The Golden Bowl (2000)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

James Ivory

Writers (WGA):

Henry James (novel)
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (screenplay)

Release Date:

13 September 2000 (France)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

A man marries an heiress for her money even though he is actually in love with her friend.

Plot Keywords:

Italy | Billionaire | Italian | Museum | Love Triangle

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Kate Beckinsale	...	Maggie Verver
James Fox	...	Colonel Bob Assingham
Anjelica Huston	...	Fanny Assingham
Nick Nolte	...	Adam Verver
Jeremy Northam	...	Prince Amerigo
Madeleine Potter	...	Lady Castledean
Uma Thurman	...	Charlotte Stant
Nicholas Day	...	Lord Castledean
Peter Eyre	...	A.R. Jarvis, Shopkeeper
Nickolas Grace	...	Lecturer
Robin Hart	...	Mr. Blint
Daniel Byam Shaw	...	Principino at Five Years
Francesco Giuffrida	...	Duke's Younger Son
Marta Paola Richeldi	...	The Duchess
Rossano Rubicondi	...	Duke's Older Son
Mattia Sbragia	...	The Duke
Billy Monger	...	Principino
Pauline Rayner	...	Nursemaid
Susan Gutfreund	...	Vivacious Guest
Arturo Venegas	...	Italian Ambassador
Raymond Green	...	Photographer
Anthony Bevan	...	Butler
Neville Phillips	...	Man Talking to Castledean
Paul Bradley	...	Executioner
Lucy Freeman	...	Lucy Moncreif
Philip Tabor	...	William Davenport (as Phillip Tabor)
Catherine Aldrich	...	Guest at Fawns
Isabel de Pelet	...	Guest at Fawns (as Isabel De Pelet)
Richard MacRory	...	Guest at Fawns (as Richard Macrory)
Caroline Burnaby-Atkins	...	Guest at Fawns
Piers Gielgud	...	The Ballet: Pasha
Antonia Franceschi	...	The Ballet: First Queen
Philip Willingham	...	The Ballet: Slave
William Dignon	...	The Ballet: Little Prince
Ray Souza	...	Dancer
Simon Humphrey	...	Dancer
Leanne Codrington	...	Dancer
Michela Meazza	...	Dancer
Amy Bailey	...	Dancer
Stephen Hughes	...	Dancer
Michaela Burgess	...	Dancer
Tippi Maravala	...	Dancer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Shireen Kadivar	...	Mina (uncredited)

Directed by
James Ivory

Writing credits (WGA)
Henry James		(novel)
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala		(screenplay)

Produced by
Paul Bradley	....	executive producer
Richard Hawley	....	executive producer
Ismail Merchant	....	producer
Fabrizio Mosca	....	associate producer: Italy

Original Music by
Richard Robbins

Cinematography by
Tony Pierce-Roberts

Film Editing by
John David Allen

Casting by
Celestia Fox

Production Design by
Andrew Sanders

Art Direction by
Lucy Richardson

Set Decoration by
Anna Pinnock

Costume Design by
John Bright

Makeup Department
Carol Hemming	....	hair designer
Amanda Knight	....	makeup designer
Elizabeth Lewis	....	hair coordinator
Elizabeth Lewis	....	makeup coordinator
Trefor Proud	....	makeup artist
Andrea Schaverien	....	hair colorist
Zoe Tahir	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Marcantonio Borghese	....	production manager: Italy
Sarah Bradshaw	....	production manager
Alexandre Déon	....	production manager: Italy (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Filippo Fassetta	....	second assistant director: Italy
Christopher Granier-Deferre	....	first assistant director
Anya Gripari	....	third assistant director
Emma Horton	....	third assistant director
Adrian Toynton	....	second assistant director
Paula Turnbull	....	third assistant director
Fiona Spillard	....	second assistant director (uncredited)
Sias Wilson	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Gill Ducker	....	buyer
Joanna Foley	....	assistant art director
Martin Foley	....	draughtsman
Gary Fox	....	dressing props
Mark Fruin	....	stand-in props
Gianni Giovagnoni	....	art director: Italy
Tony Graysmark	....	construction manager
Roberto Magagnini	....	property master: Italy
Mark McNeil	....	stand-in props (as Mark Venn Mcneil)
Sebastiano Murer	....	stand-in props: Italy
Mark Reynolds	....	dressing props
Cinzia Sleiter	....	set decorator: Italy
Graham Stickley	....	props storeroom
Anthony Szuch	....	drapes
Steve Westley	....	dressing props
Arthur Wicks	....	property master
Ashley Winter	....	art department assistant

Sound Department
Philip Alton	....	dialogue editor (as Phillip Alton)
Nigel Bennett	....	sound recordist
Martin Cantwell	....	foley editor
Alessandro Cattanio	....	boom operator: Italy
Nina Hartstone	....	dialogue editor
Peter Holt	....	foley editor
Robert Ireland	....	assistant sound editor
Dominic Lester	....	sound re-recording mixer
Gilberto Martinelli	....	sound mixer: Italy
Nigel Mills	....	supervising sound editor
Robin O'Donoghue	....	sound re-recording mixer
Robin Quinn	....	assistant sound editor
Amie Stephenson	....	sound trainee
David Stephenson	....	sound mixer
Richard Street	....	sound re-recording mixer
Colin Wood	....	boom operator
Greg Steele	....	adr mixer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Tiberio Angeloni	....	special effects (uncredited)
Franco Galiano	....	special effects coordinator: Italy (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Alasdair MacCuish	....	senior data operator: MPC
Susi Roper	....	optical effects producer
Gavin Digby	....	digital compositor (uncredited)
Gregory Salter	....	digital compositor (uncredited)
Jelena Stojanovic	....	digital compositor (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Arnaud Borrel	....	still photographer
Fred Brown	....	best boy electric
Pete Cavaciuti	....	Steadicam operator (as Peter Cavaciuti)
Aldo Colanzi	....	key grip: Italy
Colin Corby	....	second camera operator
Tommy Finch	....	gaffer
Claudio Frollano	....	best boy electric: Italy
Sam Goldie	....	camera trainee
Rawdon Hayne	....	focus puller
Leo Holloway	....	video assist operator
Malcolm Huse	....	key grip
Erica Lennard	....	still photographer
Fernando Massaccesi	....	gaffer: Italy (as Nando Massaccesi)
Spencer Murray	....	clapper loader
Seth Rubin	....	still photographer: Italy
Jack English	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Mark Packman	....	electrician (uncredited)
Marco Sticchi	....	electrician (uncredited)
Michael White	....	electrician (uncredited)

Casting Department
Shaila Rubin	....	casting: Italy
Louis Elman	....	adr voice casting (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Dan Grace	....	wardrobe master
Laura May	....	wardrobe mistress
Janet Tebrooke	....	wardrobe supervisor
Sally Turner	....	assistant costume designer

Editorial Department
Jo Dale	....	assistant editor
Giles Gardner	....	first assistant editor
Jaquelin Pelzer	....	second assistant editor (as Jaqueline Peltzer)
Perri Pivovar	....	assistant editor
Sylvia Wheeler	....	negative cutter

Music Department
Geoff Alexander	....	music arranger: orchestral arrangements (as Geoffrey Alexander)
Simon Chamberlain	....	musician: solo piano
Marcia Crayford	....	orchestra leader
Phillip de Groote	....	musician: solo cello (as Philip De Groote)
Sally Ann Ewins	....	orchestra contractor
Harry Rabinowitz	....	conductor
Phil Todd	....	musician: solo saxophone
Kirsty Whalley	....	score recordist
Kirsty Whalley	....	score mixing (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Cengiz Asiliskender	....	driver
Hayati Asiliskender	....	driver
Waseem Barlas	....	driver
Mac MacLean	....	transportation captain (as Mac Maclean)

Other crew
Myleeta Aga	....	publicist
Charles Antelme	....	assistant location manager
Karole Armitage	....	choreographer
Rahila Bootwala	....	production accountant
Joanna Burnaby-Atkins	....	assistant location manager
Rizwan Chowhan	....	key floor runner
Jason Costelloe	....	film assistant
Lara dall'Antonia	....	production secretary: Italy
Gillean Dickie	....	administrator: Merchant Ivory office, London
Anna Hall	....	production coordinator
Linda Hartley	....	stand-in
Jonathan Hook	....	location manager (as J.J. Hook)
Becky Jones	....	assistant location manager
Ali Keshavji	....	production runner
Sunil Kirparam	....	accountant
Elizabeth Lewis	....	researcher
James Linton	....	stand-in
Matteo Marangoni	....	assistant: James Ivory, Italy
Christian McWilliams	....	key location manager
Justin Miller	....	assistant accountant
Mary P. Murphy	....	administrator: Merchant Ivory office, New York (as Mary Murphy)
Aisling O'Brien-Hall	....	assistant coordinator
Giorgia Onofri	....	script supervisor: Italy
Penelope Perry	....	production coordinator
Mark Richards	....	assistant: Uma Thurman
Barbara Ruggeri	....	production coordinator: Italy
Louise Savage	....	stand-in
Marla Shelton	....	assistant: James Ivory
Jill Streeter	....	copyist (as Jill Streater)
Gwenn Stroman	....	assistant: Anjelica Huston
Katherine Teakle	....	unit nurse (as Katie Teakle)
Chris Terrio	....	assistant: James Ivory (as Christopher Terrio)
Tim Tubbs	....	assistant: Karole Armitage
Dmitri Vigneswaren	....	production runner
Julia Wilson Dickson	....	voice coach (as Julia Wilson Dixon)
Beverly Winston	....	script supervisor
Sam Connelly	....	assistant: Ms. Thurman (uncredited)
Darren Harrison	....	runner (uncredited)
Theo J. Hyman	....	runner (uncredited)
Roger Phillips	....	title designer (uncredited)

Thanks
Michael Carr	....	grateful thanks
Jon Culverhouse	....	grateful thanks: Burghley House
Sarah Culverhouse	....	grateful thanks: Burghley House
Caroline De Cabarrus	....	grateful thanks
Lady Levene	....	grateful thanks: Portsoken
Lord Levene	....	grateful thanks: Portsoken
Fabrizio Massimo	....	grateful thanks: Castello Massimo
Lord Tollemache	....	grateful thanks: Helmingham Hall

Production Companies

• Merchant Ivory Productions (as Merchant Ivory Productions)
• TF1 International
• Golden Bowl Productions Limited 2000

Distributors

• Films sans Frontières (2000) (France) (theatrical)
• Lions Gate Films (2001) (USA) (theatrical)
• Medusa Video (2001) (Italy) (DVD) (special edition)
• TF1 Vidéo (2001) (France) (DVD)
• Trimark Video (2001) (USA) (DVD) (as Trimark Home Video)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (2002) (UK) (DVD)
• Wise Policy (2002) (Japan) (all media)
• A-Film Distribution (2001) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Alfa Films (????) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Miramax Films (????) (USA) (theatrical) (short version)
• Movienet (????) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Vértigo Films (????) (Spain) (theatrical)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (2001) (Netherlands) (video)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (????) (Germany) (DVD) (special edition)

Special Effects

• Digital Film (digital effects)

Other Companies

• Pinewood Studios  movie studio
• 2020 Casting  background casting
• AFM Lighting  lighting
• Archive Films  archive footage
• Asprey & Garrard  grateful thanks
• British Film Institute (BFI)  archive footage
• Corporation of London, The  filming at the Mansion House by permission of
• Cosprop  costumes
• Film Finances  completion guarantee
• Frameline Productions  title design
• Global Music Service  music copyist
• National Archives  archive footage
• Peerless Camera Company  opticals
• Set Meals  catering
• Shepperton Studios  sound re-recorded at
• Société Générale  production bank
• Studios CTS  music recorded at
• TF1 International  foreign sales
• The Modern Library  publisher of "The Golden Bowl"
• UCLA Film and Television Archive  archive footage

Also Known As:

La coupe d'or (France)

MPAA:

Rated R for a sex scene.

Runtime:

130 min

Country:

USA | France | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Finland:K-11 | Iceland:L | Portugal:M/12 | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | France:U | Germany:6 | Netherlands:AL | Norway:7 | Spain:7 | Sweden:7 | UK:12 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Belvoir Castle, Belvoir, Leicestershire, England, UK

Company:

Merchant Ivory Productions

Trivia:

According to costume designer John Bright, Cosprop provided lace and sequined dresses for the principal actresses: 28 outfits for Uma Thurman, 15 for Anjelica Huston and 20 for Kate Beckinsale.

Quotes:

Adam Verver: Of course. No-one would dream of burying a queen while she was still alive.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Reflections of Evil (2002)

Soundtrack:

Moonstruck

Good adaptation with some editing and acting flaws

The film is very effective in conveying the spirit of the novel. By the end you will have that bittersweet taste in your mind, as it usually happens with Henry James stories... Not a single character can say that their heart is completely content.

Once again, as in other Merchant Ivory productions, the cinematography and art direction is impeccable. Also, the costume design is both classic and risky (Uma Thurman at the ball is exotic and sensual).

Now, the main flaw in terms of editing is pacing. While this type of narrative calls out for a slower pace, at times it just didn't feel right. It is like different hands took over parts of the movie.

As for acting, it is quite good in general. Kate Beckinsale starts out very stiff, but warms up throughout the story. As for handsome Jeremy Northam, his Italian accent seemed contrived and was a bit distracting.