The Portrait of a Lady

In the 1870s, the young American Isabel Archer travels to Europe and stays with her English relatives. Determined to keep her independence, she turns down suitors who would offer her security but not the life she imagines for herself. A legacy from her dying uncle makes her wealthy, and her money and curiosity draw her toward people whose intentions she does not fully see, among them the elegant Madame Merle and the calculating Gilbert Osmond. Her fortune, meant to free her, instead leaves her entangled in a marriage shaped by others' designs.

Jane Campion directed the film, which followed The Piano in her filmography, from a screenplay by Laura Jones. Nicole Kidman plays Isabel, with John Malkovich as Osmond, Barbara Hershey as Madame Merle, Mary-Louise Parker, Christian Bale and Shelley Winters among the credited cast of twenty-two. It was produced by Steve Golin and Monty Montgomery and released in 1996, running 144 minutes.

The film took about 18 million dollars worldwide. On IMDb it holds 6.2 out of 10 from roughly 13,000 votes, and on TMDB 5.9 out of 10 from 265 votes, suggesting a modest, divided response from viewers rather than broad enthusiasm. It remains one of the literary adaptations Campion made between The Piano and Holy Smoke.