I love a good period piece as well as literary adaptations. Here's one that should not be missed, despite its imperfect script.

Historical Background: The novels of E.M. (Edward Morgan) Forster have proved fertile ground from which to harvest cinematic period adaptations. Forster, though not an especially prolific novelist, has nevertheless earned the stature of one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century. Forster was born into the upper middle class in London on New Year's Day in 1879, but his father, an architect, died before the young boy had turned two, leaving Forster to be raised by his mother and a great-aunt, Marianne Thornton (whose biography Forster would later author). It was the Edwardian period in England and the feudal class system was still deeply rooted but under challenge by the rise of an ever-expanding middle class, comprised of families headed by merchants, bankers, lawyers, doctors, and other professionals in demand in a modern society. It was to the upper part of this social class that Forster belonged and from which he learned his values in relation to the importance of propriety, as well as intolerance for injustices. It would also be the social class featured in Forster's literary works.

Forster graduated first from Tonbridge in Kent followed, in 1901, by Kings College in Cambridge. He then traveled extensively throughout the European continent and beyond, including Greece, Italy, Germany, and India. When he returned, he took up writing in earnest, publishing, first, short stories in journals and, in 1905, his debut novel, Where Angels Fear to Tread. He followed with the brilliant semi-autobiographical novel The Longest Journey (1907) and A Room with a View (1908), which had actually been partly written during his travels in Italy. Howards End (1910) came next. Forster was now just thirty-one years of age, but had completed most of the work on which his reputation rests today. Forster became part of a close-knit group of Bohemian intellectuals called the "Bloomsbury Group," which included novelist/feminist Virginia Woolf (recall The Hours starring Nicole Kidman), economist John Keynes, artist Dora Carrington (you might check out the film Carrington (1995)), and biographer/critic Lytton Stachey. Forster continued writing, but mainly political essays and biographies and turned to broadcasting for the BBC as well. He published the novel A Passage to India in 1924 and another novel, Maurice, written in 1913/14, was published posthumously, by his request.

Three of Forster's novels were adapted to film by the team of Ismail Merchant (producer), James Ivory (director), and Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (screenwriter). A fourth was adapted in a film by director David Lean. I'll be reviewing two more of these adaptations in the next few weeks, in addition to the present one. The production company responsible for the first three adaptations became known as Merchant Ivory Productions. Director James Ivory was an American by birth, having joined the world in 1928 in Berkeley, California. He was raised mainly in Kamath Falls, Oregon, where his father operated a sawmill. Ivory studied fine arts at the University of Oregon, planning on a career as a set designer, but later enrolled in the film department to pursue a career directing movies. After a brief stint in the military, Ivory made a documentary entitled The Sword and the Flute (1959) that related to Indian objects of art. That proved fateful when he was next commissioned by the Asia Society to make a documentary about India in India. It was there that Ivory met producer Ismail Merchant, with whom he formed a long-lasting and productive partnership. They first made a couple of comedies focusing on the conflicting eastern and western influences in Indian culture, with scripts written by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, who was a German-born writer of Polish-Jewish descent who had married an Indian man.

The multicultural trio of Merchant, Ivory, and Jhabvala were to make many films together. Some of the films, frankly, were not very good. The trio struggled to find its way, taking forward steps interspersed with backward ones. Their first genuine success was Shakespeare Wallah (1965) and another moderately good film was Savages (1972), made in the U.S. The trio really began to hit its stride when they turned to adaptations of great British novels, beginning with Henry James's The Europeans (1979). The film had an elegance and visual appeal that would become the hallmarks of future Merchant Ivory productions. After moderate successes with Quartet (1981), Heat and Dust (1983), and The Bostonians (1984), Ivory hit pay dirt with A Room with a View (1986), which won Academy Awards for Best Screenplay, Best Art Direction, and Best Costumes, as well as nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Cinematography. Maurice (1987) was not as successful, but was still strong enough to share a Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival. Howards End (1992) topped even A Room with a View in commercial success and, for some, critical acclaim as well. Since 1992, Ivory's directorial efforts have included The Remains of the Day (1993), Jefferson in Paris (1995), Surviving Picasso (1996), A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries (1998), The Golden Bowl (2000), and Le Divorce (2003).

The Story: The plot is rather straightforward and, by itself, hardly worth the 117 minutes devoted to it. A young, wealthy and naïve British woman, Lucy Honeychurch (Helena Bonham Carter), is traveling in Florence Italy with her older cousin and chaperone, the matronly Charlotte Bartlett (Maggie Smith), who is the model of tact, manners, and discretion. Charlotte is put out because they had been assured of receiving rooms at the pensione with a view overlooking the Arno, but have instead been relegated to the back, with windows overlooking an alley. Also among the guests at the pensione are a pair of elderly spinster sisters, Catharine (Fabia Drake) and Teresa Alan (Joan Henley), the English novelist Elenor Lavish (Judi Dench), the Reverend Mr. Beebe (Simon Callow) from Lucy's own hometown, and the Emersons, consisting of the irrepressible Mr. Emerson (Denholm Elliott) and his intelligent but angst-laden son, George (Julian Sands). Upon hearing of Charlotte dissatisfaction with their rooms, Mr. Emerson graciously offers to exchange rooms, since they have rooms with the requisite view but pay no attention to it. The very proper Charlotte initially refuses because, as she says, she knows exactly where that kind of indebtedness can lead. The intervention of Reverend Beebe, however, is enough to effect the transaction and soon Charlotte and Lucy are happily entrenched in new quarters overlooking the River. Later, Reverend Beebe, after listening to Lucy's passionate rendition of a Beethoven Sonata on the pianoforte opines, "If she ever takes to living as she plays, it will be very exciting both for us and for her."

This small group of English tourists sharing the same pensione begin spending time together, sightseeing, in various subgroups. One sunny afternoon, Lucy is taking in the sites alone at a magnificent Florentine square when a fight erupts between a pair of youths from rival Italian gangs. One of the lads is stabbed and thoughtlessly collapses and expires almost at Lucy's feet, spilling blood from his mouth onto Lucy's photographs. This is more of an outburst of passion than Lucy has ever imagined, much less seen, and she faints. She is spared the ignominy of hitting the cobblestones by the timely intervention of George, who had been standing nearby. George is already smitten with Lucy, though she, as a proper young lady of superior class, remains properly aloof. She imposes on him to the extent of requesting that he not mention her fainting to anyone else, because the ladies do so like to gossip.

The next day, several of the new friends travel into the country in carriages, with Italian drivers, for a picnic. When Eleanor Lavish and Charlotte want to share some gossip too delicate for Lucy's ears, Lucy is urged to go off and join the others. She finds the handsome George alone in a field of barley highlighted by flowering poppies. In the film's transcendent moment, George impulsively walks over to Lucy and plants a passionate kiss on the lips of the oh-so prim Miss Honeychurch. The strains of Chi il bel sogno di Doretta from Puccini's La Rondine resound in the background, describing the awakening of love in a young girl by her first passionate kiss. The stunned Lucy neither acquiesces nor resists, but simply goes limp from the shock of something so unexpected and improper suddenly happening.

Charlotte, who had gone looking for Lucy just soon enough to spy George's indiscretion from a distance, knows precisely what must be done. Their things are packed immediately and Lucy is whisked back to the safety of England. Charlotte extracts a promise from Lucy that neither of them will speak of the event to anyone, as Charlotte is certain that Lucy's mother would blame her. "I shall never forgive myself," she declares, as she often does throughout the film.

Back in England, Lucy soon becomes engaged to the exceptionally priggish Cecil Vyse (Daniel Day Lewis). Vyse is delightfully foppish but not so delightful in other respects. He is full-of-himself, cranky, intolerant, insufferably arrogant, and bookish to the exclusion of all else. Cecil is a man who will not tolerate a comic song played by Lucy's free-spirited little brother Freddy (Rupert Graves) and the very idea of joining the others for a set of tennis is beyond his comprehension. He is always dressed to the nines, with wire-rimmed spectacles and oiled-down hair. When he finally kisses Lucy for the first time (after ceremoniously asking her permission), he plants the tiniest peck on her check, before his dislodged spectacles intervene.

When a nearby villa is in need of a tenant, Lucy thinks to suggest it to the Alan sisters, the elderly spinsters she and Charlotte had met in Florence. As luck (or fate) would have it, however, Cecil participates in his own ultimate undoing. Meeting the Emersons at a museum, he suggests the place to them, mainly with the idea of annoying the landlord, with whom he has some issue. The Emersons move in and soon Freddy and George are spending time together, including a spontaneous au naturel dip in the sacred pond on the estate, along with the Reverend Beebe. As the wild men are frolicking in the buff, who should chance by but Cecil, Lucy, and Lucy's mother, Mrs. Honeychurch (Rosemary Leach), all out for a stroll. Cecil and Mrs. Honeychurch are mortified but Lucy is secretly amused.

Later, back on the lawns of Windy Corner, Cecil acknowledges that he's no good for anything but reading books and George, recognizing the truth in Cecil's declaration, takes an opportunity to kiss Lucy again, behind Cecil's back. This time, she's had enough and decides to confront the unruly gentleman, with Charlotte standing nearby. She orders him to leave and not return to their home while she is present. He pleads with her to recognize her mistake in agreeing to marry Cecil, with whom she will never be happy. He points out that she'll only be an ornament to Cecil, who hasn't the foggiest notion what else a young woman might offer. George declares both his love and his desire to see Lucy become all that she could be. Lucy persists in sending him away. On reflection, however, Lucy accepts that she must break it off with Cecil, even if she can still not understand that she is in love with George.

The rest is pretty much a foregone conclusion, except for exactly how it comes about. It takes the intervention of Mr. Emerson as well as Charlotte, who once again declares that she will never forgive herself, but, by spring, George and Lucy are back in Florence, enjoying the best view of all.

Themes: The theme is simple enough. What applies to Lucy Honeychurch applies to many of the rest of us as well. Throw off the shackles of unnecessary restraints on conduct dictated by class and background and open yourself to the possibilities of your own passionate desires. Whether it's marrying the man or woman that you truly desire or pursuing the career that you truly want or going to live where you really want to be, go for it! Don't let propriety or what your parents expect of you stand in the way. Most sorts of wrong choices, made impulsively, can be corrected, but always choosing the safe way can only lead to regrets in the end. For Lucy, the bonds of restraint happened to be related to the overly rigid class structure that existed in Edwardian times in England (and still exist to a great extent). It might be something else, in another time or place.

Production Values: Ruth Prawer Jhabvala did a splendid job adapting Forster's novel into a screenplay and capturing not only the story but the tone of the novel, which combines sympathetic concern with detached amusement for the foibles of the British upper middleclass . The problems that exist in the script were inherent in the novel, which is relatively lightweight by Forster's standards. Even Forster himself thought so. The one significant problem with the film is that there is really only one major idea, which is then milked for the entire length of the story. Will Lucy overcome her prudishness and exaggerated sense of propriety, which are really just products of her class affiliation, and give life to her passionate soul? The entire film is about watching Lucy slowly come to life and we know full well what the outcome has to be. Certainly, the flowering of a beautiful young woman into a whole person is a worthy central idea, but without subplots or additional secondary ideas, the film's progression is just all too predictable. I don't say that this shortcoming destroys the film's value. Only that it is a deficit. Weighing against that deficit are strengths in nearly every other dimension. Even within the script component, there are substantial strengths – in the quality of the dialog (borrowed in large part from Forster) and the pace. Then there are exceptional strengths in the cinematography, soundtrack, and performances.

The photography, provided by Tony Pierce-Roberts, is utterly magnificent. It helps that he had exquisite sets and settings with which to work. First, there're the views of Florence, right down to the spectacular Piazzas and the seedy alleyways. Then, there're are the lovely British countryside landscapes. Check out, for example, the beautiful photographic treatment given the scene at the sacred pond. The mise-en-scene for the interior shots has not been neglected either. Pierce-Roberts manages unusually warm hues throughout much of the film. Merchant Ivory Productions developed a reputation for stunning period images despite their modest budgets and it's fully in evidence here. The soundtrack has some nice touches as well. The opening cast credits are run against a rendition of the aria O mio babbino caro, from Puccini's Gianni Schicchi, sung by the inimitable Kiri Te Kanawa (see my list MY FAVORITE MUSICAL PERFORMERS OF ALL-TIME (A-Z) WRITE-OFF), in which a Florentine girl declares her intent to throw herself into the Arno if she's not permitted to marry the man she loves. The rest of the score by Richard Robbins shines as well, giving vent to the yearnings that Lucy and George are experiencing, swelling and receding at appropriate times.

Often times in my reviews, as well as those of other critics, you encounter comments about the quality of DVD transfers. I had forgotten that I already owned a VHS copy of this film and purchased the top-end two-disc special edition DVD offered by Warner Brothers, in conjunction with BBC videos. It is touted as a stunning new digital restoration. I plunked the old VHS and the restored DVD versions into my dual option player and synchronized the two formats to the same scene. Then, by switching back and forth between VHS and DVD, I was able to observe a head-to-head comparison. There is no comparison. The restored DVD version is far superior to the VHS, in color, clarity, detail, and lack of distortions. I understand, from what I've read, that the old DVD, before restoration, was at least better than the old VHS version, but this new restored transfer is much, much better. The older DVD also has no extras whatsoever. I don't have a whole lot of interest in the extras on the second disc of this premium version, but the superior quality of the main feature is enough reason for me to prefer the new DVD with the digital restoration.

Helena Bonham Carter (sometimes hyphenated) is a pixie of a woman, beautiful in a demure sort of way. Bonham Carter's performance here is delightfully rich and complex. This film put her career into high gear and she went on to roles in Howards End (1992), Mighty Aphrodite (1995), The Wings of the Dove (1997), A Merry War (1997), Fight Club (1999), Planet of the Apes (2001), and Big Fish (2003). Want to see an amazing contrast. Take a look at Bonham Carter's performance in Room with a View and then slap Fight Club into your VCR or DVD player!

Daniel Day-Lewis also found his career accelerated as a result of this film. He gives a wonderful performance as the insufferable Cecil Vyse. You'll scarcely recognize the actor if you've already seen him in such films as My Beautiful Laundrette (1985), The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988), My Left Foot (1989), The Last of the Mohicans (1992), In the Name of the Father (1993), The Age of Innocence (1993), The Crucible (1996), or Gangs of New York (2002). Julian Sands, who is otherwise best known for his role in The Killing Fields (1984), managed the various moods of George Emerson very successfully. The supporting roles utilized some of the best character actors and actresses that Britain has to offer, including Judi Dench (as Miss Lavish), Maggie Smith (as Charlotte), Simon Callow (as Rev. Beebe), Rosemary Leach (as Mrs. Honeychurch), and Denholm Elliott (as Mr. Emerson).

Bottom-Line: Period pieces with a chamber quality were out of vogue, in 1986, when Room with a View made its splash. It's success set the stage for a succession of such films, including many of the new Jane Austen adaptations that came along in the mid-nineties, so I have double the reason to cherish this film. Although the greatly superior video quality is reason enough to choose the Warner Bros. DVD, it's also loaded with extras for those so inclined. There's a 30-year-old BBC documentary about E.M. Forster. There's a tribute to the team of Merchant and Ivory. You'll find interviews with Simon Callow and Daniel Day-Lewis, a photo gallery, and a U.K. news report about the success of the film in the U.S. Four-stars is an easy decision for me for this film. It seems to fit the film to a tee. All that it lacks is a script with more substance. It may be a bit of a one-note film, but that note is a gorgeous tone cluster, with beautiful settings and cinematography, strong performances, lovely soundtrack, and the enjoyable blossoming of a most respectable young woman into one with emotions fully engaged.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good Date Movie
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age