The Bostonians (1984)
- Starring:
- Christopher Reeve, Vanessa Redgrave, (more)
- Director(s):
- James Ivory
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- R
Member Rating
My RatingSynopsis of The Bostonians
Adapted by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala from the novel by Henry James, Merchant/Ivory's The Bostonians is set among the Back Bay uppercrust of the 19th century. Basil Ransom (Christopher Reeve), bored by his opulent lifestyle and his "proper" friends, is fascinated by his cousin, outspoken suffragette Olive Chancellor (Vanessa Redgrave). Basil and Olive's mutual friend is likeable, gregarious Verena Tannant (Madeleine Potter). Soon a triangle develops, albeit an unorthodox one: Basil and Olive both find themselves pursuing Verena, Basil because he is in love with her, and Olive because she wants to exploit Verena's social connections and gift for public speaking to promote her own political ideology. Lurking in the background is Verena's true love, poor-but-honest attorney Henry Burrage (John Van Ness). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Theatrical Feature Running Time:
- 120 mins
Complete Cast of The Bostonians
- Christopher Reeve - Basil Ransome
- Madeleine Potter - Verena Tarrant
- Nancy Marchand - Mrs. Burrage
- Linda Hunt - Dr. Prance
- Wallace Shawn - Mr. Pardon
- Martha Farrar - Mrs. Farrinder
- John Van Ness Philip - Henry Burrage
- Jon Van Ness - Henry Burrage
- Peter Bogyo - Mr. Gracie
- Vanessa Redgrave - Olive Chancellor
- Jessica Tandy - Miss Birdseye
- Wesley Addy - Dr. Tarrant
- Nancy New - Mrs. Adeline Luna
- Maura Moynihan - Henrietta Stackpole
- Barbara Byrne - Mrs. Tarrant
- Lee Doyle - Mr. Filer
- June Mitchell - Party Guest
- Charles McCaughan - Music Hall Policeman
- Director(s):
- James Ivory
- Writer(s):
- Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
- Producer(s):
- Michael S. Landes, Ismail Merchant, Al Schwartz
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- R(Questionable for Children, Adult Situations)
- Looking for special editions of The Bostonians?
- See All Versions
- Subtitles:
- Check All Versions
- Closed Captioning:
- Check All Versions
