Martin Scorsese is definatley one of the greatest directors of the past century and with this work, he proves (along with Kundun) that his verizons span beyond his classics like Mean Streets, Raging Bull and GoodFellas, though those works are some of the best in the American history of film. Here in the Age of Innocence, Scorsese depicts (with the help of Edith Wharton's novel) of a time in New York when things when things were elegant, though also brutal in the deep. Daniel Day Lewis plays a man who is torn between marrying a woman he likes (Winona Ryder) and making her family happy as well, or choosing a tempting woman with a free mind (Michelle Pfieffer). This could sound like Arthur in the 19th century, but the director handles the material so carefully it works very well along with fine performances and excellent photography by long time collaborator Michael Ballhaus (who also provided my favorite scene in movies in the Cobana long shot in GoodFellas). One of the best films of 1993. A+