Movies based on classic novels always face the challenge of loyalty – that is, staying true to the book in including the vital elements of its story, characters, settings, themes, and meanings. Not an easy target, which explains the rather lackluster presentation of The Children (1990) by Tony Palmer.
Based on Edith Wharton’s 1928 novel of the same name, the movie follows the story as seen through the eyes of Martin Boyne (Ben Kingsley), a middle-aged bachelor who befriends a group of children from parents known to Boyne as former friends. Circumstances would place the children in Boyne’s care for some time, which is when his life changes like never before.
Palmer’s The Children misses on some key moments that give the original Wharton’s story its substantial impact. The most important of these would be the initial meeting of Boyne with the Wheater children on the ship, resulting in their bonding on which the rest of the plot stands. The conflict between various sets of parents over the children is also not presented enough for a deeper feel of the situation the children face outside Boyne’s refuge.
The casting choice for The Children is moderate to fair. Kingsley played Boyne at about the same age as the character in the original novel. But somehow he doesn’t fit very neatly in Boyne’s character. Kim Novak seems somewhat older for playing Rose Stellar. Same for Geraldine Chaplin as Joyce. The child cast, on the other hand, looks perfect. Siri Neal comes as an ideal choice for Judith, the eldest of the children.
Perhaps the most impressive in Palmer’s adaptation is the cinematography and costume design. What this reader visualized in his imagination in the novel is presented with a fair degree of richness on the screen. Light and darkness in emotional moments is well adjusted and conveys the mood of the moments.
On the whole, Palmer fails to achieve in The Children what Martin Scorsese masterfully did in The Age of Innocence (1993) – also an adaptation of Wharton’s Pulitzer-winning novel from 1920. Scorsese made his movie 20 minutes longer than Palmer’s but captured every emotionally and thematically relevant line from the book without missing on any important scenes between the characters.
The Children is still a must-see for all Wharton fans as it gives screen life to the set of timeless characters of the original classic.
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