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Starched collars, pince-nez, and lawn tennis are just some of the niceties to be found in this Academy Award-winning adaptation of E. M. Forster's Edwardian period novel. Helena Bonham Carter stars as Lucy Honeychurch, a young English tourist in Florence whose prim and proper life is threatened by her attraction to a brooding, young romantic (Julian Sands). Penned by screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, A Room with a View brought the team of producer Ishmael Merchant and director James Ivory to the peak of their international success. The film's light charm, graceful period ambience, and attractive cast -- Daniel Day-Lewis and Maggie Smith turn in splendid performances -- became their trademark. Leisurely yet engaging, the first half of A Room with a View works nicely as a travelogue of Florence; the latter half returns to the English countryside where the manors are nice, the manners even nicer, and the principals meander their way toward happily ever after. Gregory Baird

All Movie Guide

Adapted by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala from the novel by E.M. Forster, A Room with a View is a shining example of Merchant-Ivory's ability to achieve maximum quality and opulence at minimum cost. Set during the Edwardian Era, the film stars Helena Bonham Carter as Lucy Honeychurch, who like all proper young British ladies is compelled to tour Europe in the company of an older chaperone -- in this instance, her spinster cousin Charlotte Bartlett (Maggie Smith). While in Italy, the ladies make the acquaintance of a wide variety of personalities; the most fascinating of their fellow tourists -- at least in Lucy's eyes -- is free-spirited George Emerson (Julian Sands). Aware that her cousin is becoming too familiar with Emerson, Charlotte demands that Lucy return to England posthaste. Lucy complacently settles for the tiresomely traditional courtship of nerdish Cecil Vyse (Daniel Day-Lewis) -- and then Mr. Emerson moves into the neighborhood. Lucy now finds herself on the horns of a dilemma: Should she opt for a safe, proper marriage to Cecil, or the bohemian unpredictability of the charismatic Emerson? A winner of three Academy Awards, A Room with a View is not what one could call fast-moving, but fans of the Merchant-Ivory team will enjoy luxuriating in the film's leisurely pace and stimulating cast of characters. Hal Erickson

Product Details

• UPC: 794051415622
• Source: BBC WARNER
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound
• Editions: Special Edition, Subtitled, Dubbed, Restored
• Time: 1:57:00
• Sales Rank: 10,393

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