The film contains intermittent voice-over narration by Joanne Woodward, explaining the customs and etiquette of the time period during which the story is set. The Oct 1993 issue of Vogue magazine suggested that Woodward’s narration was used as an “audible stand-in” for novelist Edith Wharton, and embraced the supposedly “uncommercial” use of an authoritative female voice.
       According to a 28 Jun 1992 NYT article, Jay Cocks, a music critic for Time magazine, urged filmmaker Martin Scorsese to read Edith Wharton’s 1920 novel, The Age of Innocence, in the early 1980s. Due to his commitments to complete After Hours (1985, see entry), The Color of Money (1986, see entry), and The Last Temptation of Christ (1988, see entry), Scorsese did not consider creating a motion picture adaptation until rereading the material in 1987. Production notes in AMPAS library files stated he and Cocks collaborated on the screenplay, and the first draft was completed in Feb 1989. The 15 Nov 1990 DV announced that Daniel Day-Lewis agreed to star in the project as part of a two-picture deal with Twentieth Century Fox, which also included The Last of the Mohicans (1992, see entry). The Age of Innocence was initially scheduled to begin production in fall of 1991, with Scorsese also producing alongside his then-wife, Barbara De Fina. However, De Fina is the only producer listed onscreen.
       On 18 Oct 1991, HR announced that Fox decided to drop the picture due to its escalating budget, now over $30 million. Despite Scorsese’s exclusive deal with Universal Pictures, the studio also decided to pass, also citing high production costs. As a result, the 17 Dec 1991 HR named The Age of Innocence as one of two films Scorsese would be allowed to make outside Universal. The 6 Dec 1991 Screen International reported that the project had moved to Columbia Pictures as the first property acquired by newly-installed chairman Mark Canton, whom the 26 Aug 1993 HR indicated had an established relationship with Scorsese from their previous collaborations at Warner Bros. The film also reunited Scorsese with his frequent collaborators, director of photography Michael Ballhaus and editor Thelma Schoonmaker.
       With Day-Lewis already signed, Scorsese cast Michelle Pfeiffer as “Ellen Olenska” based on his admiration for her performance in Married to the Mob (1988, see entry). He selected Winona Ryder to portray “May Welland” after meeting the actress for the first time at an event in Los Angeles, CA.
       During preproduction, Scorsese spent several years extensively researching the customs of the late nineteenth-century upper class. The 26 Sep 1992 NYT stated that the director drew inspiration from two other period films, The Heiress (1949, see entry), and Luchino Visconti’s The Leopard (1963), which he screened for the cast and crew. According to the Oct 1993 edition of Us magazine, etiquette consultant Lily Lodge worked with Scorsese and the actors for five months, and remained on call for last-minute questions throughout production. Various contemporary sources reported that Lodge was the granddaughter of Elizabeth David Frelinghuysen and David Cabot Lodge, who were friends of Edith Wharton. End credits also acknowledge Letitia Baldridge; a 20 Nov 1994 Parade column noted that Baldrige was the former White House social secretary under First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. The NYT article stated that Pfeiffer studied nineteenth-century speech cadences by listening to audio recordings of writer Louis Auchincloss and Ethel Roosevelt.
       Visual research consultant Robin Standefer was tasked with tracking down the real-life inspirations for Wharton’s characters so Scorsese could accurately determine which paintings to reproduce from their collections. Vogue claimed that Standefer consulted with staff members at New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and selected works by the Italian I Macchiaioli Impressionsts, which were among the 500 pieces replicated for the film. The 15 Sep 1993 NYT reported that during her year and a half on the production, Standefer referenced the NY Historical Society, the Johnson & Wales Culinary Archives and Museum in Providence, RI, and the Louvre Museum in Paris, France. Cooper-Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum curator David McFadden served as the table decoration consultant for the seven dinner scenes along with food stylist Rick Ellis, who consulted his collection of over 4,000 cookbooks to devise the menus. Although Scorsese strived to remain accurate to Wharton’s novel, certain details were altered for visual purposes. One example included changing Roman punch to flower-shaped ice sorbets, which quickly melted due to the heat of the studio lights. As a result, Ellis was required to mold 500 desserts in various stages of consumption for the fourteen actors in the scene. A 30 Sep 1993 Chicago Tribune article claimed Ellis carved all meat onscreen himself, and was once forced to house multiple live turtles in his hotel bathroom when a scene depicting the preparation of turtle soup was delayed.
       The “Screen Style” segment of the 17 Sep 1993 LAT specified that the House of Tirelli in Rome, Italy, created the costumes worn by Day-Lewis, Ryder, and Pfeiffer, credited onscreen as Tirelli Costumi Roma. All other outfits were crafted by Barbara Matera in NY. Shoes were made by the Italian company, Pompei, and "Newland’s" black silk robe was an authentic vintage piece.
       24 Mar 1992 HR production charts announced that principal photography began that day. A 6 Feb 1992 HR item indicated filming was expected relocate to Troy, NY, in mid-Mar 1992. The city’s antiquated River Street was transformed into New York City’s Wall Street, while the interior of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Pi Kappa Phi fraternity house was used for the home of “Mrs. Mingott.” Interiors of the “Beaufort” home were shot at the National Arts Club, formerly known as the Tilden House, on New York City’s Gramercy Park. A 24 Oct 1993 NYT article revealed various other properties used for exteriors: For the fictional patroon house, filmmakers selected the Columbia County Historical Society’s 1737 Luykas Van Alen house in Kinderhook, NY. Although Wharton based the Mingott home on the residence of her aunt, Mary Mason Jones, that house at the corner of New York City’s 57th Street and Fifth Avenue was demolished in 1929. In addition to the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity house, filmmakers used matte paintings to depict the exteriors of the Mingott mansion and surrounding streets as they would have appeared in the 1870s. Matte paintings were also used for the skylights above Newland and Ellen as they meet in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Apr 2000 edition of Architectural Digest named Nuits, the Italian-style villa in Ardsley-on-Hudson, Irvington, NY, as the location for Mrs. Mingott’s country home. The 11 Jun 1992 HR stated that four days of filming took place at the Academy of Music in Phliadelphia, PA, with 900 background actors and 1,100 photographic cut-outs used as the audience of an opera performance. The 7 Jul 1992 DV stated that Day-Lewis had previously filmed scenes at the Louvre. A 25 Aug 1992 DV article noted that the ninety-day production schedule concluded 26 Jun 1992.
       In addition to Scorsese’s uncredited cameo appearance as May’s wedding photographer, the 26 Sep 1992 NYT stated the director included his parents, Catherine and Charles Scorsese, in a shot at a railway station.
       Various contemporary sources listed the final budget between $30-$35 million. According to a 3 Sep 1993 LAT article, competing studios listed the figure at more than $40 million, but Barbara De Fina denied those rumors, stating that Day-Lewis and Pfeiffer both accepted reduced salaries to help minimize costs.
       Although the picture was originally scheduled to open 25 Dec 1992, the 25 Aug 1992 DV announced that Columbia decided to delay release until fall 1993. The change was made to allow Scorsese, who typically spent twelve months in postproduction, enough time to add narration, music, and scoring. The 26 Aug 1993 HR stated that Columbia first viewed an incomplete cut in spring 1992, and held multiple preview screenings before music scoring began the following summer. A 21 Jun 1993 Var item reported that Steven Danenberg of Wedo’s Music contracted an eighty-one piece orchestra to perform Elmer Bernstein’s score.
       While many felt the genre and subject matter were a surprising departure from Scorsese’s previous work, a 27 Aug 1993 HR article suggested The Age of Innocence challenged marketing executives trying to simultaneously appeal to Scorsese’s largely male fanbase and the film’s core female audience. In addition to running a trailer before Tri-Star’s romantic comedy, Sleepless in Seattle (1993, see entry), the studio hoped to generate word-of-mouth publicity through a gradual release. The 30 Aug 1993 HR explained that the picture would initially open in sixteen cities on 17 Sep 1993, before expanding to 125 theaters on 24 Sep 1993. The film was then scheduled to reach over 700 theaters by 1 Oct 1993, and more than 1,000 theaters on 8 Oct 1993. The 3 Sep 1993 LAT stated that Columbia also planned to air a thirty-minute behind-the-scenes television special on HBO.
       As stated in the 3 Sep 1993 HR, The Age of Innocence was positively received as the opening night film at Italy’s Venice Film Festival on 31 Aug 1993, where it played out of competition. The 30 Aug 1993 HR announced plans for the 13 Sep 1993 New York City premiere at the Ziegfeld Theatre, with proceeds benefitting the NY Historical Society. The 15 Oct 1993 LA Weekly reported a domestic gross of $20 million to date, but did not expect the picture to earn much more than its production costs, which did not include the additional $10-$15 million spent on marketing.
       Along with largely positive reviews, The Age of Innocence won an Academy Award for Best Costume Design, and was nominated in the following categories: Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Art Direction, Best Original Score, and Best Supporting Actress (Winona Ryder). Ryder received a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama, while the film also earned nominations for Best Motion Picture –Drama, Best Director, and Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama (Michelle Pfeiffer).
       An end title card displays the following dedication from screenwriter-director Martin Scorsese: “For my father Luciano Charles Scorsese.” End credits include the acknowledgments: “Special Thanks to: Furs provided by Fendi, Schumacher Fabrics, Crystal Items and  Baccarat 1992, Select Artwork Consultation by Christie’s, Stationary provided by Tiffany & Co., Costumes by Tirelli Costumi Roma and Barbara Matera Ltd. N.Y., Costume jewelry by Gioielli L.A.B.A Roma, New York Historical Society, Ms. Letitia Baldridge"; “The Producers wish to thank the New York State Governor’s Office for Motion Picture and Television Development and the City of New York Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting for their extensive assistance, as well as the City of Troy"; “With thanks to the City Hall of Paris, Remerciements à la Mairie de Paris"; and, “Stage Facilities by Kaufman Astoria Studios, New York.”