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The "Time Out" reviewer wrote of Christopher Hampton's screenplay that "one of the film's enormous strengths is scriptwriter Christopher Hampton's decision to go back to the novel, and save only the best from his play".<ref></ref> James Acheson and Stuart Craig were also praised for their work, with Sheila Benson of the "Los Angeles Times" stating that "the film's details of costuming (by "The Last Emperor"'s James Acheson) and production design (by Stuart Craig of "Gandhi" and "The Mission") are ravishing".<ref name="latimes"></ref> All three would go on to win Academy Awards for their work on this film.Glenn Close received considerable praise for her performance; she was lauded by "The New York Times" for her "richness and comic delicacy," while Mick LaSalle of the "San Francisco Chronicle" wrote that, once she "finally lets loose and gives way to complete animal despair, Close is horrifying.