Enchanted April (1991)

Four English women, after World War I, who are unhappy with their lives, and their time away on vacation in a beautiful Italian villa.

Director:

Mike Newell

Writers:

Elizabeth von Arnim (novel), Peter Barnes

Stars:

Alfred Molina, Joan Plowright, Miranda Richardson

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited 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

Storyline

This slow-paced gem is about the civilizing influence of Italy on beleaguered Londoners, both male and female, and has its own civilizing influence on the viewer. It's almost like taking a little mini-trip to Italy, a gorgeously filmed enchantment.

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Plot Keywords:

italy | retreat | socialite | friendship | holiday | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some mild language

Did You Know?

Trivia

After filming wrapped, the cast and crew later remarked upon several supernatural experiences while filming on-location in Italy. Alfred Molina reportedly felt an ice-cold hand grasp the back of his neck on a night shoot, while Miranda Richardson felt her knee-high dress being aggressively yanked to the floor while waiting to film in an old castle. There were also several instances of crew members having to leave the set after suddenly feeling unwell.

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Goofs

Rose selects a spray of pink flowers from a vase to place in her hair. When she puts the flowers back into the vase, the straight plastic stem reveals them to be artificial.

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Quotes

Mrs. Fisher: In my day husbands and beds were very seldom mentioned in the same breath. Husbands were taken seriously, as the only true obstacle to sin.

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Connections

Referenced in It's Like, You Know...: Enchanted April (1999)

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Soundtracks

Love's Old Sweet Song
By J.L. Molloy

User Reviews

A Movie For Those Who Appreciate Wisteria and Sunshine

This movie works like a tonic to make one realize what is important. Even the act of watching it is soothing. The four central characters are all women of means living in relative comfort but their lives lack passion and significance. A holiday to Italy inspires them to relax and reassess their lives, something so many of us need and never do.

Lotty (Josie Lawrence) discovers an ad in the newspaper announcing an Italian castle available to let for the month of April. She implores her neighbor, Rose (Miranda Richardson), to invest in the trip so that together they might find happiness. Lawrence and Richardson beautifully portray compliant wives who are defined by their husbands, homes and obligations. Their body language and speech are so repressed at the beginning of the film. I found myself thinking that one or both of them will crack if they do not find peace.

To defray the cost of the trip, Lotty and Rose invite two other women to share in the villa rental, an elderly matron (Joan Plowright) and a titled socialite (Polly Walker). Interestingly, both Mrs. Fisher and Lady Caroline are very fragile, lonely women who have known great loss and mask their pain with cold exteriors. One is trapped by her past while the other is trapped by her beauty. Plowright shines as the brusque outer layers peel away and we discover her heart.

While each actress portrays a traditional female stereotype (Lawrence the daft, eager to please wife, Richardson the puritan, Plowright the hardened dowager, Walker the used up party girl), it does not detract and in fact, includes the viewer as we see something of them in us and vice versa.

For me, the essence of the film occurs when Lotty befriends Mrs. Fisher in a poignant scene. It characterizes the hope that all the women had when they embarked on their journeys. To love and be loved. To be happy with self. To be enchanted by life.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

UK

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

25 December 1992 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Enchanted April

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$73,041, 2 August 1992

Gross USA:

$13,200,170

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$13,200,170

Company Credits

Production Co:

BBC Films, Miramax, Greenpoint Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1