The Portrait of a Lady

Still, ``The Portrait of a Lady'' is a huge disappointment. Overdrawn `Portrait of a Lady' Campion loses her subtle touch Fortunately, the rest of the performances in ``Portrait'' are outstanding, especially Barbara Hershey's. ... Full Review

The Portrait of a Lady is a colossal bore. There's a nice moment from John Gielgud as a philosophical uncle who changes Isabel's fortune. But she continues in her obstinate ways, true only to herself, and the light goes out of the film. ... Full Review

Jane Campion's films are always visually stimulating, and "The Portrait of a Lady" is no exception. And because "The Portrait of a Lady" meanders too much and allows itself too many digressions, it ultimately loses its way. ... Full Review

Isabel Archer, the heroine of ``The Portrait of a Lady,'' is one of his most loved and tragic characters; everything she does is inspired by idealism, and leads to heartbreak and ruin. And it is well acted. ... Full Review

Conversely, I keep forgetting how much I've come to hate John Malkovich. But then she inherits a fortune from her uncle, and it's off to Florence, where she fails under the evil influence of the mysterious Ms. Merrill (Hershey) and the perfectly skeezey Mr. Osmond (Malkovich). ... Full Review

Portrait of a Lady ties with The English Patient as 1996's most delicious eye-candy. Campion's harshly gorgeous images can't redeem her smug, self-congratulating faux-feminism. ... Full Review

Besides the uniformly fine performances, what makes the film so rewarding - and challenging - is its refusal to soften or sentimentalise James' study of New World innocence unprotected against Old World experience. With Stuart Dryburgh 's stunning 'Scope camerawork, and a number of audaciously imaginative sequences (notably Isabel's erotic fantasy, and a Dali-esque, b/w 'silent' short to evoke her Grand Tour), this is as far from heritage flummery as you can get. ... Full Review

With that criterion, there's no question Portrait of a Lady sucks badly. When a film depends as entirely on the strength a single performance as this one does on Kidman, whether the film is a success is directly related to how good that one performance is. ... Full Review

Viggo Mortensen, Martin Donovan, and Richard E. Grant turn in some of the best work of their careers. Campion tries everything to keep the viewer interested, but the story is so slowly paced and boring, I felt bad for all involved. ... Full Review

her eccentric, erratic, and ultimately eloquent adaptation of The Portrait of a Lady.... ... Full Review