The Age of Innocence (1993)

Screening as part of the 2025 From Page To Screen film festival

Introduced by festival curator Andrew Chater

“How can we be happy behind the backs of people who trust us?” – Ellen Olenska (Michelle Pfeiffer)

Set in the 1870s, during New York’s ‘Gilded Age’, Martin Scorsese’s film is a sensual and deeply emotional adaptation of Edith Wharton’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. It follows Newland Archer (Daniel Day-Lewis) as he’s caught between two women: his socialite fiancé, May (Winona Ryder), and her cousin, Ellen (Michelle Pfeiffer), who has recently returned to the city following a scandalous divorce.

Scorsese stages Newland’s unbearable passion and conflict within an opulent, meticulously detailed rendering of a world where social codes are constantly policed and cruelly enforced. Influenced by classics including The Magnificent Ambersons, The Leopard and the period dramas of Merchant Ivory, this is a film that demands to be watched on the big screen.

Dir. Martin Scorsese, USA 1993, 139 mins. With Daniel Day-Lewis, Michelle Pfeiffer, Winona Ryder, Miriam Margolyes, Richard E. Grant, Siân Phillips.

Certificate 12A

Screening sponsored by Sarah and Ray Earwicker  

BFI programme notes

Gain deeper insight into the film with our curator, Andrew Chater, as he explores its themes, significance, and creative process. Watch the video below to hear his expert perspective.

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