One of the key themes of Henry James's writings was the clash between American and European culture. So it's fascinating to watch a story in which surface actions are almost irrelevant being related by a director steeped in the storytelling traditions of John Ford and Howard Hawks. Peter Bogdanovich captures the styles, the manners and the atmosphere of late 19th-century Italy, but never comes close to conveying the inner life of the characters, which is precisely what interested James. The director was criticised for casting then-girlfriend Cybill Shepherd in the title role, and the film marked the beginning of his critical and commercial decline.

Despite mixed emotions, Frederick Winterbourne tries to figure out the bright and bubbly Daisy Miller, only to be helped and hindered by false judgments from their fellow friends.