Restored “Age Of Innocence”: Exquisite
As the New York Film Festival winds down this weekend, I grabbed the opportunity to see a restored print of Martin Scorsese’s 1993 “The Age of Innocence,” starring Daniel Day Lewis and Michelle Pfeiffer. An opulent re-imagining of Edith Wharton’s novel about 1870s New York, the evening was a stunning reminder of just how grand Scorsese can be. The director spoke before the screening, saying that making the picture (Scorsese, one of the most encyclopedic film historians on the planet, uses the old-fashioned word “picture’ a lot) changed him. The obvious antecedent for the film is Visconti’s “The Leopard.” Scorsese also mentioned Renoir’s American movies and Max Ophuls’ “Letter from an Unknown Woman.” I don’t know if “Innocence” will get another release, but if it does you should grab the chance to see it. It just isn’t the same at home — no matter how giant your screen is.
