A Room with a View (1985)

Director:

James Ivory

Writers:

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

Release Date:

11 April 1986 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

When Lucy Honeychurch and chaperone Charlotte Bartlett find themselves in Florence with rooms without views...

Plot Keywords:

Florence Italy | Piano | 1900s | Chaperon | Travel

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 22 wins & 21 nominations

Cast

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
Mia Fothergill	...	Minnie Beebe
Kitty Aldridge	...	New Lucy
Brigid Erin Bates	...	Maid at Windy Corner
Isabella Celani	...	Persephone
Luigi Di Fiore	...	Murdered Youth (as Luigi di Fiori)
Matyelok Gibbs	...	New Charlotte (as Matyelock Gibbs)
Mirio Guidelli	...	Santa Croce Guide
Freddy Korner	...	Mr. Floyd
Patricia Lawrence	...	Mrs. Butterworth (as Patty Lawrence)
Elizabeth Marangoni	...	Miss Pole
Peter Munt	...	Coachman
Luca Rossi	...	Phaeton (as Lucca Rossi)
Stefano Serboli	...	Fighting Youth
Phillida Sewell	...	Lady at Sir Harry's Garden Party
Margaret Ward	...	Lady at Sir Harry's Garden Party
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Royston Munt	...	Footman (uncredited)
Richard Robbins	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
James Wilby	...	Party Guest (uncredited)

Directed by
James Ivory

Writing credits
E.M. Forster		(novel)
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala		(screenplay)

Produced by
Paul Bradley	....	associate producer
Peter Marangoni	....	associate producer: Italy
Ismail Merchant	....	producer

Original Music by
Richard Robbins

Cinematography by
Tony Pierce-Roberts		(photography)

Film Editing by
Humphrey Dixon

Casting by
Celestia Fox

Production Design by
Brian Ackland-Snow
Gianni Quaranta

Art Direction by
Elio Altramura
Brian Savegar

Costume Design by
Jenny Beavan
John Bright

Makeup Department
Christine Beveridge	....	makeup artist
Sally Harrison	....	assistant makeup artist
Carol Hemming	....	hairdresser
Paolo Mantini	....	assistant hairdresser

Production Management
Lanfranco Diotallevi	....	production manager
Ann Wingate	....	production manager
Carlo U. Quinterio	....	production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Kevan Barker	....	assistant director
Simon Moseley	....	second assistant director
Daniel Sonnis	....	second assistant director

Art Department
John Chapple	....	painter
Bob Coleman	....	carpenter
Bob Cross	....	construction manager
James Ede	....	painter
Mick Flanders	....	set dresser
Dennis Fruin	....	property master
Mark Fruin	....	stand-by propman
Roberto Galante	....	assistant art director
Roy Hansford	....	carpenter
James Loftus	....	stagehand
Goffredo Massetti	....	property master
Kieron Mcnamara	....	stand-by prop man
Ulderico Nanni	....	carpenter
Anita Overland	....	assistant art director
Franco Pizzonia	....	construction manager
Floriano Porzionato	....	set dresser
Stefano Secchi	....	assistant art director
Len Serpant	....	stagehand
Dennis Simmonds	....	set dresser
Malachi Smyth	....	assistant art director
Antonio Vandilli	....	painter
Umberto Vandilli	....	painter
Jeanne Vertigan	....	property buyer

Sound Department
Philip Alton	....	assistant sound editor (as Phillip Alton)
Ray Beckett	....	sound
Peter Compton	....	sound editor
Tom Freeman	....	assistant sound editor
Nick Hammond	....	boom operator
Alan Killick	....	sound editor
Richard King	....	sound re-recording
Tony Lenny	....	sound editor
Anna Shepherd	....	assistant sound editor

Camera and Electrical Department
Luigi Bisioli	....	gaffer
Harry Bisson	....	electrician
Lou Bogue	....	gaffer
Stephen Dembitzer	....	camera assistant (as Steve Dembitzer)
Jonathan Earp	....	clapper loader
Massimo Fantauzzi	....	rigger
Adriano Gangi	....	assistant cameraman: second unit
Katya Grenfell	....	still photographer
Dennis Harrison	....	rigger
Graham Hazard	....	follow focus
Malcolm Huse	....	grip
Aldo Laureti	....	electrician
Sergio Melaranci	....	second unit cameraman
Glen Parsons	....	best boy
Sarah Quill	....	still photographer
Alvaro Romagnoli	....	best boy
Marco Romagnoli	....	electrician
Steve Senior	....	electrician
Sergio Serantoni	....	grip
Philip Sindall	....	camera assistant (as Phillip Sindall)
Angelo Tiberti	....	grip
Dennis Morgan	....	daily clapper loader (uncredited)
Massimo Zeri	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Brenda Dabbs	....	costume supervisor
William Pierce	....	costume coordinator
Elena Puliti	....	assistant costume supervisor
Sally Turner	....	assistant costume designer

Editorial Department
Kevin Brooks	....	assistant picture editor
Joanna Jimenez	....	assistant picture editor
Paul Keye Jr.	....	assistant picture editor

Music Department
Barrie Guard	....	music orchestrated and conducted by
Simon Heyworth	....	music produced by
Brian Masterson	....	music recording
Francis Shaw	....	music orchestrated and conducted by

Transportation Department
Carlo U. Quinterio	....	transport (as Carlo Quinterio)

Other crew
Chris Allies	....	title design
Nicky Kentish Barnes	....	production secretary
Andrew Bergen	....	production assistant
Folco Cianfanelli	....	title backgrounds
Dino Colizzi	....	re-voicing: Italian
Jane Delandro	....	production assistant
Renée Glynne	....	continuity (as Renée Glynn)
Jilly Gutteridge	....	location manager: England
Nayeem Hafizka	....	production assistant
Caroline Hill	....	production coordinator
Alan John	....	production accountant
Sunil Kirparam	....	production accountant
Linsey Lee	....	special assistant to director
Carlo Mantegazza	....	production assistant
Daniele Nepi	....	production assistant
Pippo Pisciotto	....	assistant to director
Zakiya Powell	....	publicist
Luigi Riitano	....	production accountant
Paul Scacchi	....	production assistant
Lisa W. Strout	....	production secretary (as Lisa Strout)
Elizabeth Swisher	....	production assistant
Frans J. Afman	....	financial services (uncredited)
Sarah Lucraft	....	assistant accountant (uncredited)
Daniele Nepi	....	location manager (uncredited)
Kevin Phelan	....	unit projectionist: Mercury Theatres, London (uncredited)

Thanks
Donna Rezia Miari-Corsini	....	the makers of this film would like to thank
John Pym	....	the makers of this film would like to thank

Production Companies

• Goldcrest Films International (present) (as Goldcrest)
• National Film Finance Corporation (NFFC) (in association with) (present)
• Curzon Film Distributors (in association with) (present)
• Film Four International (in association with) (present)
• Merchant Ivory Productions (as A Merchant Ivory Film)

Distributors

• Curzon Film Distributors (1986) (UK) (theatrical)
• Cinecom Pictures (1986) (USA) (theatrical)
• CBS/Fox Home Video (1987) (USA) (VHS)
• BBC America (2007) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray) (HD)
• Cinema Ten Corporation (1987) (Japan) (theatrical) (censored) (edited)
• Norstar Releasing (198?) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Only Hearts Company (1996) (Japan) (theatrical) (revival) (uncut)
• Transmundo Films (1986) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• VCM (1987) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Adyton International (2000) (Poland) (TV)
• Aquarius TV (2001) (Greece) (TV)
• BBC America (2004) (USA) (DVD) (PAL master)
• Daily Mail Newspapers (2008) (UK) (DVD)
• Eagle Pictures (Italy) (DVD)
• Emerald (2004) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Emerald (2004) (Argentina) (VHS) (re-edited)
• EuroVideo (1999) (Germany) (DVD)
• Image Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Indies Home Entertainment (2001) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Indies Home Entertainment (2001) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Karelia Food (1994) (Finland) (VHS)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (2000) (Finland) (TV)
• Nelonen (1998) (Finland) (TV)
• Nordisk Film Theatrical Distribution (2008) (Finland) (DVD)
• TV3 (1991) (Finland) (TV)
• Transmundo Home Video (THV) (1987) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2010) (Australia) (DVD)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2001) (UK) (DVD) (PAL)
• VTC-Video (1987) (Finland) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD) (PAL master)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1997) (Finland) (TV)

Special Effects

• Effects Associates

Other Companies

• World Wide Sound  sound re-recording (as World Wide Sound, London)
• Windmill Lane Recording Studios  music recording (as Windmill Lane Studios, Dublin)
• Filmtrax  soundtrack album by
• Cosprop  costumes (as Cosprop, London)
• Alitalia  the makers of this film would like to thank
• Comune di Firenze  the makers of this film would like to thank
• Estonian Legation, The  the makers of this film would like to thank (as The Estonian Legation, London)
• National Gallery, The  the makers of this film would like to thank (as The National Gallery, London)
• National Trust, The  the makers of this film would like to thank (as The National Trust)
• Victorian Society, The  the makers of this film would like to thank (as The Victorian Society)
• Pensione Quisisana  the makers of this film would like to thank

Also Known As:

Runtime:

UK:117 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor) (uncredited)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Portugal:M/12 | Iceland:12 | Spain:T | Netherlands:6 | Canada:G (Quebec) | USA:Unrated | Norway:16 | Japan:R15+ (2009) | Peru:14 | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Chile:14 | Finland:S | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | West Germany:12 (f)

Filming Locations:

Bluebell Railway, East Sussex, England, UK

Company:

Goldcrest Films International

Trivia:

During a film making discussion with Gus Van Sant during the Oregon Sesquicentennial Film Festival, James Ivory stated that he chose to make A Room with a View (1985) because he wanted to return to Italy.

Goofs:

Continuity: At the picnic in the Florentine countryside, the light and shadows on the faces of Charlotte Bartlett and Eleanor Lavish during their conversation change between shots.

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.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Gilmore Girls: A Messenger, Nothing More (#5.2)" (2004)

Soundtrack:

O mio babbino caro

It's aging well

I have enjoyed 'A Room with a View' since it arrived on the scene in 1985. I have watched it many times and the video is wearing out and I fully intend to get the DVD of it soon. I saw it again the other night and am still charmed by it, in fact, I enjoyed it more than ever. Yes, it's a costume drama under glass, but it's a very well-done example of that popular genre. Films like this are greatly appealing to people like me who yearn for a gentler society and manners, though without the uptight staidness as exemplified by Aunt Charlotte (Maggie Smith) and Cecil Vyse (Daniel Day-Lewis). So this movie falls under the category of "comfort" film for me, and it is one of the very best.

Often Merchant/Ivory productions ring false ('Remains of the Day', for example), when they attempt to make a political statement; in that case regarding the under-current in Britain that led to the surprisingly popular British Union of Fascists created by Sir Oswald Mosley prior to WW2. But when James Ivory and his team stick to romance and the pretty manners of Edwardians, they are hard to beat.

Of the performers, Julian Sands seems the most "improved" in my opinion from earlier viewings. He is wonderful as the Byronic lover and has a ton of chemistry with Helena Bonham-Carter's lovely, spicey Lucy Honeychurch. Daniel Day-Lewis's Cecil Vyse seems a bit more contrived as time passes but is in the end a touching portrayal of a type of man that I despise.

There isn't weak link in the entire cast. The Puccini arias and Beethoven piano sonatas are beautiful and enhance the story. The photography is gorgeous and the other technical aspects are flawless.

This is the pinnacle of Merchant/Ivory films, I cannot imagine them producing anything better in the future, but who knows. They do seem to be in a cultural rut now, however.

The fringe film crowd will probably descry this sort of populist cinema, but I think that is narrow-minded snobbery, as boorish as Cecil Vyse and his insufferable intolerance to "the plebians."