Cheap The House of Mirth (DVD) (Gillian Anderson, Dan Aykroyd) (Terence Davies) Price

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Customer Reviews of The House of Mirth

Good movie!
As a person who really loves Edith Wharton's beautiful novel, I was deeply impressed by the film.
I didn't think Gillian Anderson did the opening scene in Seldon's apartment very well, ditto for some of the other scenes in the beginning, so at first I was kind of disappointed, but as the show went on I was more and more thrilled with her performance. The last few scenes were so beautifully tragic it was heartbreaking.
It is very faithful to the book, with some mild alterations that were probably for the best, for instance in the book Lily rarely cries, but the reader understands her inward agony so tears are not necessary. For a movie, I guess you need more visual stuff, so she's more teary. One change that surprised me was that the character of Gerty Farish had been left out, and oddly combined with that of Grace Stepney, to create a rather strange person who was almost creepy.
Still, if you loved the book, you'll love the movie. I would urge all Edith Wharton fans to see it. . . it is worth the viewing time and may even increase your appreciation for the book. Definitely one of my favorite movies, and extremely well acted, it'll rip your heart out.

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Stellar version of Edith Wharton's novel
For fans of Edith Wharton's novel (and fans of period pieces in general), you will be relieved to know that this film stays true to Wharton's story. Critics and audiences griped that this film (directed by Terence Davies) was too long--and at 2 hours and 20 minutes, it does demand something of the viewer. But fans of Wharton and films set in this era (early 1900s New York) will find it gripping. The film tells the story of Lily Bart (Gillian Anderson of "X-Files" fame), a society woman who has little money of her own and lives with her demanding aunt. Lily is beautiful, but foolish about money and men--and these two things become her downfall. She has debts from playing cards with other members of the upper crust, and she steadfastly refuses to become more involved with Lawrence Selden (Eric Stoltz), her true love, because he lacks the money to support her in the style to which she is accustomed. Lily chases after a wealthy husband, but every time that she seems on the verge of making a match, her mistakes come back to haunt her. She foolishly trusts Gus Trenor (Dan Aykroyd) to invest her money for her--but Trenor, smitten with Lily, ultimately uses her debts to blackmail her as reputation becomes more and more tarnished. Lily's downfall is tragic--the final 40 minutes are so are very bleak, but this is true not only to Wharton's novel, but also to the plight of women in that era, whose value was only defined by their marriageability. There is solid acting almost all the way around. Gillian Anderson looks lovely and works the full range of emotions demanded of her. Eric Stoltz as Selden seems like a calm and stable center in this world of flighty and poisonous people. And Laura Linney, as the woman who does the most to bring about Lily's downfall, is perfection. This film is tough going, but extremely well done. Davies captures the suffocating atmosphere of upper-crust life in 1900s New York, and Gillian Anderson makes for a remarkable heroine.

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Heartbreaking
Couldn't help but feel the pain that the heroine went through. Wonderful film. I was surprised by Gillian Anderson's suberb acting because I had only seen her in the television show "X-Files". I would recommend this film to anyone who is patient to watch this film and who has an appreciating for tragic stories.