Enchanted April (1991)

Director:

Mike Newell

Writers:

Elizabeth von Arnim (novel)
Peter Barnes

Release Date:

5 April 1992 (UK)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

It's April in Italy, and anything can happen...even love.

Plot:

This slow-paced gem is about the civilizing influence of Italy on beleaguered Londoners both male and...

Plot Keywords:

Italy | Castle | Remake | 1920s | Unsubtitled Foreign Language

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Josie Lawrence	...	Lottie Wilkins
Miranda Richardson	...	Rose Arbuthnot
Alfred Molina	...	Mellersh Wilkins
Neville Phillips	...	Vicar
Jim Broadbent	...	Frederick Arbuthnot
Michael Kitchen	...	George Briggs
Joan Plowright	...	Mrs. Fisher
Polly Walker	...	Caroline Dester
Stephen Beckett	...	Jonathan
Matthew Radford	...	Patrick
Davide Manuli	...	Beppo
Vittorio Duse	...	Domenico
Adriana Facchetti	...	Francesca
Anna Longhi	...	Costanza

Directed by
Mike Newell

Writing credits
Elizabeth von Arnim		(novel)
Peter Barnes

Produced by
Matthew Hamilton	....	associate producer
Simon Relph	....	executive producer
Ann Scott	....	producer
Mark Shivas	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Richard Rodney Bennett

Cinematography by
Rex Maidment

Film Editing by
Dick Allen

Production Design by
Malcolm Thornton

Costume Design by
Sheena Napier

Makeup Department
Deanne Turner	....	makeup designer

Production Management
Adam Park	....	post-production supervisor (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Mervyn Gill-Dougherty	....	first assistant director
Jessica Nettleton	....	second assistant director
Melanie Panario	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Rosalind Dallas	....	graphic designer
Anna Dargavel	....	design assistant
David Morris	....	property buyer

Sound Department
John Crossland	....	sound assistant
Lee de Lang	....	post-production sound
Peter Maxwell	....	dubbing mixer
John Pritchard	....	sound recordist
Robyn Rogers	....	dubbing editor
David Sleight	....	dubbing editor

Special Effects by
Chris Reynolds	....	special effects technician (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Colin Mapson	....	visual effects designer

Camera and Electrical Department
Keith Broome	....	assistant camera
Pat Deveney	....	gaffer
Dave Scott	....	grip

Casting Department
Susie Figgis	....	casting advisor

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Janine Marr	....	costume assistant (uncredited)

Music Department
Neil Richardson	....	conductor

Other crew
Pauline Bullock-Webster	....	production assistant
Martin Carley	....	production operative supervisor
Silvano Cifollina	....	garden consultant
Jackie Wright	....	finance assistant
Terry Wright	....	location manager: UK

Production Companies

• BBC Films
• Miramax Films (in association with)
• Greenpoint Films (in association with)

Distributors

• Finnkino (1994) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Les Films Number One (1993) (France) (theatrical)
• Miramax Films (1992) (USA) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (1993) (Spain) (theatrical)
• BBC Films (2009) (UK) (DVD)
• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) (1992) (UK) (TV)
• C-sales Arthouse Video (199?) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Cannes Home Vídeo (Brazil) (video)
• Finnkino (1994) (Finland) (VHS)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1998) (Finland) (TV)
• Miramax Home Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD)
• Penta Visión (1993) (Argentina) (all media)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (2000) (2007) (Finland) (TV)

Other Companies

• Chrismax Films  post-synchronisation
• De Lane Lea Sound Centre  post-production sound (as de lane lea)
• Euro-Titres  titles
• Filmcraft S.r.l.  production services: Italy
• Les Traiteurs du Vern  catering
• Plus XXX Studios  score recording
• Sapex Scripts  post-production script services
• Studios Ferber  score recording

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated PG for some mild language

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Australia:G | Chile:14 | Finland:S | Spain:T | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | USA:PG | Singapore:PG | South Korea:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Peru:14

Filming Locations:

Castello Brown, Portofino, Genoa, Liguria, Italy

Company:

BBC Films

Trivia:

Made for British TV in 1991, but well-produced to be released in theaters in the United States in 1992.

Goofs:

Continuity: Near the beginning of the film, the vase of flowers at the dining table repeatedly changes between shots.

Quotes:

Lottie:I was just thinking about cuckoo's for some reason. It's odd.
Mrs. Fisher:Very odd.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch: Good Will Haunting (#3.6)" (1998)

Soundtrack:

Love's Old Sweet Song

a perfect gem of a film

This is a lovely, spirit-restoring movie. From the use of the actual villa that inspired Elizabeth Arngrim to write the novel in the 1920s to the inspired casting, every choice was perfectly right! The quiet joy of this film doesn't stale after repeated viewings. Josie Lawrence, Miranda Richardson, Polly Walker and Joan Plowright seem to have been born to play these parts! I would dearly love to see Enchanted April released on DVD in a widescreen format.