White Countess, The

A FILM BY James Ivory

As the last film from the legendary team of Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant, who died in May, The White Countess is a stirring tribute to Merchant, a true builder of dreams in an industry now sorely bereft of his unique spirit.

- Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

[Richardson's] complex performance as a woman balancing her dignity with her survival instincts is one of the year's very best.

- Jack Matthews, New York Daily News

The more I thought about it the more I appreciated the artistry and the intelligence behind this film.

- Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roper

Synopsis

Shanghai. 1936. Crossroads of the world and into this city of political intrigue comes Sofia, a Russian Countess who, with the remains of her family, has been left stateless by the Revolution. Forced by her reduced circumstances to support herself and her family as a bar-girl and taxi dancer, Sofia forms a relationship with Jackson, a blind former diplomat who opens an elegant bar; The White Countess. Their curious relationship matures but they are caught up in the fall of the city to the Japanese invaders.