Review of A Room with a View (1986) by Alec B — 11 Nov 2011

A Room With a View is a light and romanticized look at the "age of innocence", focusing more on the joys of life and love than the tragedy of fading away. It is a movie that put Merchant - Ivory productions on the map. They had done some acclaimed work before, but with this effort they managed to finally establish their sub-genre, as some like to call these period pieces. It is a visually beautiful film about the conflicts of cultures and ideas, and the importance of courage to make certain decisions in our life.

Located in Italy and England at the beginning of the twentieth century, both countries and their characteristics serving as symbols to different life paths for the characters. Lucy Honeychurch (Helena Bonham Carter) and Charlot Bartlet (Maggie Smith) are two cousins who travel to Florence on a holiday. Charlot is older and has a task of not allowing young and beautiful Lucy to betray her rigid brithishnes in any way. There, they meet the Emerson's, father (Denholm Eliot) and a son (Julian Sands) with pretty liberal ideas for these pedantic British ladies. The attraction between younger Emerson, George, and Lucy is obvious right from the start but with the constant supervision they can't do anything about it, and she is too uptight to admit her desires anyway. It all ends with one short kiss before they (Lucy and Charlot) go back to Britain, leaving poor, lovesick George behind.

There, a marriage is set between Lucy and Cecil, a seemingly boring higher class rich guy, who turns out to be the most interesting and complex character here. But soon after the engagement, the Emerson's move in their town and make it harder and harder for young and innocent Lucy to forget that kiss.

A Room With a View is set in a time of hypocrisy and feelings kept below the surface, but the movie only makes hints towards that direction. That is the past, and most of its characters look to the future, directly or indirectly, trying to avoid or diminish predictable life offered to them.

As I said before, two countries are an important part in following the story. Italy represents future, passion, danger, uncertainty, openness and the possibility for an ultimate reward. In another words - life, the sweet and the sour. In England, there is just certainty - life spent with the eyes firmly tied to the ground and the fear of being discovered. The choice is easy, isn't it?

I was going to say that Daniel Day Lewis is unbelievably good in this but, since I have seen many of his films, I wasn't a bit surprised with this masterful performance. His Cesil is ultimately the tragic character here. He plays him as a guy who has been learned throughout his life that cautiousness is the biggest virtue a man can have. Its as he constantly looks from outside to the life of George, Lucy and Ethan, a life he never knew how to live.

Helena Bonham Carter is physically the perfect casting, and with enough amount of youthful spite to get her through the role. And Maggie Smith embodies the nobility of Charlot with an ease expected from one of Britain's best actresses.

Ultimately, the beauty of A Room With a View is in its simplicity and honesty. It addresses the basic human needs for love and life meaning and it does that in such a way that it is hard not to be moved by it.