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      The White Countess

      PG-13 Released Dec 21, 2005 2 hr. 18 min. Drama List
      50% 88 Reviews Tomatometer 49% 10,000+ Ratings Audience Score In 1930s Shanghai, blind American ex-diplomat Todd Jackson (Ralph Fiennes) is a frequenter of the city's seamy underbelly of nightclubs and gambling houses. Todd is infatuated with Sofia (Natasha Richardson), a once-wealthy countess who has taken to dancing and prostitution in order to support herself. With earnings from a horse race, Todd opens an upscale nightclub to cater to Shanghai's wealthy elite, installing Sofia -- "The White Countess" -- as its hostess and spiritual muse. Read More Read Less Watch on Fandango at Home Premiered Sep 06 Buy Now

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      The White Countess

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      Critics Consensus

      High production values and fine performances get bogged down by a lifeless story that fails to engage the viewer.

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      Audience Reviews

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      Taís F Es disfrutable, y conmovedora, pero en la primera hora se hace lenta. Y en general durante toda la trama falta conexión emocional entre los protagonistas con la audiencia, sabemos que pasa algo pero debemos verlo en pantalla. Para los últimos 45 minutos se pone interesante y dramática. Las actuaciones, el escenario, los vestuarios, la música y demás están bien ejecutadas. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/19/24 Full Review Audience Member I was stunned to see that this rather lazy, robotic film was a Merchant Ivory production. One of the things they are usually known for is creating tension and intense emotions with minimal dialogue, while keeping it in period. Some of the problem with dialogue in this film may have been Ralph Fiennes awful attempt at an American accent, as well as Natasha Richardson's surprisingly wooden Russian one (along with her mum, Vanessa and aunt Lynn). It was as if someone decided to recreate Cabaret in Shanghai but missed the most important elements (and I don't even like Cabaret). They DID get the lush production value and period tunes right (though many sounded as if lifted straight from Coppola's The Cotton Club"), but that's about it. It's also just as drawn out as most other critics said. If you want to see a great performance by Richardson, watch her with Liam Neeson and Jodi Foster in "Nell". Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/20/23 Full Review michael g The plot revolves around Sophia, a Russian countess, thrown out of her country in post revolution Russia, without a passport, money, or any means of supporting herself. She finds herself in Shanghai just before the Japanese takeover, doing whatever it takes to survive. She becomes a prostitute in a nightclub, supporting her daughter and extended family, only to have them scorn her, while simultaneously depending on her for their survival. Natasha is brilliant in her role, as the proud, but determined mother, doing whatever it takes to survive. Her characters sad haunting smile, as she accepts abuse, her warm, friendly nature, and her devotion to to her daughter shine through. The movie is touching, another reinterpretation of Pygmalion, like My Fair Lady and Pretty Woman; all focus on the same theme. A lost soul, rescued and rehabilitated, but with less melodrama, and more focus on the self sacrifice that a mother will sink to for her daughters happiness. If you haven't seen this, put it on your short list. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member 1.7.19 dvd @ home w/Sh & J Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/18/23 Full Review Audience Member An example of a novel literally on the screen, this Merchant ivory tale of exile and love is not lacking in ambition but has too many threads to work as a cinematic narrative. The screenwriter's novelistic origins betray themselves, a shame as it does bring down a quality cast and solid period production values. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review william s Everything's here minus an interesting story. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      The White Countess

      A scene from the film THE WHITE COUNTESS directed by James Ivory. A scene from the film THE WHITE COUNTESS directed by James Ivory. A scene from the film THE WHITE COUNTESS directed by James Ivory. A scene from the film THE WHITE COUNTESS directed by James Ivory. A scene from the film THE WHITE COUNTESS directed by James Ivory. View more photos

      Critics Reviews

      View All (88) Critics Reviews
      Nigel Andrews Financial Times The White Countess goes on so long I felt the urge to consult my calendar. Rated: 1/5 Oct 7, 2018 Full Review David Ansen Newsweek Ishiguro is a wonderful novelist, but perhaps not a natural-born screenwriter. The White Countess feels schematic and dramatically inert. Ivory, for all the acting talent at his disposal, finds plenty of style in prewar Shanghai, but its pulse eludes him. Mar 13, 2018 Full Review Empire Magazine Rated: 3/5 Apr 1, 2006 Full Review Brandon Fibbs BrandonFibbs.com While a beautiful and moving film, The White Countess, sadly falls short of being a great one because it never allows us into the hearts of its primary protagonists. Rated: 5/11 Feb 28, 2008 Full Review David Noh Film Journal International [Ivory] takes a tired, cliché-ridden, nostalgic screenplay by Kazuo Ishiguro and layers on the ennui. Mar 1, 2007 Full Review Pablo Villaça Cinema em Cena Esteticamente impecável (como todas as produções Merchant Ivory), o filme falha do ponto de vista narrativo, revelando-se, como seus personagens, excessivamente frio e emocionalmente distante. Rated: 2/5 May 31, 2006 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis In 1930s Shanghai, blind American ex-diplomat Todd Jackson (Ralph Fiennes) is a frequenter of the city's seamy underbelly of nightclubs and gambling houses. Todd is infatuated with Sofia (Natasha Richardson), a once-wealthy countess who has taken to dancing and prostitution in order to support herself. With earnings from a horse race, Todd opens an upscale nightclub to cater to Shanghai's wealthy elite, installing Sofia -- "The White Countess" -- as its hostess and spiritual muse.
      Director
      James Ivory
      Executive Producer
      Andre Morgan, Andreas Schmid
      Screenwriter
      Kazuo Ishiguro
      Distributor
      Sony Pictures Classics
      Production Co
      Merchant Ivory Productions, VIP, Mikado Films
      Rating
      PG-13 (Thematic Elements|Some Violent Images)
      Genre
      Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Dec 21, 2005, Original
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Apr 16, 2012
      Box Office (Gross USA)
      $1.7M
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