THE BOSTONIANS: An Unconventional Love Triangle Centers A Merchant Ivory Classic

The films of Merchant Ivory Productions feel symbolic of a certain period in cinematic history that has since been passed by. The many collaborations between producer Ismail Merchant, director James Ivory, and writer Ruth Prawer Jhabvala are almost instantly recognizable thanks to their common features: genteel characters wrestling with emotions far less refined than their accents; gorgeous period settings and costumes bathed in soft light; stories often adapted from classic novels you read in high school English class. Today, films made in this style often feel dated and stiff and end up easily dismissed as “Oscar bait.” Yet Merchant Ivory films remain iconic, thanks to the incredible artistry and emotional intelligence of the main filmmakers involved.

So, it’s no wonder that Cohen Media Group has been steadily restoring and re-releasing Merchant Ivory classics since acquiring the rights in 2015. The latest is The Bostonians, a 1984 drama chronicling the war waged between a women’s movement leader and a suave Southern lawyer for one young woman’s loyalty in late 19th century Boston. Adapted from a Henry James novel, the film’s exploration of gender role complexities still resonates today, even if the fight for women’s suffrage lies many years in the past .

Meet Cute Times Two

Basil Ransom (Christopher Reeve) has come to Boston from Mississippi to visit his cousin Olive Chancellor (Vanessa Redgrave), a prominent figure in the burgeoning women’s suffrage movement. Basil drips with old-fashioned Southern charm and staunchly conservative politics; he doesn’t understand the purpose of his cousin’s movement and believes women should occupy a more traditional role in society: mainly, at home. However, after Olive brings him along to a meeting, Basil becomes suddenly interested in the movement – or rather, in a certain woman in it.

Verena Tarrant (Madeleine Potter) is a sparkling and charismatic orator whose speech at the meeting casts a spell on both Olive and Basil, albeit for slightly different reasons. Olive wants to mold Verena into the perfect mouthpiece for the movement, while Basil wants to marry her and keep her comfortable at home: the exact opposite of what Olive would want for her young protege. (That Olive may also harbor feelings for Verena more intense than mere platonic friendship is alluded to but not explicitly confirmed, and adds an additional layer to her rivalry with Basil.)

An unconventional love triangle ensues, with Verena enjoying her courtship with Basil but unwilling to betray Olive and the values of the movement by marrying him – even though at one point she acknowledges to Olive that she might not care so much about getting the right to vote if Olive hadn’t made it seem so important in the first place. A fiery young woman whose desires seem to change with her moods (often), Verena’s inability to make up her mind on her own could destroy her relationships with both of the people who care about her the most.

Trouble Times Three

None of the three lead central characters in The Bostonians is particularly likable, and yet, that is one of the things that makes the film so intensely authentic to the human experience of both yesterday and today. Olive and Basil are both too tangled up in their own selfish desires for it to ever occur to them what Verena actually wants, while Verena merely says whatever it takes to keep Olive and Basil happy, so hungry is she to be the center of both of their affections. Yet the longer Verena avoids making a decision about where her future lies, the more likely she is to hurt both of them. Waiting in the wings is a young lawyer named Henry Burrage (John Van Ness), quite possibly the only person who truly appreciates Verena – which means that naturally, Verena is incapable of truly appreciating him.

These three narcissists might sound like an entirely unpleasant trio to spend a couple of hours with, but thanks to the capable actors who embody them, as well as Jhabvala’s emotionally astute script, The Bostonians manages to summon up empathy for each of them. As Olive, Redgrave takes a prototypical angry spinster character and peels away the tightly corseted lawyers to reveal a deeply complicated and passionate inner life. Even in Olive’s most unpleasant moments, Redgrave brings a sensitivity to the character that doesn’t necessarily soften her bristles but does make them hurt less to brush against. The forbidden side of Olive’s affection for Verena simmers beneath the surface of her every word and action, adding additional subtext to her obsession with the young woman.

One can understand why Olive is so drawn to Verena despite the young woman’s seemingly weak character; Potter gives a spirited performance, embodied by the auburn curls tumbling freely down her back, that infuses Verena with the charisma necessary to understand why Olive would want to build an entire political movement around her voice. One can also see why she would so quickly enrapture Basil, played here by Christopher Reeve at the peak of his powers: a handsome, smooth-talking gentleman who makes even the most backward statements regarding gender sound almost palatable coming off of his tongue. There is a sensual undercurrent to Reeve’s performance that all too easily ensnares Verena; it’s no wonder Olive immediately views him as a danger to their relationship and their cause.

It’s not the triangle of relationships you might expect from a late 19th century period piece, but that’s part of what makes The Bostonians such an intriguing watch. Like many of the best Merchant Ivory films, it combines historical drama with timeless emotions to show us that there are still lessons to be learned from the stories of the past.

The Bostonians: Conclusion

Look past the frilly costumes and posh accents of The Bostonians and you’ll find a battle of the sexes that remains relevant into the twenty-first century.

What do you think? Does The Bostonians still sound appealing 35 years after its initial release? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

The Bostonians was released on DVD and Blu-ray by the Cohen Film Collection on May 21, 2019.