I'm not going to claim that I have seen the original, nor remember reading the boring novel in literature class, but I did see this DVD. This movie is exceptional, stylish, and captivating. Ethan Hawke is brilliant, as the son of a poor handyman, who falls hard for the daughter of a bitter, old wealthy widow(played exceptionally by Anne Bankroft). The real show-stealer is Gwyneth Palthrow, the object of Hawke's affections, as an iceberg princess, incapable of love or emotion. This film shows that no matter what success we achieve in life, it is all hollow without the affections of those we care about most.