Yet if Americans are ill-equipped for costume drama, how does one explain the exquisite performances by Michelle Pfeiffer and Winona Ryder in the film adaptation of The Age of Innocence, directed by that most contemporary American Martin Scorsese?
Four exquisite performances catch the rhythm of Mr. Storey's daringly fragmented dialogue perfectly, taking the audience into a world that, in film and theater, is usually seen only through a filter of condescension.
Somehow, creative and resourceful independent filmmakers are able to deliver stories with high production values, exquisite performances, and compelling cinematic experiences, while at the same time creating fan bases so dedicated that they rival the best TV shows.
Marco Barricelli and Seana McKenna deliver exquisite performances as Gennaro and Amalia, very different personalities who are bound together by sincere love and ultimately by concern for their children.
Yet Norwegian artist Tori Wrånes not only embraces the term, but actively transforms herself into troll-like characters in her exquisite performances, sometimes donning purple and white fur-like hair, and other times wearing a bulbous mask while riding a hoverboard and playing a flute.
