The House of Mirth

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Geoffrey H Edith Wharton may have the satirical touch of an American Austen but she has the despairing gaze of a Thomas Hardy. Terence Davies’ ably directed 2000 adaptation of Wharton’s 1905 novel, ‘The House of Mirth’, has a stately and chilling grandeur about it, reminiscent at times of Ancient Greek tragedy. Gillian Anderson as Lily Bart gives possibly her finest performance on film. Turn of the C20th New York’s high society is recreated in all its callous snobbery and hypocrisy by ‘The House of Mirth’; money is the brutal measure of an individual’s worth. With Trumpian ethics rampant across today’s USA, this re-release is timely and relevant; there are obvious parallels to be made between then and now. (Britain is currently having a rude awakening about the shocking behaviour of its own powerful and privileged class, of course, so perhaps we don’t really need to cross the Atlantic to find telling comparisons.) It is a compelling watch and good on the ear too. The dialogue seems effortlessly lifted from the original novel and is delivered by an excellent cast. The insidious social niceties and manners of the time are convincingly portrayed. As for the curious title, it comes from Ecclesiastes 7:4: ‘The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.’ Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/01/25 Full Review Patricia W Easily one of the worst films i've ever seen.Stilted ridiculous dialogue.Hideous acting.Anderson is simply awful.Like watching paint dry. Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 06/25/25 Full Review Alec B Its a great adaptation of the novel because it so clearly understands that the real tragedy here is that Lily is punished because she is terrible at playing the arbitrary social games of her era and she refuses to be as cruel as everyone else. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/26/24 Full Review Bill N it was very very tedious and i had to quit after one wasted hour:-( Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 04/30/23 Full Review Steve D Bleak and melodramatic. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/10/23 Full Review isla s This is a somewhat dull period drama film. The performances are ok and the costumes and setting are good but the story is a bit plain. I suppose it does well at painting a picture of how women were regarded at the time the film is set (the 1920s). I do like a good period drama but there isn't quite enough full blown drama in this. I thought Gillian Anderson and Dan Ackroyd gave particularly good performances and I note that Anthony LaPaglia (of Without A Trace (US crime drama show) fame) also features. These films appeal to me more in terms of enjoying the context their set in - the grand palacial homes and the social commentary side of things. Unlike other films, this one didn't really grab my attention as such - I feel it was rather long winded but its not without any merit. I wouldn't especially recommend this film as such, no. Oh and also this may be called 'House of Mirth' but I honestly can't say I found myself laughing while watching it. I suppose if it tackles any one particular subject, it'd be shame. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The House of Mirth

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