English Version | A world of hieroglyphics

07 Feb 2023
By Pedro Vasconcelos

It is with these words that Edith Wharton describes the narrative of The Age of Innocence. But it is only through Martin Scorsese's lens that they are substantiated. A world where nothing is said and everything is implied.

It is with these words that Edith Wharton describes the narrative of The Age of Innocence. But it is only through Martin Scorsese's lens that they are substantiated. A world where nothing is said and everything is implied.

When, in 1993, Martin Scorsese made the cinematographic interpretation of Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence (1920), his audience was in shock. The director, responsible for movies like Taxi Driver (1976) or All Good Boys (1990), had built his entire career on violent dramas that explored the criminal underworld. The public's surprise was expected when it was announced that he would be the one to direct the adaptation of a book detailing 19th-century American high society. How to explain that Scorsese, an excellent portraitist of underground society, would lead a film so focused on the sensibility of the past? These questions were made only by those who hadn’t read Wharton's book. The ones familiar with the American writer's narrative understood the director's choice. Scorsese's works, although intense, focus on the rules of the mobster groups he was so obsessed with. It wasn't just aggression without purpose, there was a concern to expose the codes of honor of the anti-heroes, the laws that structured their hierarchies of power. With this notion in mind, no other director was better qualified to direct the film version of a work that depicts the (implied) aggressiveness of the laws of high society. The story, written in 1920 by the American author, details the rumors surrounding a scandalous affair between two distinguished members of 19th-century New York society. Like other novels by Edith Wharton, the narrative is a perfect representation of the social laws that prevent us from achieving happiness.

Scorsese's lens delicately touches Wharton's world, amplifying both its beauty and ugliness. Although it is a visually beautiful film, with impeccable direction of photography, this was not Martin Scorsese's priority. The director's ambition was to portray a world where nothing is said, but everything is implied. All the aesthetic choices are integrated into a concrete goal, to respect the secret oppression of a world commanded by privilege. From the sets to the lighting to the props, everything has been meticulously calculated by the American director. To decorate the apartments where the drama takes place, for example, Scorsese ordered two hundred copies of classical paintings. J. M. W. Turner, John Singer Sargent, William-Adolphe Bouguereau, the walls of the sets are filled with high-quality imitations of the greatest names in Western art. These were not purchased by print but rather ordered from legitimate artists, a choice that ended up costing the production over two hundred thousand dollars. This decision, like so many others, represents exquisite attention to detail, mirroring the opulence of the era portrayed.

Of course, we couldn't approach The Age of Innocence (1993) without mentioning its costumes. It is no coincidence that of all the Oscar nominations the film received, it was the Oscar for Best Costume Design that was awarded to it. The achievement is not surprising when you consider who was in charge of this role: the legendary Gabriella Pescucci. Having worked with the likes of Federico Fellini and Giovanni Patroni Griffi, the Italian costume designer is one of the most respected in the industry. Her work, in addition to being true to the era, is an extravagant demonstration of Gilded Age Fashion. The Met Gala should have required its guests to watch the film before stepping onto the red carpet of its 2022 edition. We apologize for the bitterness, but Pescucci's work reminds us of the immense potential of the era: the stunning pieces chosen were instrumentalized to aid Edith Wharton's story. Think of the two female protagonists, the cousins who represent the opposites in the narrative, the good versus the wicked, simplicity versus impurity. May Welland, the personification of innocence, uses pastel shades and variations of white, adorned with pearls. On the other hand, Ellen Olenska, the renegade protagonist who ends up seducing her cousin's fiancé, wears heavily decorated clothes. Colors such as red, indigo, and forest green are accompanied by flowers, feathers, and bows.

If the tones used by Pescucci help the narrative to shine through, the cast's performances give it substance. Martin Scorsese chose the crème de la crème of Hollywood. The aforementioned cousins, played by Winona Ryder and Michelle Pfeiffer (you can guess which of the two is the seductress), stimulate the entire narrative. Unlike Scorsese's films up to 1993, in which the plot is male-driven, The Age of Innocence passes the Bechdel test. This a surprising fact for a film produced in the 1990s. But what sets the film apart as a classic is not its performances. It's not historical accuracy. It's not even the fabulous closet. It is a fact that it is a collaboration between two of the greatest artists of the 20th century. Wharton and Scorsese's perspectives merge, complementing each other in their differences and reinforcing each other in their similarities. The entire film is a conversation between the two, and as spectators, we feel as if we are listening to a conversation between two titans. The union of the writer's delicate prose with the director's aggressive aesthetic makes it so that, thirty years later, The Age of Innocence remains in the pantheon of the seventh art.

Translated from the original on Vogue Portugal's The Innocence Issue, published February 2023.Full story and credits on the print issue.

Pedro Vasconcelos By Pedro Vasconcelos

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