My House in Umbria (2003) (TV)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Richard Loncraine

Writers (WGA):

William Trevor (novel)
Hugh Whitemore (teleplay)

Release Date:

25 May 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

When you open your door to strangers, you never know who might come in.

Plot:

An unlikely group of people find solace and friendship after being thrown together in the wake of a terrorist attack.

Plot Keywords:

Uncle | Bomb | Train | Terrorist | Author

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 3 wins & 14 nominations

Cast

Maggie Smith	...	Mrs. Emily Delahunty
Ronnie Barker	...	The General
Chris Cooper	...	Thomas 'Tom' Riversmith
Benno Fürmann	...	Werner
Giancarlo Giannini	...	Inspector Girotti
Timothy Spall	...	Quinty
Libero De Rienzo	...	Dr. Innocenti
Emmy Clarke	...	Aimee
Cecilia Dazzi	...	Rosa Crevelli
Anna Longhi	...	Signora Barcini
Deirdre Harrison	...	Phyllis, Aimee's Mother
Silvia De Santis	...	Madeleine
Alison Cameron Adam	...	General's Daughter (as Alison Adam)
Lynn Swanson	...	Francine Riversmith
Taddeo Harbutt	...	Young General

Also Known As:

La mia casa in Umbria (Italy)

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

UK | Italy

Language:

English | German | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:L | New Zealand:M | Germany:o.Al. | UK:12A | USA:TV-14 (TV rating) | Argentina:13 | Italy:T | Australia:M | Canada:A

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Canine Films

Quotes:

Mrs. Emily Delahunty: In the garden, delphiniums were in flower. Through scented twilight, the girl in the white dress walked with a step as light as a morning cobweb. That evening she hadn't a care in the world.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 61st Annual Golden Globe Awards (2004) (TV)

Soundtrack:

If I Give You My Love

Gentle as the Umbrian countryside

This film would immediately appeal to anyone addicted to Maggie Smith and the idyllic Italian countryside of Umbria, but it has unexpected delights to offer in its unassuming, almost art-house, flavour, and the low-key, but affecting, performances of excellent actors Timothy Spall and Ronnie Barker. Chris Cooper is rather wooden, but his academic, unemotional character casts a strong contrast to the hapless vagaries of Maggie Smith's Emily Delahuntey, and therefore works well.

Suspension of disbelief is required for the over-imaginative plot, almost out of one of Emily's romance novels. But the pleasure of such a film is simple, and simple pleasures can entertain as much as the richer, more complex enjoyment of films it might be compared with such as 'Tea With Mussolini' (which, of course, is a much fuller film in terms of plot, characters, script, and drama). 'Enchanted April' also comes to mind as another film where the Italian countryside is almost a character of the film and much more than a backdrop.

A very pleasant interlude for a winter's afternoon, or Spring evening, and Maggie Smith is as mannered and original as ever. I especially loved her flowing clothes, which suited her and her character very well.