A Room with a View (1985)

When Lucy Honeychurch and chaperone Charlotte Bartlett find themselves in Florence with rooms without views, fellow guests Mr Emerson and son George step in to remedy the situation. Meeting... See full summary »

Director:

James Ivory

Writers:

E.M. Forster (novel), Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (screenplay)

Stars:

Maggie Smith, Helena Bonham Carter, Denholm Elliott

Won 3 Oscars. Another 23 wins & 21 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Maggie Smith	...	Charlotte Bartlett, a chaperon
Helena Bonham Carter	...	Lucy Honeychurch, Miss Bartlett's cousin and charge (as Helena Bonham-Carter)
Denholm Elliott	...	Mr. Emerson, an English tourist
Julian Sands	...	George Emerson
Simon Callow	...	The Reverend Mr Beebe
Patrick Godfrey	...	The Reverend Mr. Eager, Chaplain of the Anglican Church in Florence
Judi Dench	...	Eleanor Lavish, a novelist
Fabia Drake	...	Miss Catharine Alan
Joan Henley	...	Miss Teresa Alan
Amanda Walker	...	The Cockney Signora
Daniel Day-Lewis	...	Cecil Vyse (as Daniel Day Lewis)
Maria Britneva	...	Mrs. Vyse, Cecil's mother
Rosemary Leach	...	Mrs. Honeychurch
Rupert Graves	...	Freddy Honeychurch
Peter Cellier	...	Sir Harry Otway, a landlord

Storyline

When Lucy Honeychurch and chaperone Charlotte Bartlett find themselves in Florence with rooms without views, fellow guests Mr Emerson and son George step in to remedy the situation. Meeting the Emersons could change Lucy's life forever but, once back in England, how will her experiences in Tuscany affect her marriage plans?

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Plot Keywords:

florence italy | piano | chaperon | 1900s | travel | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

11 April 1986 (UK)

Also Known As:

Soba s pogledom

Filming Locations:

Bluebell Railway, East Sussex, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$20,966,644 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Goldcrest Films International, National Film Finance Corporation (NFFC), Curzon Film Distributors

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During the process leading up to placing trade ads for the Oscar nominations, Daniel Day-Lewis made it known he was not interested in campaigning for an Oscar nomination. As a result the production company concentrated on promoting Denholm Elliott in the supporting actor category. Elliott was enthusiastic in participating in the process and eventually won an Oscar nomination.

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Goofs

In the plaza scene when the man who was killed in the scuffle falls to the pavement, a cigarette butt with a filter is shown between the bricks. Filters were invented in the 1920s and were not in widespread use until the early 1950s.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Charlotte Bartlett: This is not at all what we were led to expect.
Lucy Honeychurch: I thought we were going to see the Arno.
Charlotte Bartlett: The signora distinctly wrote, South rooms, with a view and close together, instead of which she has given us North rooms without a view and a long way apart.

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Connections

Referenced in Doogie Howser, M.D.: Roommate with a View (1992)

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Soundtracks

"Mademoiselle Modiste"
Composed by Victor Herbert
Courtesy Caedmon/Arabesque Records
Performed by The Eastman-Dryden Orchestra (as The Dryden Orchestra of the Eastman School of Music)
Conducted by Donald Hunsberger (uncredited)
(from the album "Souvenir") (uncredited)

User Reviews

Edwardian love

A Room with a View possesses a fabulous cast, beautiful cinematography, an awesome adapted script, and a tale of oppressed desire during the paradigm shift from the repressive Victorian age to the more liberal Edwardian time. The film moves at a deliberate pace of country strolls and carriage rides filling the viewer with literary awakenings and music compositions. Poppies, barley, and Florence architecture decorate the screen.

The film is witty if anything with carefree individuals roaming about with leisure on their minds. Pure love and desire aches throughout and Italy is the place to bring the lovers together.

It is a handsome picture. Detailed period pieces and costumes. The cast is phenomenal! Helena Bohnam Carter portrays the peevish Lucy Honeychurch on her way to becoming her prudish Cousin and chaperone, Charlotte Bartlett (The Great Maggie Smith.) However The spirit of Italy will prevent such an occurrence and fill Miss Honeychurch with pure desire for George, the man who was brought up from the evils and hate of the world.

The adaptation is superb. Fun. It is a film to live in and swim in the sacred lake. One of the best films of the 80's. Terrific!