Age Of Innocence, The

"The Age Of Innocence" is the adapted work of the Edith Wharton tragic novel set in the cloistered world of Gilded Age Manhattan. The film tells the story of Newland Archer (Day-Lewis), whose engagement to an innocent socialite (Ryder) binds him to the codes and ritual of his upbringing. But when her cousin (Pfeiffer) arrives in town on a wave of scandal, after separating from her husband, she ignites passions in Newland he never knew existed. The film is an alternately heartbreaking and satirical look at the brutality of old-world America. (Gary Reber)