I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

Blistering performances.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

The crippled body and unfriendly personality of Ethan Frome greets a newly arrived visitor in that small New England town where Frome has a farm. The town minister Tate Donovan tells the reason why.Back in the day Frome played here by Liam Neeson was a typical tightlipped New England farmer trying his best to eke out a living on the played out soil that characterized New England in the day. He has to do the work of two because his wife Joan Allen is a sickly sort. Out of desperation he hires a servant girl to be a live-in maid. The fetching Patricia Arquette brings out some emotions that Neeson hasn't felt in years. But this is a most conservative rural part of New England and besides Neeson has the usual guilt pangs in regard to Allen. In the end it all turns out rather badly for Neeson and Arquette and let's say in the matter physical and mental well being the tables have been drastically turned. Ethan Frome never got a big screen treatment before and I can see why, it's a real downer of a story. It ran as a play in 1936 on Broadway for 120 performances and it starred Raymond Massey, Pauline Frederick, and Ruth Gordon. No screen credit was given the play's authors so I guess it wasn't used in any way for the screen adaption. There was also a TV special which starred Sterling Hayden as Ethan Frome, casting very much in line with using Liam Neeson here.The cinematography depicting New England of the 1890s was superb I don't think Edith Wharton would have any complaints. I don't think it's the best of her novels though, I'm not even sure what the point of her story was. Still Neeson, Arquette, and Allen deliver fine performances and devotees of Edith Wharton should be pleased.

I always thought that Edith Wharton was an interesting author and I had been meaning to read the book since high school but never got around to doing so. When I saw the DVD, I couldn't resist. I thought the acting, scenery, costumes were all superb. I really felt as if I were in latter part of 19th century New England. That said, though, I can't say this is a very happy movie by any means. The only real warmth was the fire from the new minister. In fact, if I had to describe this movie in three words, it would be dreary, dreary, dreary. The interiors are dreary, the characters dreary, and the story dreary. But this is what I think the producer was trying to portray so he did an excellent job - just a little too dreary for me. On closer reflection, the author showed how we are often bound by fate and the choices we make. Ethan left college to take care of his sickly mother, stayed when she died and then married the cousin who took care of her. Now he is stuck in a joyless situation.

ETHAN FROME (1993) *** Liam Neeson, Patricia Arquette, Joan Allen, Tate Donovan. Edith Wharton's classic Gothic Tragedy comes to fruition in this bleak and romantic story of unadultarated forbidden love set in 19th century New England. Picaresque and lengthy with humane and dignified performances all about.

Although I found the acting excellent, and the cinematography beautiful, I was extremely disappointed with the adaptation.One of the significant portions of the novella is the fact that Ethan and Mattie decide to kill themselves, rather than go on. This is never presented in the movie, they show it as if it were a sledding accident.The character changes in Mattie and Zenna are almost non-existent. While in the novella they almost change places, at the end of this adaptation it appears as if they are both invalids.Lastly that Mattie and Ethan consummate their relationship fully nearly destroys the power and poignancy of the finale.The change of the narrator being a preacher was one effective change.Neeson and Arquette are superb in their portrayals. Joan Allen was also wonderful, however her character was much watered down from Whartons novella.I do not expect films to faithfully portray novels, but this one went to far and in the process nearly destroyed the story.Overall, I would not recommend watching this film unless you have read the book as you will come away confused and disappointed.