The Europeans

In 1850s New England, a puritanical Boston-area family receives an unexpected visit from two cousins who were born and raised in Europe. Eugenia is a countess, married to a German prince and seeking to end that marriage; her brother Felix is cheerful and easygoing. Their arrival unsettles the household of the disciplined Mr. Wentworth and his two daughters, whose sheltered habits clash with the visitors' more relaxed, European ways. Eugenia hopes to arrange a advantageous marriage with a wealthy relative, while Felix courts one of the cousins.

The film is an adaptation of Henry James's novel of the same name. James Ivory directed it, with a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and Ismail Merchant producing, a trio whose collaboration is central to Merchant Ivory Productions. It is the earliest of the director's films listed here, made before Quartet, Heat and Dust, A Room with a View and Maurice. Lee Remick plays Eugenia, with Robin Ellis, Wesley Addy, Tim Choate, Lisa Eichhorn and Kristin Griffith in supporting roles.

Released in May 1979, the period drama runs 91 minutes and took about a million dollars worldwide. On IMDb it holds a 6.1 rating from roughly 1,300 votes, while on TMDB it has a 5.6 from about 30 votes. A critics' rating of 6.3 from 19 reviews places it slightly above the audience scores.