My House in Umbria
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Movie Reviews of My House in Umbria
Movie Review: Surprisingly Fun, Slightly Painful, & Ultimately Uplifting
Summary: 4 Stars
Dame Maggie Smith, known most recently by much of the world as Harry Potter's Professor McGonagall, plays an English-born woman living in Italy who has been through the worst of life and come out determined to smile. Like many European films (it's not...it's HBO), this begins as though it may be a bit dull, then quickly shifts into intrigue, discovery, and self-reflection -- supported nicely by a lot of charm, friendship, and subtle humor.
Actually, part of the charm that you may at first deem unbelievable is the quick bond of friendship and trust that develops between victims of a bombing. It appears to be the kind of thing that might have happened 50 years ago, but not today. But then, it DOES take place in Italy...and bombings of that nature are no longer so distant to any of us today. So, it quickly becomes easy to overlook this slight quirk and simply enjoy the thoughts, feelings, disappointments, and quirkiness of the film's characters. And quirky they are.
At the very least, you'll enjoy quietly brilliant performances by Smith, the wonderful Giancarlo Giannini, Oscar-winner Chris Cooper, the relentless Timothy Spall, classic English comic Ronnie Barker (one of his last), and others.
Yes, it's "only" an HBO film, but they're doing some of the best films AND television around right now. I'm not saying this deserves either an Oscar or to be among your favorites, but it is simply very enjoyable and well worth seeing.
Movie Review: Thoughtful, beautifully filmed
Summary: 4 Stars
A touching story made all the better by the excellent performances from all involved, especially of course Maggie Smith. One of the many nice things about her is that she has allowed herself to age naturally and gracefully, none of this facial makeover-business that make so many Hollywood eldsters look so ridiculous and pathetic. Maggie gives nobility to aging and is not ashamed to be seen under less than galmorous conditions.
That aside, I expected "My House In Umbria" to be more light-hearted than it was. Something about the title made me think that, I guess. Anyway, it was darker than I had anticipated, but that's not a complaint. It delved into real human issues (what happens to people after violence and death unexpectedly invade their lives). However, it avoids doing it in any really deep way, for better or worse. Some of the events that take place (don't read further if you haven't seen the film yet!!) seem unlikely: Why, for instance, would the German youth stay at her house so long, or at all for that matter, considering what he had done? Still, it's a touching film, one worth seeing for the humanity it contains.
Movie Review: Very (!) mixed feelings about this movie...
Summary: 4 Stars
I have to give this movie a very mixed review. On the one hand, the storyline, the script, the score and the acting are fairly reliably horrendous throughout. The storyline is weak, choppy, and drags on miserably. The characters are not very likable (to put it mildly...), and even the most gifted ones (Maggie Smith, Timothy Spall, Chris Cooper and Giancarlo Giannini) are effectively dragged down and their abilities trampled by the leaden script and the absolute lack of talent of some of the other actors. In particular, Bernard Furmann turns in a devastatingly feeble performance that makes you wonder if he's ever darkened the doorstep of an acting school.
However, on the other hand, the Italian scenery, that wonderful house, with its beautiful garden and setting, and the cinematography are beyond amazingly gorgeous - all of them. As such, I have now seen this movie at least half a dozen times in the past few months, trying to ignore the fallow storyline and the lame acting, and am quite determined to retire in that region of Italy and, preferably, in that very house.
Take from that what you will....
Movie Review: maggie smith is lovely
Summary: 4 Stars
i have not read the book that this is based on, so this will strictly be about the film...
the actors are lovely and superb. Maggie smith is a gem.. the filming locations are beautiful.
the idea of the survivors of a railway bomb convalescing at someone's villa while the investigation continues is really intruguing.
but it felt a bit like a virginia woolf novel - where nothing happens. so much more could have been done with character development. so much could have been done with the interactions of the characters.
At points, I began to feel embarassed for Mrs. Delahunty, as much as she drank and as much as she talked about herself and just never stopped talking...I felt that I didn't know enough about her as a person to not feel embarassed, or to understand exactly what she was doing.
The ending felt a bit contrived as well.
But the film is beautiful. Like a virginia woolf novel it is beautiful, and is all about the pace, and the scenery, and about what the characters do in that space...i just think it could have been more.
Movie Review: the authors mystery
Summary: 4 Stars
As always Maggie Smith plays her role perfectly in this little gem of a movie. She is a somewhat retired author who wrote quasi romance novels and now lives comfortably in a lovely villa somewhere in Italy. The story of life unfolds when she heads off in a train to an Italian city. While she sits in the car several pessangers also come in to sit. Maggie in her old occupational way trys to figure who they are and where they come from. With that the trip is ended when a bomb explodes. When she come to in hospital she finds out that of the other passengers in her car a couple were killed. the remaining are hospitalized and need help to recoperate.Thats when she volunteers her large villa to the passangers in her car. The one that attracts her the most is a young girl -about 9/10 who still is tramutized by the loss of her parents. The others appreciate her thouoghtfulness. The rest of movie you most see as it slowly comes into a mystery. Won't give it alll away but there is a somewhat happy ending.