'The Wings of the Dove' is a slick period romance, but slightly too glossy (everything we see is either gorgeous or squalid - was there no mundane in the Edwardian period?). Helena Bonham Carter's role is that of a sassy young woman, well-connected but with no money of her own, who decides to manage an emotional con-trick. But she can't cope with the consequences of her own actions. Unfortunately, the plot is poorly developed - the other characters are not held responsible for their own actions, while Bonham Carter progresses from master schemer to victim of her own machinations in little more than a scene. Perhaps for this reason, all the actors seem a little disconnected from the story, the depth of their involvements conveyed by little more than the occasional smouldering look. Someone dies beautifully, but the film as a whole is synthetically inert. Though changes from a constant diet of Hollywood blockbusters are usually welcome, 'The Wings of the Dove' is almost like a parody of a subtle film - delicate but flat.
Review of The Wings of the Dove
