Martin Scorsese's The Age of Innocence: A departure from the gritty to the genteel (2025)

Author's note: This is seventh in a series of articles that I call #EssentialScorseseFilms. It is a celebration of the iconic director's cinematic legacy before Killers of the Flower Moon. While Martin Scorsese's prolific career has spanned decades and produced a plethora of remarkable films, I recognise that it is impossible to cover them all within the confines of this series. Therefore, I have chosen to focus on his major works that have, I believe, have come to embody the essence of Scorsese's unparalleled artistry.

If you were to skip its opening credits, you might not immediately recognise The Age of Innocence as a film directed by Martin Scorsese. In a career defined by gritty urban narratives and morally questionable characters, this adaptation of Edith Wharton's novel presents a departure into a refined, genteel world that showcases Scorsese's remarkable versatility as a director. While writing about Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore in this series, I mentioned how Martin Scorsese is often criticised by his detractors as a one-trick pony director, pigeonholed into the realm of mob movies. The common misconception goes that Scorsese can only excel in the crime genre. However, for those who have explored more than one of his films, it becomes apparent that this oversimplification is far from the truth. Also, Scorsese's "mob movies" themselves exhibit remarkable diversity.

Consider the stark contrast between Mean Streets, a gritty and character-driven drama about the lives of young Italian-American gangsters in New York City, and The Irishman, an epic crime film chronicling the life of Frank Sheeran, a truck driver turned Mafia hitman. They might as well belong to a different genre altogether. They are both mob movies but perceive the mafia from different angles.

Coming back to The Age of Innocence, it quite nicely recreates the opulence and societal conventions of New York during the Gilded Age. From the period-specific costumes to the exquisite sets, Scorsese pays meticulous attention to detail, and there is a giddy feeling of being transported to a world of 19th-century high society. While many of the director's films are known for their gritty and raw storytelling, The Age of Innocence exudes an entirely different ambience.

At the same time, the film retains Scorsese's ability to explore into the human condition with some thought. While the themes and conflicts differ from his more overt and visceral portrayals of inner struggles, the film still explores the tension between individual desires and societal constraints — a theme that is central to many of his works.

At the heart of the film are the remarkable performances by the cast. Daniel Day-Lewis plays the role of Newland Archer, Michelle Pfeiffer portrays Countess Ellen Olenska, and Winona Ryder takes on the character of May Welland. Each actor delivers a performance that breathes life into the characters and conveys the complex emotions that drive the story. Apart from Scorsese's peerless command on his craft, the film's cast should be given due credit for bringing out the intricacies of the story and its exploration of love, duty, and societal pressures.

The Age of Innocence is also remarkably faithful to the novel. The screenplay, penned by Jay Cocks, captures the depth and complexity of the source material, allowing the story to maintain its emotional depth. This faithfulness to the source material makes the film a compelling cinematic experience, true to the themes and subtleties of Wharton's work.

One of the film's most striking features is its subtlety and elegance in conveying the unspoken desires and repressed passions of the characters. Scorsese's directorial finesse ensures that the film depicts characters' inner struggles and the tension between societal expectations and personal desires. While the story is set in the Gilded Age, the conflicts faced by the characters are relatable in any era.

The Age of Innocence is a departure from Scorsese's more recognised works, but it is a departure worth taking.

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