Nov. 3

Soap opera fans, rejoice! the bold and the beautiful are at it again, thanks to the latest Henry James adaptation, the third brought to you by the Merchant Ivory team, who know a good corset when they lace one. ''The Golden Bowl'' overflows with social machinations and thwarted love and stars Nolte and Beckinsale as an American father and daughter living in Europe.

When the daughter marries a prince (Northam) and discovers his affair with the ravishing Charlotte (Thurman), all well mannered hell breaks loose. ''I liked making a film in which lying and cheating and dishonesty are sort of the driving forces of the drama,'' says Ivory. ''It was fun to do a movie that's driven by the worst kinds of motives.'' GOOD SIGN Gorgeous people living fabulous lives -- works for us. THEN AGAIN Word from Cannes suggests that alas, the accessories are more exciting than the actors.

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