My House in Umbria (TV 2003)

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

Director:

Richard Loncraine

Writers:

William Trevor (novel), Hugh Whitemore (teleplay)

Stars:

Maggie Smith, Ronnie Barker, Chris Cooper

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

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

After a bomb destroys a railway carriage, the four survivors repair to the villa of one, Mrs. Delahunty, a writer of romance novels, a woman with a past. The others are an aging British general, a young German man, and Aimee, an American girl orphaned in the blast. As these four strangers recover in Umbria's countryside and become friends, Aimee's uncle, a cold and childless academic who studies red carpenter ants, arrives to fetch her. Mrs. Delahunty fears this may not be in Aimee's best interests, begins to drink heavily, and fails in her attempts to connect with Aimee's uncle. Meanwhile, a persistent detective investigates the blast.

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Plot Keywords:

american | girl | carpenter | ant | villa | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Official Sites:

HBO [us]

Country:

UK Italy

Language:

English Italian German Latin

Release Date:

25 May 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mi casa en Umbria

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canine Films, Home Box Office (HBO), Panorama Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

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.

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Connections

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

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Soundtracks

"Cha Cha Cha D'Amour"
Written by Henri Salvador and Leo Johns
Performed by Dean Martin

User Reviews

Delicious Movie...with a tiny exception

The movie was wonderful. 'My House in Umbria' was like a fresh breath of Italian countryside air, or taking a bite into a delicious pie in a terrace in Italy. The sites were breathtaking, even if they were seen from my television. The story was understandable and intriguing. The characters were fun. Mrs. Delahunty, a romantic novelist, with her numerous names and vibrant personality; i found myself wanting to be like her - minus the excessive drinking and smoking. There were also the many friends she had made on a train which had been in an accident. These strangers put together in Mrs.Delahunty's villa. Werner, the general, and Aimee (a young face who was very captivating on screen), and Quinty. All these characters truly made the film. BUT the only stain in the wonderful fabric that is this movie was Chris Cooper's character, Mr. Tom River-something. I found him rather pompus but a necessary element in the movie. I can't find more words to describe the movie. The scenes of Italian cities and towns were wonderful. oh, and mrs.delahunty's thoughts were well illustrated on screen. All in all i truly liked the movie. I think this movie will delight many people.