Iin 1930s Shanghai, 'The White Countess' is both Sofia—a fallen member of the Russian aristocracy—and a nightclub created by a blind American diplomat, who asks Sofia to be the centerpiece of the world he wants to create.
The White Countess, although it has its share of Masterpiece Theatre moments, is another film to remind us just how cosmopolitan is the Merchant-Ivory filmography.
– Richard Nilsen,
Arizona Republic,
27 Jan 2006
rotten:
... The White Countess is so bloodless it all but cries for a transfusion.
– Colin Covert,
Minneapolis Star Tribune,
27 Jan 2006
rotten:
A tedious, overblown bit of business.
– Terry Lawson,
Detroit Free Press,
3 Feb 2006
fresh:
A tale well told, a look at history in the making and those being shaken in the process.
– Tom Long,
Detroit News,
3 Feb 2006
rotten:
It's a pretty journey, even if it is far too talky and emotionally distant to really work.