Starring Helena Bonham Carter, Linus Roache, Alison Elliot, Elizabeth McGovern, Charlotte Rampling, Michael Gambon, Alex Jennings. Directed by Iain Softley.
It's 1910 in London, England. A beautiful young woman, Kate (Carter) has been taken into the upper class family of her wealthy aunt (Rampling). Her mother left her affluent family, and gave up the money, to marry her father (Gambon), but their money went very quickly. Her mother died a couple years back, and her alcoholic father allowed the aunt to care for Kate, in return for a few schilling a week. Auntie is determined to prevent Kate from making the same "mistakes" her sister did - marrying below her class. The problem is Kate is in love with an idealistic journalist Merton (Roache), and sees him secretly, fearing her aunt would not approve. She's right. Auntie finds out about their relationship and tells Kate she'll be cut off if she continues to see Merton. Kate loves Merton, but she strongly desires the luxury and easy life that money can provide, so she obliges her aunt and leaves Merton cold, without explanation.
Her aunt tries to set her up with a consistently hammered Lord Mark (Jennings), who is short of funds, and wishes to marry well to obtain a cash infusion. Soon, a wealthy American orphan Millie (Elliot) arrives in town. A trusting, decent person, she and Kate become fast friends, both outsiders to the mannered and arrogant aristocracy. She soon takes a fancy to Merton. But Millie has a secret - she's dying of a rare blood disease. When Kate finds out, she gets a brainwave. She wants it all - love and gobs of money. She decides it would be real peachy if Merton could marry her and inherit her money, and then after Millie's death, they could marry and live wealthily ever after. Kate and Millie take a trip to Venice, and Kate manipulates Merton into joining them. But things do not end exactly as Kate first envisioned.
The Wings Of The Dove is taken from the Henry James novel of the same name, and is not a pretty, mannered Victorian play, but a strong look at class warfare, romantic secrecy and manipulation, and the age-old struggle between love and money. The first part of the movie moves briskly, and the motivations of the characters are sharply illustrated, the dialogue is lively and witty. We see how each of the characters have been corrupted by money. The aunt uses it to manipulate others to do as she wishes. Kate's father's life has been shattered because he spent what money his mother had left, and blames himself for her death. Kate allows herself to forsake her true love because of the alure of future wealth. Lord Mark is desperate to snag a rich woman to bankroll his sagging lifestyle. Millie's gigantic wealth makes her the target of all sorts of aristocratic suitors whose idea of marriage is a large payday.
The three main actors are all quite good. Carter presents a well rounded character, neither saint nor villain, both selfish and selfless in her relationships with Merton and Millie. Roache expertly portrays a man conflicted by his love for Kate and what she asks him to do to Millie. Elliot is excellent, giving Millie a decency and zest for life that carries the film through its low spots. The latter part in Venice is supposed to be sad and tragic, but the film slows down drastically near its end. But the film ends well, where the final scene vividly illustrates the disasterous effect all this has had on Kate and Merton.
