A Room With a View (Two-Disc Special Edition)
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, Helena Bonham Carter, Judi Dench, Julian Sands, Maggie SmithBrand: Warner Brothers
Cinematographer: Tony Pierce-Roberts
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language); Italian (Original Language); French (Dubbed); Spanish (Dubbed)
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 113 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-07-03
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: BBC Warner
Movie Reviews of A Room With a View (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Movie Review: An Exquisite Edwardian Era Romp
Summary: 5 Stars
Keeping fairly in sync with E.M. Forster's novel of the same name, this 1985 Merchant-Ivory film follows its young English heroine, Lucy Honeychurch(Helena Bonham Carter) through a tour of Italy with her grave, spinster aunt Charlotte (Maggie Smith), and back home again, where the young, upper-crust Englishwoman must decide between a proposal to the stuffy, traditional, and passionless Cecil Vyse (Daniel Day Lewis), and the livelier George Emerson (a winning Julian Sands).
She and her aunt meet the latter suitor and his father, Mr. Emerson (the notoriously scene-stealing Denholm Elliott) over an incident in which the Emersons offer to change rooms in the hotel in Rome, which is run by a Cockney Signora (Amanda Walker) so that the women can have a room with a view.
Among the English tourists and residents they encounter are novelist Eleanor Lavish (Judi Dench), the prim but comical Misses Catherine and Teresa Alan (Fabia Drake and Joan Henley), the Reverend Mr. Arthur Beebe( Simon Callow), and the Reverend Mr. Eager (Patrick Godfrey).
We follow them through incidents ranging from the serene to the precarious. Miss Lavish gains inspiration for a novel (some of which is verbally handed to her by Charlotte), young Lucy witnesses a murder in the square and is assisted by George, subsequently making an observation about Italians that she does not seem to realize could apply to her fellow British as well.
A wistful moment arises during a coach ride when the driver, Phaeton ( Lucca Rossi) must part with his sweetheart, Persephone(Isabella Celani) so he can focus on his work.
To the aria " Chi Il Bel Sogno Di Doretta" (as sung by Kiri Te Kanawa), we reach a point of high drama during the trip to Italy when Lucy and George kiss in an open field, only to find Lucy hastily returned to the protective custody of Charlotte and Eleanor.
Soon, all are home again, and we view the contrasting staidness of the English countryside at the Honeychurch home of Windy Corner. Mrs. Marion Honeychurch(Rosemary Leach)presides over a residence that will witness her daughter's engagement to Cecil, amid the visible apprehension of Lucy's brother, Freddy(Rupert Graves), gatherings attended by Reverend Beebe's niece, Minnie(an Alice-in-Wonderland like Mia Fothergill), and one slightly racy adventure in a nearby lake as the drama continues.
George and his father soon move nearby Windy Corner, and Lucy is compelled to rethink certain life-altering decisions.
Ultimately, the best result will occur, Lucy will find herself back at the pensione with the proper husband, and we will see the cycle of the young English girl, a chaperone, elderly spinster sisters, English clergymen, the free-spirit with an elderly father, and the debate over whether or not to have a room with a view on one's first trip to Italy renew itself.
From Dame Kiri's initial and final notes of "O Mio Babbio Cara" to the decorative style of the credits, this film remains a delightful masterpiece.
Summary of A Room With a View (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Nominated for eight Oscars in 1986, including Best Picture, and winner of three (Costumes, Art Direction and Adapted Screenplay), A Room With a View is the film that defined Merchant-Ivory as the masters of the romantic period piece. A brilliant adaptation of E.M. Forster's novel, A Room With a View tells the story of the coming of age of Lucy Honeychurch (Helena Bonham-Carter). Longing to burst free from the repression of British upper class manners and mores, she must wrestle with her inner romantic longings to choose between the passionate George (Julian Sands) and the priggish but socially suitable Cecil (Daniel Day-Lewis). Boasting a brilliant supporting cast, A Room With a View isone of the most romantic of romantic comedies ever filmed.The prestigious filmmaking trio of producer Ismail Merchant, director James Ivory, and screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala had made other critically acclaimed films before A Room with a View was released in 1985, but it was this popular film that made them art-house superstars. Splendidly adapted from the novel by E.M. Forster, it's a comedy of the heart, a passionate romance and a study of repression within the British class system of manners and mores. It's that system of rigid behavior that prevents young Lucy Honeychurch (Helena Bonham Carter) from accepting the loving advances of a free-spirited suitor (Julian Sands), who fears that she will follow through with her engagement to a priggish intellectual (Daniel Day-Lewis) whose capacity for passion is virtually nonexistent. During and after a trip to Italy with her protective companion (Maggie Smith), Lucy gradually gets in touch with her true emotions. The fun of watching A Room with a View comes from seeing how Lucy's thoughts and feelings finally arrive at the same romantic conclusion. Through an abundance of humor both subtle and overt, this crowd-pleasing "art movie" rose to an unexpected level of popular appeal. The Merchant-Ivory team received eight Academy Award nominations for their efforts, and won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, Art Direction, and Costume Design. --Jeff Shannon
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