An idealistic American businessman’s pursuit of a European aristocratic bride is obstructed by her family’s dark secrets.
Wealthy American industrialist Christopher Newman (Matthew Modine) arrives in Paris determined to absorb European culture and acquire a wife. He becomes infatuated with the widowed Claire de Cintré (Aisling O’Sullivan), a member of an old aristocratic family. Her formidable mother, Madame de Bellegarde (Diana Rigg), and brother Henri (Paul Hickey) initially consent to the match, viewing it as a financial solution to their problems. However, they abruptly withdraw their approval without explanation, leaving Newman baffled and humiliated. His subsequent investigation into their motives uncovers a terrible secret that gives him power over the family, forcing him into a moral dilemma.
Michael Hastings’ screenplay is a handsome and faithful rendering of the Henry James novel. The central challenge of any such adaptation is to find a visual language for the author’s dense, interior prose. This production grounds the psychological drama in the codes and manners of Parisian high society. An international co-production involving Irish, British, and American broadcasters, its assembly mirrors the story’s own cultural friction. The casting follows suit, placing an American lead against a formidable British and Irish ensemble, with the drama hinging on the collision between New World innocence and Old World corruption.
Broadcast: BBC 2 – An Irish Screen/WGBH Boston production, 1 Episode, 26 December 1998
Adapted by: Michael Hastings, from the novel by Henry James
Director: Paul Unwin
Producer: Fiona Finlay
Executive Producers: Simon Curtis, Rebecca Eaton, Nigel Warren-Green, Michael Wearing
Music: Stephen McKeon
Main Cast: Matthew Modine (Christopher Newman), Diana Rigg (Madame de Bellegarde), Aisling O’Sullivan (Claire de Cintré), Paul Hickey (Henri de Bellegarde), Ed Bishop (Gerard Packard)
