THE HOUSE OF MIRTH — *** — Gillian Anderson, Eric Stoltz, Dan Aykroyd, Laura Linney, Anthony LaPaglia, Elizabeth McGovern, Jodhi May, Terry Kinney, Eleanor Bron; rated PG (drug use); exclusively at the Tower Theatre.

Despite its title, "The House of Mirth" isn't the jolliest of movies.

To be honest, director Terence Davies' big-screen adaptation of the Edith Wharton novel is suffused with sadness almost to the point of becoming unbearable — which is why it's fortunate that the movie has a rich, sumptuous look and a talented cast that many other films would kill for.

As a result, "The House of Mirth" actually resembles one of the handsome literary adaptations of the Merchant Ivory production team, especially "The Remains of the Day." However, its tone is somewhat darker — as is the manner in which Davies renders the story — which brings "The Wings of the Dove" more to mind.

That's a pretty bold move to make with such material, as is the lead casting of "X-Files" TV star Gillian Anderson, who may have won Emmys for her work on that show but has remained an unproven commodity on the big screen . . . until now.

Anderson stars as Lily Bart, Wharton's seemingly ill-fated heroine whose naivete may spell her doom.

She's content in her existence as a socialite in turn-of-the-century New York, despite the toll it is taking on her love life. The man she loves is attorney Lawrence Selden (Eric Stoltz), who's not successful enough to support her in the style to which she's become accustomed. So Lily courts more wealthy suitors, at least one of whom (Dan Aykroyd) is supposed to be happily married.

All her carefully laid plans come undone, however, during a trip to Monte Carlo, where she's accused of having an affair with George Dorset (Terry Kinney), the husband of her jealous rival (Laura Linney).

Suddenly, Lily finds herself without friends or means of support, as her many patrons suddenly decide she should repay their "favors." She also seems to have estranged herself from Lawrence, and her debatable actions have made her less desirable to her only remaining suitor (Anthony LaPaglia).

Filmmaker Davies (the director of "The Long Day Closes" and "The Neon Bible") is a bit of a perfectionist with the material — he even uses decade-specific colloquialisms in the dialogue, which do take a while to get used to.

Also, his pacing is a bit off. Though the material would naturally dictate a slow pace, the action meanders along and sometimes gets bogged down in the details.

Davies' real strengths here lie in his direction of the cast, particularly Anderson, who gives a heartbreaking performance that is also surprisingly subtle. (Why she didn't get an Academy Award nomination for her work here is anyone's guess.)

Similarly, Stoltz hasn't been this good (or likable) in a film for a very long time, and the supporting performers also make strong impressions with limited screen time, especially the always-sterling Linney and LaPaglia; he makes you wish he had more scenes with Anderson.

"The House of Mirth" is rated PG for prescription drug fraud and abuse. Running time: 135 minutes.

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