Synopsis

In 1910 London, impoverished Kate Croy is torn between her wealthy aunt's expectations and her love for journalist Merton Densher. After befriending Milly Theale, a wealthy American heiress with a terminal illness, Kate devises a scheme that might secure both her future and Merton's love. In Venice, affection, ambition, deception, and guilt become increasingly impossible to separate.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film adapts Henry James' 1902 novel, but the action was shifted to 1910. The later setting allowed costume designer Sandy Powell to create a more distinctive period look rather than repeat the Edwardian styles often associated with Merchant Ivory productions.
• Powell's costume work earned an Academy Award nomination, one of four Oscar nominations received by the film. The other nominations recognized Helena Bonham Carter's performance, Hossein Amini's adapted screenplay, and Eduardo Serra's cinematography.
• Production took place during the summer of 1996, with filming divided between London and Venice. Locations included Carlton House Terrace, Leighton House Museum, Palazzo Barbaro, and St. Mark's Square.
• The pleated gowns seen in the Venice sequences were modern creations inspired by the Fortuny dresses popular among wealthy women in the early 1910s.
• Paintings visible in one gallery scene include Gustav Klimt's "The Kiss" and "Danae," both created in 1907.