In a previous post I mentioned that I was reading Washington Square. This book really picks up the pace about halfway through. The verbal sparring that takes place is more than a little jarring after reading chapter after chapter of chivalrous exposition. Not one character is very sympathetic, yet James masterfully creates sympathy for every character. It is that fleeting sympathy that keeps the reader interested. It is also what makes the melodrama more than tolerable. Washington Square is clever, even if its heroine is not. **** out of 5.
I am anxious to see The Heiress, the 1949 film version of the James novel. I had never heard of this movie before, but after some research it seems that the film is something of a classic (even Pauline Kael liked it). Olivia de Havilland and the great Montgomery Clift star. Unfortunately The Heiress is not on DVD yet. More recently Jennifer Jason Leigh starred in a movie version (this time with the original title of Washington Square) that costarred Albert Finney as her father and Maggie Smith as her meddling aunt. This version is on DVD, and will be going in my Netflix queue.
