I found this to be a sweet sentimental tale of scheming, true love and a surprising ending. Like most films like this about sickness and death, it really doesn't show the terrible details of one who is dying of cancer. The way that Joely Richardson affected the lives of the 3 people who were scheming for her wealth and riches was really touching, makes one sit back and really think, what is life really all about. I did enjoy this film greatly.
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mack-3812 October 2000
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jordondave-2808528 September 2023(1998) Under Heaven DRAMA
The movie is about and asks two question- is it better to be wealthy and know that you're dying of cancer or to be poor and live a very long prosperous life or at least die of an old age? Somewhat look like a 'hallmark' film but says that it came from a Henry James novel called "The Wings of the Dove", which the theme is taken, and that it works well on it's own terms in current times as a commentary! Jobless couple (Molly Parker and Aiden Young)swindle, posing as brother and sister to work for wealthy lady whose dying of cancer played by Joely Richardson- that's basically the story. Haven't remembered too much of the 1997 version of 'The Wings of the Dove' film starring Helena Bonahm Carter, Linus Roache and Alison Elliott but may not have been too impressed because of the original time it which the film took place. -
groggo29 October 2007Director Meg Richman has tried, as others have tried, to convert a Henry James literary work into a compelling movie, but falls far short, as others have before her (see 'Wings of the Dove,' 'The Bostonians,' 'The Ambassadors,' 'Portrait of a Lady,' and 'Daisy Miller').
James's novels and novellas, based on the late-Victorian age of social suffocation (most often visited upon women yearning to be free), are ponderous and often very depressing examinations of love, deceit, devotion, recklessness, human folly. The list goes on and on. If it's about the strictures of human emotion, James is your man. His great strength in print is his weakness when transmitted to the screen: he conducts painstaking examinations of humanity's inner self, and is a challenge to read. Those who try to adapt his films (and try to be faithful to them) tend to sink under the weight of his relentless psychological questions.
'In the Shadows,' AKA 'Under Heaven' and 'In the Garden,' is at least a two-hankie drama that is based on 'Wings of the Dove.' It is partially effective, but it ultimately becomes basically yet another one of them thar soap opries, replete with hokey dialogue.
If you watch the theatrical trailer for this film, you'd think you were going to watch something entirely different. The trailer suggests a hot-blooded, scandalous examination of secret sex and intrigue. In other words, as so often happens, the distributors must have decided the flick needed more 'juice,' more 'edge' when no such 'juice' or 'edge' existed. We know going in what is going to happen in this movie, and any number of sensation-making trailers will not change things.
Molly Parker as Cynthia and Aden Young as Buck give surprisingly good performances as lovers who are transformed by a series of sad events. But I was really surprised by Joely Richardson's performance. She is a classically trained actor, but she seems to be miscast in this movie. She seems indifferent to her part (for good reason it seems to me), and speaks her lines with a flatness that is almost comical. "This love is strong," she intones to Buck (Young), "stronger than cancer." Embarrassing. (Coincidentally, Richardson's real-life mother, Vanessa Redgrave, who has never given a bad cinematic performance, still had to struggle in the 1985 adaptation of James's 'The Bostonians'. It didn't work: the movie was one boring flop.)
Richman deserves a lot of credit for trying to rework James, to try and give us a 'serious' film amidst all the popcorn crap. But to me it's a pretty lost cause. It's very hard to pull James out of the insufferable parlours of the 19th century. -
whpratt119 October 2005Joely Richardson,(Eleanor Dunston),"The Fever",'04, was very attractive in this film and at times very sexy and hot in bed. Joely played the role of Eleanor, who was very rich and had a beautiful home and fantastic landscape and gardens full of flowers. Uden Young,(Buck),"Human Touch", was a worker at Eleanor's home along with Molly Parker( Cynthia),"Break a Leg",'05. Uden and Molly had some hidden secrets between the two of them and managed to get deeply involved with Eleanor, doing all kinds of tasks until she finds out some horrible facts. Eleanor has health problems which seem to change the direction of the film. Eleanor buys Cynthia a very sexy outfit and Cynthia decides to show Buck how very pretty the dress looks, which is skin tight and she wears no under garments which does a big number on poor Buck. Great story, and a few tissues will be required, don't miss it, great acting and some very steamy romantic events!
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petshop6 February 1999A revisit to Wings of the Dove. Uneven performances and a sometimes self-indulgent script all in a really cool house. The story is basically the same principle: a young woman get her lover to become the lover of a dying rich woman. None of the characters are really likable, but neither are they nasty enough to hate. They fall right into that "annoying, but if they're your friends, I guess they can come to dinner" category.
Despite all of this, there are points where its manipulative sentimentality actually leaks through. As the young man and Joely Richardson fall in love, you can't help but appreciate the feeling of danger and dread that accompanies it. -
Charles MGH28 May 2002I'd never heard of this movie, but I took a chance on it because I usually like these actors. It's a powerful film. It has a hushed, natural beauty and feels like an American Eric Rohmer movie. It ends both happily and sadly--like life. I can't think of many other films that speak so convincingly of the heart's many ambiguities
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Glo-818 October 1999If anyone has seen Days of Heaven, there's no need to suffer through Under Heaven. The tension and credibility have been drained out of this Wings of the Dove remake. An interesting cast has had all their life and spontaneity removed. Heavy-handed movie-making at its worst because there's talent wasted here.
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laurie.fontana13 January 2000I first saw this movie on the Lifetime cable network under the title "In A Private Garden."
I didn't have any great expectations at first, but I ended up liking it very much. It was an interesting story line (at least to me). I was drawn to the characters and developed a genuine empathy for them.
I would recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys a drama/romance story with a twist. -
marenkb19 March 2001I've seen this movie so many times, and it still makes me cry. Spectacular performances, an excellent adaptation, and a good soundtrack. It makes Henry James so much more applicable. It's a little hard to find, but definitely worth the effort.
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caa8212 August 2007Lifetime movies have several themes which are employed repetitively --- the sociopath who works his/her way into a family and then intends to create mayhem; the spouse with a past completely unknown to his/her significant other; the occasional coming together by a couple who begin as rivals or combatants; etc., etc.
But one thread which seems common to most, and is present here, is some sort of intended duplicity by one or more of the characters. Here, the young couple who enter the life of the attractive, successful, terminal lead character, at first intend simply to dupe her for financial gain. And you'd expect the typical Lifetime fare to proceed in a one-dimensional manner towards this end.
But this picture has much more than you expect, in contract to the usual.
Firstly, the cast can actually act, Secondly, the characters are not drawn ridiculously "over-the-top," and ring true. Thirdly, the story is actually believable and interesting. Finally, the characters are actually persons about whom the viewer can "care," and with whom one can empathize. -
rodolfoIII2 January 2005I understand most of the comments in here! But this film raises the questions of "how do you define love?", Questions of class inadequacy?" and "What is the true value of wealth and morality?". In this film 3 very different people come together and change each others lives with some very different results. Eleanor (Joely Richarson) despite dying, she achieves happiness by understanding that those around her felt love, jealousy or were deceptive toward her. Cynthia (Molly Parker)despite loosing her love & being deceptive, she was able to understand the true value of family. She also learned that one true value doesn't necessarily come through wealth. And Buck (Aden Young) despite of loosing his true love, was to love for the first time and stop being uncaring. The film the definition of love goes beyond the physical sense of human understanding & shows that people can be love for who they really are. Once this is done, you omit any notion of beauty, ugliness and sex as the attributes of love. The inadequacy between social classes in the film raises the issue that despite some of us being born privilege or underprivilege, everyone basic needs remain the same (sustenance, love, being love, etc). Lastly, the film questions the value of wealth and how much of an importance do we put in our lives to achieve it, since in the end, we cannot take any of it with us. But it is our families and our deeds that are our true treasures and measure of our value as individuals.
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igotdis15 June 2007Help. Can someone PLEASE guide me in the right place to buy this movie? Or does any of you have it for sale? I've been looking for this movie for quite a while now. I even wrote a letter to lifetime asking about it. They wrote me back saying, "it wasn't in their database. Can someone "PLEASE" tell me where to find this movie. I saw it like everyone else on lifetime under the name "In A Private Garden", and really, really, loved it. But I really didn't know that it had an aka title, "Under Heaven" or "In The Shadows". Which one is it on video? Someone please help me to find this great, great, movie. I would appreciate it, as I said. I've been looking for it for a long time now. I'm so glad I found these reviews of it on this site.