Ethan Frome - La storia di un amore proibito

This is one of the more enjoyable novels I have read in high school and I think this film adaptation fits the book very well. It is about the life of husband Ethan Frome (Liam Leeson) and his disabled wife, Zeena Frome (Joan Allen). They hire a young woman, Mattie Silver (Patricia Arquette), to help tend to household needs and, as time passes, she and Ethan fall in love.

I've found this movie to be quite enjoyable and engaging, as its drama and plot are enthralling and beautifully depicted. The plot does flow well as the movie is faithfully executed in accordance with the novel and the acting is quite astounding for the most part. The characters especially the three leads are sympathetic and phenomenal - you feel the suffering Zeena's illness is causing her and the complexity surrounding the forbidden love of Ethan and Mattie. The simplicity of the Victorian town the movie is set in and the snowy weather give the story a solemn atmosphere.

If you have read the novel before watching this film, you will still feel intrigued by the plot and find the course of the events suspenseful, wondering how everything will play out at the end. It's a good piece of movie drama that is a must-see.

Grade B+

I watched this movie yesterday night. It made me cry! Then I dreamed of it at night, and when I woke up I still had a melancholy feeling in my stomach and a sweet pain in my heart. Very few movies or novels affect me this strongly nowadays!

The depiction is bleak but romantic, tender, and very, very fine. The actors are all very good in their parts. This is one of those love stories that make you take the side of the adulterous couple, however much you are against such behaviour in ordinary cases. Mutual love can be so hard to find, and when you find it but cannot have it because of circumstances in the world around, you "never want to leave this hill"...

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.

When Richard Nelson set out to adapt Edith Wharton's classic novel Ethan Frome to the silver screen, he could have never imaged that he would surpass the novel in quality. Marvelous casting and cinematography, as well as a befitting musical score by Rachel Portman, create the perfect audio/visual setting for an American classic.

Ethan Frome is the story of a man broken by his illicit love for his wife's housekeeper cousin. Starting from the present, the story flashes back to many years earlier before the accident that crippled Ethan. His wife Zeena becomes sick and sends for her cousin Mattie to take care of her. Ethan and Mattie fall deeply in love while Zeena becomes sicker and sicker.

While staying largely true to the novel, Richard Nelson makes changes to the story that perhaps Edith Wharton should have considered when writing her tragedy. The identity of the character investigating into Ethan's past has been altered from an engineer to a preacher, a more sensible profession in the context of the story. The depth of Ethan's relationship with Mattie also goes much deeper then in the novel. While perhaps this change could be criticized, it works better for the modern audience in understanding events to come. One of these events, an attempted suicide by Ethan's lover Mattie, was absent from the book yet again helps the viewing audience to feel the intense emotions of the movie. Well-chosen deletions from the book also help pacing while not infringing on its essence.

Perhaps the greatest attribute of "Ethan Frome" is its high-quality acting. Liam Neeson, staring as Ethan Frome, delivers an astounding performance. Perfecting both his character's physical ailment and emotional turmoil, he communicates the part as though it was written for him. Patricia Arquette equalizes Neeson's performance as Ethan's forbidden love Mattie Silver. There are several scenes in which dialogue is not needed to understand what Arquette's character is feeling. Lastly, Joan Allen does a phenomenal job in portraying Ethan's sickly wife Zeena. Though not as antagonistic as in the novel, she none-the-less conveys a meaningful performance.

What gives the movie version of Ethan Frome the edge over its book counterpart is the visual experience and the haunting soundtrack. The camera truly captures the melancholy of the land. There is not a moment in which the atmosphere of the setting does not match the emotional performance of the actors. Rachel Portman also composes a recurrent theme that portrays the spirit of the novel. The music, along with the camera work, help to set the kind of mood that words cannot in this instance. "Ethan Frome" wonderfully tells the story that Edith Wharton meant to in her novel. Outstanding acting and beautiful camera work make "Ethan Frome" a deeply moving film. Those who read the book will be mystified by the superiority of the movie over the novel. Those just interested in a heartfelt tale of forbidden love will not be disappointed either. Though it runs just over an hour-and-a-half, it is paced well and does not rush. As a whole, "Ethan Frome" is highly recommended.

The photography is one of the best aspects of the film. The depressing snow and freezing temperature really come across well. The acting is good. In particular, Joan Allen shines as the sickly wife and Liam Neeson is very sympathetic as Ethan. The essential weaknesses of plot derive more from the novella than the director; the theme is not that relevant for modern audiences and some of the criticism levelled against it is undeserved. The plot is faithful to the original although one character is changed from an engineer to a clergyman. The poverty of the town is very well illustrated and gives an alternative view to some Victorian set films.