(Romantic Drama | 1997)
THIS ARTICLE HAS SPOILERS!
⭐ Overall Rating:
⭐⭐⭐ (⅗)
Why This Movie Caught My Eye
Period Dramas. I love them. They bring me to a world that appears to be full of sweet, yearning romance, elegance, and beautiful dresses. However, I am aware of reality, the politics, and the history that occurred in each era. Not everything was beautiful, but I still can’t help but watch and read media based on various time periods.
As with most days, I was procrastinating with writing my book. I filtered through my streaming recommendations and became fascinated with the premise of Washington Square. Starring the brilliant Jennifer Jason Leigh with the legendary Dame Maggie Smith.
The 5 second pitch was simple, and I immediately clicked.
“A lonely young woman in search of happiness is finally swept off her feet. But her father’s doubts of the young man’s intentions threaten to end the relationship.” (Brilliant Copywriter at Amazon).
The pitch covered who the main character was, what was going on and how it threatened her. Great copy to keep in mind when creating a blurb.
Plot Overview
This movie is based on the novel by Henry James. Catherine Sloper (Jennifer Jason Leigh) is our main character, and she is not your typical romantic lead that we constantly see in modern romances. She is plain, horrible fashion sense, no-talent, awkward and clumsy. However, she is the daughter of a widowed, prestigious doctor, Austin Sloper (Albert Finney) who has amassed a fortune. As his only child, she will inherit, which is her only attraction. As with many lonely females of that time period, she is swept away easily with a handsome and worldly man, Morris Townsend (Ben Chaplin). This main male character, again, isn’t your typical lead. He is broke, jobless and a fortune hunter.
Naturally, her father suspects Morris’s attention to his daughter and becomes determined to separate them. Her Aunt Lavinia (Dame Maggie Smith) is swept away with the romance and meddles accordingly.
This is a different romance, a secret favorite flavor of mine. While I love happy romances, this is the kind that destroys relationships and questions who you are. The reaction to the romance was a refreshing take on the stakes.
Character Insights
Catherine Sloper
Catherine Sloper is such an underrated character in the world of historical romance media. Henry James is noted to have said that the only good thing in the story was her. She is naïve, introverted and on paper unlikeable. The movie portrayed her as a hot mess, full of scenes that made me second hand embarrassed; but somehow I was rooting for her. Her growth, or rather her transformation from naïve to cynical, was a character arc that I loved. What I stuck out was her vulnerability, paired with desperation to be loved. Her rock bottom was hard, and it shaped her to realize that she was the only person on her team.
Austin Sloper
Austin Sloper was another interesting character. At first, you would assume he is overprotective, but it is quickly shown that he is frequently disappointed in his daughter. His wife, who had died giving birth to her, is in the first scene of the movie. The maid tries to offer his newborn daughter, but he ignores her and immediately goes to his wife and mourns. He idolized his wife and frequently compared his daughter to her. It hurt to see the lack of love he had for Catherine, only caring because of his sense of duty. That birth scene showed the start of his resentment he holds and he frequently displays it throughout the story. It’s subtle and obvious, but jabs go unnoticed by Catherine until the climax of the story.
Morris Townsend
Morris Townsend is the male lead that swept our girl, Catherine, off her feat. He is hot, cool and dead broke. He is a pro at wooing and gifted socially. The complete opposite of Catherine. We question his intentions, as does the father of the story. It is soon confirmed by his own sister! We also start seeing who he really is through his actions.
Aunt Lavinia Penniman
Aunt Lavinia is widowed and assigned to be in charge of Catherine’s education and guardian in society. She was hilarious but also unlikable! The moment she saw Townsend, she lived vicariously through Catherine and tried to facilitate the relationship. Even coordinating rather scandalous interactions. She honestly made a mess of things with her selfishness. What made her character arc interesting is that she never grew and remained the same. My favorite scene is her meeting Townsend in a seedy bar and convincing him to cut a piece of hair as a token. Of course, we assume she would give the token to Catherine but keeps it for herself.
What Writers Can Learn From This Movie
The overall plot was simple, but what made it rich were the characters.
The character stories showed arcs that inspired me for future stories. They are dynamic and reminded me that unlikeable characters can still hook a reader if created in the right way.
Catherine is a true strong character. She is desperate for approval and love and goes through embarrassing situations. It made her ending all the more impactful. The last interaction between her and Morris was *chefs kiss*. It was the butteriest of butter. The satisfaction was unexpected but perfect for her character.
Aunt Lavinia was an excellent player who learned nothing and was the unintentional villain in the story. Her intentions on the surface appeared genuine, but we learn that like all the close people in Catherine’s life, she is just as selfish.
Favorite Quote or Scene
There are many favorite scenes in this movie, but the end was impactful and Catherine’s parting words to Morris were a showcase of her vulnerability and strength that she acquired from the crap she has been put through.
Catherine Sloper: You treated me badly. I felt it very much. I felt it for years. It made a great change in my life. But I can’t talk about it.”
Morris Townsend: Why didn’t you marry then. Levinia tells me there’ve been chances.
Catherine Sloper: I didn’t wish to marry. Yes.
Morris Townsend: You had nothing to gain.
Catherine Sloper: I had nothing to gain. What ever else happened, I did, I did love once. Well, actually.
Morris Townsend: Do you hate me?
Catherine Sloper: No. But please don’t come here again.
Final Thoughts
I have added Henry James’s novel to my TBR. I suspect it will provide a richer atmosphere of the character’s internal struggles than the movie. I would love to write a character like Catherine but with a more revenge twist. Overall, if you are looking for a period drama that is drama-ing, I recommend Washington Square.
Let’s Chat, Cheekies!
- Have you watched or read Washington Square?
- As a writer, what nuggets have you learned from this story?
