'The Portrait of a Lady' Is Coming to Masterpiece

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Henry James' novel The Portrait of a Lady is being adapted into a new series by Masterpiece and the BBC. One of the American writer's best-known works, The Portrait of a Lady follows the young American heiress Isabel Archer through Europe as she tries to maintain her independence amidst schemers and marriage proposals. It's a classic example of James' interest in the contrasts between ever-rising America and its antecedent, Europe, in the late nineteenth century.

While James is regarded as a titan of literature, his long, psychologically complex novels have not been adapted for the screen as often as some other classics. The last English-language television adaptation of The Portrait of a Lady was a 1968 BBC series starring Suzanne Neve and Richard Chamberlain; Jane Campion directed a film version with Nicole Kidman and John Malkovich that was released in 1996.

The new adaptation will have six episodes and star Nell Tiger Free as Isabel Archer, Jim Sturgess as the oily Gilbert Osmond, and Gemma Arterton (the star of PBS' recent Funny Woman) as his accomplice Madame Merle. A pair of Oscar nominees play Isabel's aunt and uncle Touchett: Miranda Richardson and Bill Nighy, respectively. Among other cast members, PBS lovers will recognize Lydia Leonard from The Marlow Murder Club. Aisling Walsh of Elizabeth Is Missing and Miss Austen will direct.