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The White Countess

Play trailer Poster for The White Countess PG-13 2005 2h 18m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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51% Tomatometer 87 Reviews 49% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
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.
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The White Countess

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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Critics Reviews

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Nigel Andrews Financial Times 10/07/2018
1/5
The White Countess goes on so long I felt the urge to consult my calendar. Go to Full Review
David Ansen Newsweek 03/13/2018
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. Go to Full Review
Marc Savlov Austin Chronicle 02/11/2006
2.5/5
By sheer willpower (and some of the best art direction of this year or any other), this is a fitting, poetic epitaph to the life and career of Ismail Merchant. Go to Full Review
Brandon Fibbs BrandonFibbs.com 02/28/2008
5/11
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. Go to Full Review
David Noh Film Journal International 03/01/2007
[Ivory] takes a tired, cliché-ridden, nostalgic screenplay by Kazuo Ishiguro and layers on the ennui. Go to Full Review
Pablo Villaça Cinema em Cena 05/31/2006
2/5
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. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Taís F 02/18/2024 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. See more 04/20/2021 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". See more 01/07/2019 1.7.19 dvd @ home w/Sh & J See more 03/21/2016 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. See more 06/06/2015 As a drama it doesn't quite hit the heights of 'Empire of the Sun', despite the obvious similarities in time and location of this period piece, however it's still a worthy story of toil in troubled times. It's acted well enough and like many Merchant Ivory productions there's attention to detail in the period set design throughout. See more 05/27/2015 Set in Shanghai before Japanese invasion during the 1930s. A glimpse of how foreigners live amongst Chinese. See more Read all reviews
The White Countess

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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
Producer
Andreas Grosch, Ismail Merchant
Screenwriter
Kazuo Ishiguro
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co
VIP, Merchant Ivory Productions, 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
Runtime
2h 18m
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