Golden Globes \|website=HFPA \|access-date=July 5, 2021 \|ref={{harvid\|HFPA\|1997}}}}
rowspan="2"\| Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards \| Best Supporting Actress \| {{won}} \| rowspan="2" style="text-align: center;"\| {{cite web\|url=http://www.lafca.net/Years/1996.php \|title=The 22nd Annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards \|website=Los Angeles Film Critics Association \|access-date=July 5, 2021}}
Best Production Design \| Janet Patterson \| {{won}}{{efn\|Tied with Brian Morris for Evita.}}
rowspan="2"\| National Society of Film Critics Awards \| Best Supporting Actor \| Martin Donovan \| {{won}}{{efn\|Tied with Tony Shalhoub for Big Night.}} \| rowspan="2" style="text-align: center;"\| {{cite web\|url=https://nationalsocietyoffilmcritics.com/about-2/ \|title=Past Awards \|website=National Society of Film Critics \|access-date=July 5, 2021}}
Best Supporting Actress \| Barbara Hershey \| {{won}}
rowspan="3"\| New York Film Critics Circle Awards \| Best Actress \| Nicole Kidman \| {{Runner-up}} \| rowspan="3" style="text-align: center;"\| {{cite web\|url=https://mubi.com/awards-and-festivals/nyfccas?year=1996 \|title=1996 New York Film Critics Circle Awards \|website=Mubi \|access-date=July 5, 2021}}
Best Supporting Actor \| Martin Donovan \| {{Runner-up}}
Best Supporting Actress \| rowspan="2"\| Barbara Hershey \| {{Runner-up}}
rowspan="2"\| Online Film & Television Association Awards \| Best Supporting Actress \| {{nom}} \| rowspan="2" style="text-align: center;"\| {{cite web \|url=http://www.oftaawards.com/film-awards/1st-annual-film-awards-1996/ \|title=1st Annual Film Awards (1996) \|website=Online Film & Television Association \|access-date=May 15, 2021}}
Best Costume Design \| Janet Patterson \| {{nom}}
rowspan="3"\| Satellite Awards \| Best Screenplay – Adapted \| Laura Jones \| {{nom}} \| rowspan="3" style="text-align: center;"\| {{cite web \|url=https://www.pressacademy.com/award_cat/1997/ \|title=1997 Satellite Awards \|website=Satellite Awards \|access-date=August 24, 2021}}
Best Art Direction \| rowspan="2"\| Janet Patterson \| {{nom}}
Best Costume Design \| {{nom}}
colspan="2"\| USC Scripter Awards \| Laura Jones {{small\|(screenwriter)}}; Henry James {{small\|(author)}} \| {{nom}} \| style="text-align: center;"\| {{cite web \|url=https://libraries.usc.edu/scripter/past-scripter-awards \|title=Past Scripter Awards \|website=USC Scripter Award \|access-date=November 8, 2021}}
Venice International Film Festival \| Best Film (Pasinetti Award) \| Jane Campion \| {{won}} \| style="text-align: center;"\| {{cite web\|url=http://www.americancinemapapers.com/files/VENICE_1996.htm\|title=VENICE FILM FESTIVAL – 1996\|access-date=6 October 2013}}

class="wikitable plainrowheaders"

Award

! Category

! Nominee(s)

! Result

! {{Ref heading}}

rowspan="2"| Academy Awards

| Best Supporting Actress

| Barbara Hershey

| {{nom}}

| rowspan="2" style="text-align: center;"| {{cite news |url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1997 |title=The 69th Academy Awards (1997) Nominees and Winners |access-date=October 23, 2011 |publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141109082132/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1997 |archive-date=November 9, 2014}}

Best Costume Design

| Janet Patterson

| {{nom}}

Chicago Film Critics Association Awards

| Best Supporting Actress

| Barbara Hershey

| {{nom}}

| style="text-align: center;"| {{cite web|url=https://chicagofilmcritics.org/awards-blog/archives |title=1988-2013 Award Winner Archives |website=Chicago Film Critics Association |access-date=August 24, 2021}}

rowspan="2"| Chlotrudis Awards

| Best Supporting Actor

| Martin Donovan

| {{nom}}

| rowspan="2" style="text-align: center;"| {{Cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117364/awards|title=The Portrait of a Lady - IMDb|via=www.imdb.com}}

Best Supporting Actress

| rowspan="3"| Barbara Hershey

| {{nom}}

Golden Globe Awards

| Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture

| {{nom}}

| style="text-align: center;"| {{cite web|url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/film/portrait-lady |title=The Portrait of a Lady – Golden Globes |website=HFPA |access-date=July 5, 2021 |ref={{harvid|HFPA|1997}}}}

rowspan="2"| Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards

| Best Supporting Actress

| {{won}}

| rowspan="2" style="text-align: center;"| {{cite web|url=http://www.lafca.net/Years/1996.php |title=The 22nd Annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards |website=Los Angeles Film Critics Association |access-date=July 5, 2021}}

Best Production Design

| Janet Patterson

| {{won}}{{efn|Tied with Brian Morris for Evita.}}

rowspan="2"| National Society of Film Critics Awards

| Best Supporting Actor

| Martin Donovan

| {{won}}{{efn|Tied with Tony Shalhoub for Big Night.}}

| rowspan="2" style="text-align: center;"| {{cite web|url=https://nationalsocietyoffilmcritics.com/about-2/ |title=Past Awards |website=National Society of Film Critics |access-date=July 5, 2021}}

Best Supporting Actress

| Barbara Hershey

| {{won}}

rowspan="3"| New York Film Critics Circle Awards

| Best Actress

| Nicole Kidman

| {{Runner-up}}

| rowspan="3" style="text-align: center;"| {{cite web|url=https://mubi.com/awards-and-festivals/nyfccas?year=1996 |title=1996 New York Film Critics Circle Awards |website=Mubi |access-date=July 5, 2021}}

Best Supporting Actor

| Martin Donovan

| {{Runner-up}}

Best Supporting Actress

| rowspan="2"| Barbara Hershey

| {{Runner-up}}

rowspan="2"| Online Film & Television Association Awards

| Best Supporting Actress

| {{nom}}

| rowspan="2" style="text-align: center;"| {{cite web |url=http://www.oftaawards.com/film-awards/1st-annual-film-awards-1996/ |title=1st Annual Film Awards (1996) |website=Online Film & Television Association |access-date=May 15, 2021}}

Best Costume Design

| Janet Patterson

| {{nom}}

rowspan="3"| Satellite Awards

| Best Screenplay – Adapted

| Laura Jones

| {{nom}}

| rowspan="3" style="text-align: center;"| {{cite web |url=https://www.pressacademy.com/award_cat/1997/ |title=1997 Satellite Awards |website=Satellite Awards |access-date=August 24, 2021}}

Best Art Direction

| rowspan="2"| Janet Patterson

| {{nom}}

Best Costume Design

| {{nom}}

colspan="2"| USC Scripter Awards

| Laura Jones {{small|(screenwriter)}};
Henry James {{small|(author)}}

| {{nom}}

| style="text-align: center;"| {{cite web |url=https://libraries.usc.edu/scripter/past-scripter-awards |title=Past Scripter Awards |website=USC Scripter Award |access-date=November 8, 2021}}

Venice International Film Festival

| Best Film (Pasinetti Award)

| Jane Campion

| {{won}}

| style="text-align: center;"| {{cite web|url=http://www.americancinemapapers.com/files/VENICE_1996.htm|title=VENICE FILM FESTIVAL – 1996|access-date=6 October 2013}}

Home media

On December 11, 2012, Shout! Factory released The Portrait of a Lady: Special Edition on DVD and Blu-ray.{{Cite web|url=http://www.digitallyobsessed.com/displaypr.php?ID=5336|title=digitallyOBSESSED! Press Release: The Portrait Of A Lady (Special Edition) on Blu-ray Dec 11|website=www.digitallyobsessed.com}}