A Room with a View

Starring: Helena Bonham Carter, Maggie Smith, Denholm Elliottt, Julian Sands, Daniel Day-Lewis, Simon Callow, Judi Dench, Rupert Grint, Fabia Drake, Joan Henley, Rosemary Leach,
Directed by: James Ivory
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Drama
1986

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Lucy Honeychurch (Helena Bonham Carter) has a brief, passionate connection with George (Julian Sands) while in Italy. She tries to return home and accept her betrothal to Cecil (Daniel Day-Lewis), but struggles with what her heart tells her.

Review:

Tim: I like E.M. Forster, and while I've read several of his books, I have not yet read the one upon this film is based. So, I approached A Room with a View as a neophyte. I found James Ivory's film to be engrossing and entertaining. The absolutely stunning cast elevates the movie, especially in light of Ivory's lackadaisical directing style. This isn't a movie that moves fast, but it does tell a worthwhile human drama with intriguing characters. In short, while it has its flaws, I'd consider it an especially good film.

The movie obviously benefits from Forster's work. This story will feel familiar to those who've read or watched movies by authors writing in the early 20th century. All the trappings of those stories are here- drama, romance, a strong sense of honor and morality. Families play a major role in the life decisions of the younger members of their clans. We have women fainting, travel is exciting and strenuous, people are easily offended. You never quite forget the different classes of people, as they wear their class as a badge of honor, or of shame. I've read and watched dozens of pieces of media in this world, so it felt very comfortable slipping back into it. The one thing I really appreciated about this film is that it worked hard to establish a large group of characters and to give them their own personalities, flaws, and foibles. This is obviously helped by one of the most impressive casts I've ever seen. As you might expect, this is a major reason why I liked the movie and it's worth exploring in more detail.

Helena Bonham Carter does terrific work as Lucy Honeychurch. It was so interesting to see her performance as this new, fresh-faced young actress. This is only her second acting gig, after an "Introducing" role in a TV movie. She steps into the protagonist role in a period drama for her feature film debut, against an intimidating supporting cast, and more than holds her own. It's no surprise that she's gone on to have such a long career. I thought she was excellent here, capturing the innocence of Lucy, but also some of her stubbornness, her refusal to allow society and expectations to dictate every aspect of her life. Maggie Smith gives a great supporting performance- she feels essential to the beginning of the film working as well as it does. Then, she disappears for a bit, but when she returns, the movie immediately gets better. Judi Dench's role is fairly small, but she and Smith have several scenes together and it's marvelous to watch these two iconic actresses sharing the screen. I thoroughly enjoyed those sequences. Denholm Elliott is wonderful, as always. There's something so perfectly likable about him as an actor. I felt a smile creep up on my face whenever he was on screen. He brought great energy and silliness to the role. I'd watch him do anything. Julian Sands might have been a tad stiff in his performance, but he has these quiet moments that make you understand how Lucy could care so much for his character. I wouldn't say Sands was "great", but he's effective. Daniel Day-Lewis is one of the all-time great actors, so I really had fun seeing him in this early supporting role. As you might expect, Day-Lewis transforms himself into the character of Cecil, a man that we find it hard to like. I was quite impressed with how he brought out those aspects of this character. You wouldn't know he's destined to be one of the greats from this performance, but I think watching Day-Lewis here, you can tell he's a young actor with immense talent. I liked seeing Rupert Graves here- I always just like him so much, and as always, he brings a strong level of energy and likability to the film. I thought Simon Callow was excellent- he has several just outstanding moments throughout the film, and with so many greats in the cast, he manages to emerge as one of the highlights of the film. The bathing scene with Callow, Graves, and Sands is wonderfully unexpected and entertaining. Callow shines in that sequence. As a whole, the cast is stunningly good and I loved watching them all work.

Ivory really knows how to direct movies like this. As you'd expect, this is a well-crafted film. The movie was nominated for 8 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Cinematography. Denholm Elliott was nominated for Best Supporting Actor (I told you he was great!), which is impressive, as multiple actors in the cast could have been in that spot. Elliott's performance is small, but wonderful. Maggie Smith was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, again, well-deserved and a recognition of her abilities. The film did win 3 Academy Awards. It won Best Adapted Screenplay, which feels well-deserved. I haven't read the book (as I already mentioned), but this movie feels like it breathes life into these characters in a way that many similar movies don't. The dialogue is excellent. The film also won Best Art Direction-Set Direction, and Best Costume Design- neither are surprises for a well-made period piece like this, but serve as a testament to the quality of the movie overall.

Now, as much as I do like this film, it does drag in a few places. The movie isn't overly long at 1 hour, 57 minutes, but I wish Ivory had just a tad more urgency in his directing. There's a lot of talking, a lot of circular movement in the narrative. None of this is bad, but it's something to acknowledge. I never felt bored with this film (which is an accomplishment), but I did wish for a bit more momentum. I would say that I was intrigued by the characters and I liked them, but I never felt a deep enough emotional connection.

Despite this, A Room with a View is an absolute accomplishment for Ivory and the cast. This is an incredibly effective adaptation of a classic literary work, and the movie is technically brilliant. It features an embarrassment of riches in the cast, and they all step up their performances. I really enjoyed this movie and it's one that I'd highly recommend.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
Howards End, Far From the Madding Crowd, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie