Ethan Frome (1993)

To me, this movie is perfection.

Thanks for the memories!

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

The 1993 British-American television production ETHAN FROME is an adaptation of Edith Wharton's 1911 novel about star-crossed lovers in late 19th-century Massachusetts. Though Wharton was a wealthy New York socialite, she had glimpses of New England village life, and it was the harsh winters, dire poverty and cruel gossip of this region that she sought to portray. The eponymous character (played by Liam Neeson) is a young farmer in the fictional Massachusetts community of Starkfield, whose dreams of making something of himself are dashed by the early death of his parents and then his marriage to the sickly Zenobia "Zeena" Frome (Joan Allen). When Zeena's cousin beautiful cousin Mattie Silver (Patricia Arquette) comes to help out in the house, Ethan's heart is thawed, but ultimately the uncompromising conditions of Starkfield life bring Ethan and Mattie to a tragedy.The plot of a pair of star-crossed lovers is rather overdone, but ETHAN FROME is interesting in its depiction of a Massachusetts village in the late 19th century, complete with characters speaking in dialect and a description of country farmhouses. This adaptation does a decent job of presenting those strengths of the novel. It also offers an improvement on the novel in that it tweaks Wharton's risible climax -- Ethan and Mattie deciding to escape this cruel world by sledding down a hill into a big elm tree, the stupidest means of suicide in all of literature -- to be more believable.The adaption is flawed, however, by a number of factors. One is the decision to change the framing story of Wharton's novel. In the book, the visitor to Starkfield who spurs the flashback is an engineer who wonders why Frome is so taciturn. In this film, however, the visitor is the town's new preacher, just out of seminary, who protests against Frome being shunned by the town. Wharton's portrayal of a man who walls himself off by the world after multiple tragedies is replaced, then, by an element completely unknown to the novel: the castigation of the villagers as ignoring basic Christian charity. This has consequences for the ending, which is much less powerful than the novel. Another unwelcome change is that Ethan and Mattie sleep together, while in Wharton's novel the characters seem incapable under their dire circumstances of having even a physical relationship. Also, Liam Neeson offers some of the best acting in the film, but he's 10 years too old to play this role.I first saw this film when it was shown on PBS nearly two decades ago, and it works well enough as passive entertainment on television, but this is a second-rate affair in many ways and I cannot recommend getting the DVD.

I always thought that Edith Wharton was an interesting author and I had been meaning to read the book since high school but never got around to doing so. When I saw the DVD, I couldn't resist. I thought the acting, scenery, costumes were all superb. I really felt as if I were in latter part of 19th century New England. That said, though, I can't say this is a very happy movie by any means. The only real warmth was the fire from the new minister. In fact, if I had to describe this movie in three words, it would be dreary, dreary, dreary. The interiors are dreary, the characters dreary, and the story dreary. But this is what I think the producer was trying to portray so he did an excellent job - just a little too dreary for me. On closer reflection, the author showed how we are often bound by fate and the choices we make. Ethan left college to take care of his sickly mother, stayed when she died and then married the cousin who took care of her. Now he is stuck in a joyless situation.

ETHAN FROME (1993) *** Liam Neeson, Patricia Arquette, Joan Allen, Tate Donovan. Edith Wharton's classic Gothic Tragedy comes to fruition in this bleak and romantic story of unadultarated forbidden love set in 19th century New England. Picaresque and lengthy with humane and dignified performances all about.

Liam Neeson is astounding. The rest of the cast is very good as well. Though poor Joan Allen has the misfortune of being required to grate on the nerves. Tate Donovan was a nice find as well, as the new preacher in town, I think I enjoyed him more here than in any other film in which I've seen him.Back, however, to Neeson. From the opening moments when you see him trudging through the snow to the sexual energy he exudes without showing skin to the final moments of deep pain and confusion, he is is phenomenal. He is THE reason to see this film.It could have been that I was home ill (ironic when you consider the plot) when I saw the film, but I'm not so sure the pace wasn't a little below the speed necessary for people to get truly wrapped into the story and characters. Yet, I stuck through the whole thing, because I was transfixed by Neeson's performance.He is one of the greats! I always feel warmed after watching him perform.