A Room with a View (2007)

It's the Edwardian era. The Honeychurches - Marian Honeychurch and her two just of age children Lucy Honeychurch and Freddy Honeychurch - are a carefree and fun-loving family that live in ... See full summary »

Director:

Nicholas Renton

Writers:

E.M. Forster (novel), Andrew Davies (screenplay)

Stars:

Elaine Cassidy, Laurence Fox, Rafe Spall

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Elaine Cassidy	...	Lucy Honeychurch
Laurence Fox	...	Cecil Vyse
Rafe Spall	...	George Emerson
Sophie Thompson	...	Charlotte Bartlett
Mark Williams	...	Mr. Beebe
Timothy Spall	...	Mr. Emerson
Sinéad Cusack	...	Miss Lavish
Elizabeth McGovern	...	Mrs. Honeychurch
Timothy West	...	Reverend Eager
Tom Byam Shaw	...	Freddy Honeychurch (as Tag Stewart)
Christine Kavanagh	...	Mrs. Vyse
Yari Gugliucci	...	Paolo
Sheila Reid	...	Miss Alan
Paolo Malco	...	Fabio
Gilda Gradi	...	Signora Bertolini

Storyline

It's the Edwardian era. The Honeychurches - Marian Honeychurch and her two just of age children Lucy Honeychurch and Freddy Honeychurch - are a carefree and fun-loving family that live in the country town of Summer Street, Surrey. Regardless, Lucy is a proper young woman. Some can tell by the way she plays Beethoven on the piano that there is a seething passion underneath her proper demeanor. She and her older cousin, her chaperon Charlotte Barlett, who is officious in a slyly undermining way, travel to Florence, Italy for a week-long respite. The Pensione Bertolini where they are staying is popular among British tourists. Among the disparate group of other British guests at the pensione are a Mr. Emerson, who Charlotte considers vulgar because of his forwardness, and his son, the bright but brooding George Emerson. As their stay progresses, George feels that Italian life is opening his eyes to what is important in life, and he feels the same is happening to Lucy. On a group outing, ...

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Plot Keywords:

surrey | period piece | male frontal nudity | remake | holiday | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Dedicated to Fernando Ghia, "un uomo buono" (a good man).

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Connections

Edited into Masterpiece Classic: A Room with a View (2008)

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Soundtracks

Piano Sonata No. 14, Presto agitato
("Moonlight sonata")
Written by Ludwig van Beethoven (uncredited)

User Reviews

A gloom of a "View"

Oh dear. When it comes to remakes, or "re-imaginings" or whatever the current vogue is for churning out an old favourite with a new cast, Sir Michael Caine said it best: only remake the flops. It makes perfect sense: if you fail then everyone thinks one can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear, but if you succeed then it's bouquets all round.

But that remaking a classic like James Ivory's film of E. M. Forsters's novel of Edwardian manners is folly of the highest order was borne out last night with this limp and unengaging ITV drama.

Wrapping the action in a clumsy flashback device robbed the story of any freshness or spontaneity, and it quickly became a lot like watching a school play version of one of your favourite films.

There were some interesting touches - Mark WIlliams' closeted Mr Beebe picking up Florentine rentboys would have brought a blush to Forster's cheeks. Also amusing were Mr Beebe's blushes as George Emerson and Freddie Honeychurch shed their clothes for the famous bathing scene. But in order the find the gold there was a good deal of dross.

Comparing any actress to Dame Maggie Smith is unfair, but Sophie Thompson really came off badly - her Miss Bartlett nothing more than the same irritating ticks and tricks she always uses. There was no real person there. Laurence Fox's far-too-handsome Cecil Vyse seemed to be reading his lines from a cue card and far more interested in his clothes than in Lucy.

All in all it makes one deeply fearful for adapter Andrew Davies' upcoming version of Brideshead Revisited.

Details

Official Sites:

ITV [UK] PBS [United States]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 April 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Et rom med utsikt

Filming Locations:

Florence, Tuscany, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ingenious Broadcasting, IWC Media, WGBH

Technical Specs

Color:

Color