Ethan Frome

Starring: Liam Neeson, Patricia Arquette, Joan Allen, Tate Donovan, Stephen Mendillo, Katharine Houghton
Directed by: John Madden
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama, Romance
1993

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A new pastor (Tate Donovan) is curious to learn the history of crippled outcast Ethan Frome (Liam Neeson).

Review:

Tim: I really, really enjoyed Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome, so I was looking forward to this movie. What's interesting is that I liked the movie significantly less. This isn't a case of "oh, the book was so much better!" The movie actually does a fairly faithful job of following the book. Certain characters are tweaked and a few aspects are shortened, but those didn't impact the quality of the film at all. So, why isn't the movie as good as the book? I actually believe that the story doesn't have enough cinematic qualities to it. It's a story that is meant for a book, but without straying far from the source material, there's not enough here to make a truly great movie.

One example is the big climax. Although it was a little odd in the book, it just comes across as silly, quaint, and not as powerful as it needed to be. In some ways, it works better in literary form. You can imagine and build the scene. Actually seeing it leaves something to be be desired.

The story itself is fine, but so much of the power of the relationship is what is unsaid. In the book, their feelings bubble under the surface. That's not exactly cinematic or interesting in a visual form. The movie followed the book, but it made for a somewhat lacking movie.

I thought Liam Neeson was very good as Frome. I didn't picture anyone in the role when I read the book, but Neeson is a strong actor and he did a very good job bringing this character to life. My legs hurt with sympathy pains to see how he contorted them with his cripple walk. He certainly committed to the role, because that must have hurt. Joan Allen was a bit surprising as Zeena. I wouldn't have expected her to be cast, but she did well with the role. She didn't get enough to do, but there were a few scenes where she exploded with emotion- those were fun to watch. I can't claim to have enjoyed Patricia Arquette as Mattie. I just think she was wrong for the part. She doesn't really capture the essence of the character. Her laugh was occasionally annoying and didn't go nearly far enough to showcase what Ethan saw in her. Part of the power of this story is the contrast between Zeena and Mattie. The movie toys with it a little, but that needed to be front and center. We don't get to see it enough, so we're not fully on board with why Ethan acts the way he does. This blunts the emotional turmoil he finds himself in, as well as our ability to understand it. Director John Madden missed an opportunity there. That's unfortunate, because the movie needed more fire, more emotion. It comes across as a little dull.

Now, while it's easy to find fault with the movie, there's still a lot to like here. As mentioned, the movie closely follows the source material, which is always good to some degree. The movie does tell an interesting story about three people who find themselves in a very complicated situation. That's inherently interesting. It features some solid performances. Ethan Frome isn't as good nor as memorable as it needed to be, but it's a decent movie.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



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