Vanessa Redgrave (in an Oscar-nominated performance) and Christopher Reeve are the stars of The Bostonians, Merchant Ivory Productions' acclaimed 1984 screen adaptation of the Henry James classic, which charts the struggle between two charismatic forces - feminist and a chauvinist - to gain control over the destiny of a spirited young woman.

The story takes place in Boston in the aftermath of the American Civil War - a time of political and social turmoil. Verena Tarrant (Madeleine Potter, Slaves Of New York), a gifted young orator, has attracted the attention of Olive Chancellor (Redgrave), who wished to nurture Verena as an inspirational force for the Woman's Movement, But ranged against her is Basil Ransom (Reeve), a handsome male chauvinist, who wants Verena as his wife. Against a backdrop of luminous New England landscapes, battle is joined, and for Olive the struggle will prove an odyssey that forces her to acknowledge her true nature.