40
Remote, murky and interminable.
We hate to say it, but we can't find anywhere to view this film.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
50
San Francisco Examiner by Barbara Shulgasser
A harmeless concoction.
75
Christian Science Monitor by David Sterritt
A splendid adaptation that will be hard for the others to match. The Portrait of a Lady, directed by Jane Campion, brings intelligence and sensitivity to a story rich in psychological subtlety and sociological detail.
50
San Francisco Chronicle by Edward Guthmann
The Portrait of a Lady is a huge disappointment. It's a deliberately arty, overly formal exercise in emotional terrorism.
75
ReelViews by James Berardinelli
A fascinating portrait not only of a lady, but of the society and marriage that entrap, then attempt to destroy, her.
30
Chicago Reader by Jonathan Rosenbaum
[An] unsatisfying mess.
70
Los Angeles Times by Kenneth Turan
The Portrait of a Lady may not be up to this high standard, but it is never less than absorbing either.
67
Entertainment Weekly by Lisa Schwarzbaum
In aiming for a new kind of lit-drama cool, Jane Campion freezes the warmth right out of Henry James' expansive heart.
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) by Rick Groen
Jane Campion makes a beeline for the repressed sexuality, and loses the nuance. [17 Jan 1997]
75
Chicago Sun-Times by Roger Ebert
I think if you care for James, you must see it. It is not an adaptation but an interpretation.