by Sam Juliano
It is rare for one to conclude that a title sequence is the most unforgettable component in a film that offers so much more, and succeeds admirably on practically every level. Yet this is precisely the case with Ismael Merchant and James Ivory’s ravishing period piece A Room with a View (1985) based on the beloved 1908 novel of the same name by E. M. Forster. Over the sublime vocals of soft-toned soprano Kiri TeKanawa, who delivers an incomparable reading of Giacomo Puccini’s great aria “O Mio Babbino Caro” from Gianni Schicchi, the third part of the composer’s triptych opera Il Trittico, we are treated to the sumptuous watercolor illustrations by Florentine artist Folco Cianfanelli. Ornate shapes, patterns and designs accompany the peace meal scrolling of the film’s actors and craftsmen, but more importantly this collaboration of aural and artistic elements render the film a sensory as well as narrative appeal. The Forster hook was there, it was up to Merchant and Ivory to craft the proper sensibilities. In any case the affinity for Puccini did not end with the beloved credit aria, as the big kiss in the Italian fields was immeasurably boosted by the intoxicating “Chi il bel sogno di Doretta” from the composer’s La Rondine, also voiced by the inimitable Ms. Te Kanawa. The number is revisited in part by way of orchestration in other parts of the film. When Puccini isn’t dominating the soundtrack in his traditional take no prisoners manner -his two arias accentuate the richness of the setting and the romantic underpinning of the story- the Merchant/Ivory stock company composer Richard Robbins brings his own considerable measure of lyricism that is perfectly attuned to the score’s operatic hook. As far as the aforementioned credit sequence is concerned it should be noted that the same design is interspersed throughout the film in the manner of chapter titles.
It could certainly be argued that Forster’s Howard’s End and A Passage to India are more complex novels with a wider breadth, but by way of delight and engagement A Room with a View may hold poll position in his canon. The novel is an Edwardian comedy of manners with some acidic wit that is magically transformed on the screen from what seems like a light and frivolous enterprise into something much more soulful in its rapturous appreciation of Italy’s scenic resplendence. It wound up influencing a host of other films like Enchanted April and Under the Tuscan Sun, but on the strength of it’s writing, cinematography, music, set design and especially it’s cast it is the best in it’s sub-genre.
Like the source material the film’s narrative isn’t particularly complicated. In 1907 a young English girl, Lucy Honeychurch and her spinster cousin Charlotte Bartlett vacation in Florence, and stay at the Pensione Bertolini. They meet up with other English guests including the freethinking Mr. Emerson and his despondent son George. Emerson makes an early quip about the acid in lemonade that sets the film’s saucy tone. When the women discover their rooms do not have a “view” they exchange rooms with the Emersons at the men’s insistence. Complications soon arise, starting when George passionately kisses Lucy in the Florentine Hills. Charlotte responds by cutting short their visit and they return to England. Lucy becomes involved with the priggish Cecil Vyse, and they are soon engaged. The Emersons then re-enter the picture, and George calls into question the reasons why her marriage plans are a colossal mistake. Lucy finds who she is and soon rejects Cecil, telling him she never really loved him, and that she was nothing more than arm candy for him. She realizes George is the vital candidate for her affections, and the couple appear at the conclusion in Florence -this time on their honeymoon- amidst the aesthetic and sensual pleasures and surroundings.
The natural beauty of Italy and England are captured sumptuously by the cinematographer Tony Pierce-Roberts, who makes all the locations prime vacation spots for those who have only imagined these hamlets of paradise. The kiss in the Italian field is properly magnificent, and the very height of pictorial bliss. The adaptation was written by the most honored of all the Merchant-Ivory scribes, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, an Indian-American who brought wit, humanity and subtlety to Forster’s prose. The cast defines ensemble excellence from top to bottom, small to large. Maggie Smith takes on the role of the spinster Charlotte, and her hollow eyes make it impossible to regard her as a caricature. Her eyes reveal the price she has paid for being “inoffensive.” Her mannered delivery is utterly delightful. The two older spinster Alan sisters as played by Fabia Drake and Joan Henley are humane and touching, and exude a great deal of charm. The superb actor Denholm Elliott forges a warm Mr. Elliot; to be sure he is socially bumbling, but shows a good heart and a confidence in the human race. Julien Sands does wonders with the role of George, a character who could be seen as more of a symbol than a acceptably fleshed out character. He brings a great deal of conviction to the portrayal. Simon Callow is irresistible as the exuberantly good-natured, bicycle-riding and cigarette smoking Reverend Beebe. Helena Bonham Carter as the gorgeous Lucy is a model of indecision, and she rides this emotional roller coaster to the hilt. The other Honeychurches, Rosemary Leach as the mother and Rupert Graves as the coltish brother Freddy deliver vivid supporting turns, and as Cecil, Daniel Day-Lewis gives an idiosyncratic performances as an emotionally frigid bookworm. His turn comes the closest to caricature, but it also intensifies his vulnerability and his management of emotional pain. Cecil makes a memorable appearance in the nude scene set in the glade, where he leads Lucy and Mrs. Honeychurch to encounter George, Freddy and the Reverend Beebe without clothes on after their swim in a pond. The scene exemplifies more than any other in the film the motif of liberation from the constraints of society.
A Room with a View brings together delicacy, unassailable charm and a whimsical quality in its study of characters who have been stripped of their social veneer to reveal basic human needs through both deliberation and impulse. The film is ultimately liberating, though it is clear enough that conventions will still be adhered to by those in less tenable situations. It is master class Merchant and Ivory, a textbook example of how all the various components in films can work seamlessly to deliver stellar entertainment and aesthetic beauty.
Note: This essay on “A Room with a View” was written for the Criterion Blues blogathon, run by three people including our good site friend Aaron West. Here is a link to threes sites running the project: Speak Easy (https://hqofk.wordpress.com/) Silver Screenings (http://silverscreenings.org/) and Criterion Blues – Aaron West – (http://criterionblues.com/)
Sammy, you are a talented reviewer and a fantastic writer!
Vinnie my friend, my appreciation for that over the top praise, my friend. Nice that our names are so identical, save for the opening letter. 🙂
Fabulous review. I loved your descriptions: “whimsical charm”, “model of indecision”, etc. Beautifully written.
This film is the best in its sub-genre, like you said. Thanks for joining the blogathon!
Silver Screenings my friend, many thanks for that. Great to hear we are on the same page too. My deepest appreciation!
Lovely prose Sam. You really capture the aesthetic heart of this film. I always considered it the best of the Merchant Ivorys.
Frank, there are many who concur with your judgement. Thanks for the very kind words my friend.
Really great post, thanks so much for making it part of the blogathon.
Thank YOU Kristina for saying as much my friend! I was honored to be part of it.
Sam, I agree with you that the cast in the film is impeccable. Daniel Day-Lewis nails down every nuance as Cecil, but having Maggie Smith and Judy Dench is always a treat. I liked Denholm Elliot, who has some great lines.
Your review is a treasure.
Yes Karen, Day-Lewis is superlative indeed, as are the others you note. Thanks so much for the very kind words my friend.
For me, all that Puccini is like so much aural treacle glooping over an already gloopy film. Forster’s sharper flavors have been smothered to produce an emptily sumptuous piece of Oscar-pudding. You’re right about the cast: some very talented performers (I especially like Rosemary Leach and Patrick Godfrey), but in the end even they begin to seem like big pieces of shiny glacée fruit adorning the Merchant-Ivory trifle.
Ah my friend, Non sono d’acordo con te.
This is not the first time you have visited this site, and I have always appreciated your stellar insights. I feel the same way now, even if in the end we are miles apart with this particular film. To be sure you are hardly the only one who has been repulsed by the asserted ‘gloopiness’ of the film, though obviously the prohibitive majority including the likes of Kael deemed otherwise. Also, it should be noted that Oscar did not take the bait, if indeed the film’s aspirations were aimed in that direction. That year the voters were far more interested in the Vietnam War. I think your issues surrounding the ‘lightweight’ and ’empty’ nature of the enerprise were answered by Kael, who clearly supported your observation but parted company with you on the verdict:
Adapted from the early novel by E.M. Forster, this is a whimsical social comedy about a muddled young English girl (Helena Bonham Carter) who desires yet fears sexual love; she runs away from the man (Julian Sands) who stirs her emotions, and becomes engaged to a rich twit (Daniel Day-Lewis). Bonham Carter lacks the carriage and presence of a trained actress, and Sands, though likable, is playing Forster’s flimsy–almost abstract–dream of a natural, uninhibited lover, and is rather vague. But the movie is well paced, and it never loses its hold on a viewer’s affections, because it’s so thoroughly inhabited. The actors who circulate around the heroine create a whirring atmosphere–a comic hum. They include Denholm Elliott (playing the novel’s resident saint), Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, Simon Callow, and Rosemary Leach; the young Italian lovers are played by Isabella Celani and Lucca Rossi. Full of allusions to art and literature, the movie is more than a little precious, but it’s a piece of charming foolishness. It was produced by Ismail Merchant and directed by James Ivory, from a script by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala that pares down the text skillfully and takes much of its lively, dizzy dialogue directly from Forster. Shot in England and Florence, by Tony Pierce-Roberts.
In the end it is a matter of taste, and for mine the film was a sensory delight, one of four Merchant Ivory films that worked extraordinarily well (the others: Maurice, The Remains of the Day, Howards End)
But to each his/her own my friend, and I much appreciate you coming here with this candid response.
Hi Sam; thanks for your reply. From what I’ve seen of their work, Merchant-Ivory aren’t to my taste, although I thought The Remains of the Day much better than their average. I haven’t seen any of their earlier 60s and 70s films, though – some of which seem a bit more interesting.
Glad to hear you rather like REMAINS, which is one of their best films. In addition to the earlier work I also was quite fond of MR. & MRS. BRIDGE. Thanks again my friend.
It has already been said, but I’ll just reiterate — fantastic post. Beautifully written and I can tell you have true passion for the film.
Thanks again Aaron!! I was quite thrilled to be part of such a phenomenal blogathon. The mood has been celebratory in every sense.
A beautiful film, but not everyone’s proverbial cup of tea. It is mine, and I have long marveled at the cast, rapturous visuals and lovely operatic score. Denholm Elliot is just wonderful. Sam, your excellent review is better than anything a travel agency can bring to the table.
That’s absolutely right Peter. A ROOM WITH A VIEW will not endear all applicants so to speak. Your capsule assessment there is marvelous my friend. Yes Elliott is marvelous. Thanks for the kind words my friend.
Excellent post.Makes me want to see this delightful movie once again.
Thanks very much for the kind words Sidran! Yes, this is one film that rewards repeated viewing for sure. Such is always the case with something so “sensory.”
What a wonderful choice to examine for the blogathon. It isn’t my favorite film from the Merchant and Ivory team (I’d say The Remains of the Day would be) but I’d more than other it projects a romantic sensibility. And it uses the setting superbly. Outstanding review. That enthralling music is always the first element that enchants you.
Thanks so much Celeste! THE REMAINS OF A DAY is the favorite Merchant/Ivory for many, and you won’t get an argument from me. Nice to hear the score worked its magic on you too!
Count me as one who admires this film without any reservations. Always so nimble and light on its feet, A Room with a View is never less than disarming. The young Helena is altogether beguiling and the cast as a whole is superb. Yes, Sam, this is a gorgeous film and your lovely appreciation of it here is greatly appreciated. I recently picked up the new Criterion blu-ray and am patiently waiting for just the right moment to revisit this jewel.
Duane, I am really thrilled to hear that, knowing of your great taste! Yes ‘disarming’ is a terrific way to put it. Your glowing adjectives are so well applied here. Nice that we also agree on the excellence of the cast. I watched the Criterion blu-ray last week in preparation for the review and I must say that was as rapturous a viewing of the film that I’ve ever had. Enjoy my friend! Many thanks for the kind words!
I finally got here and it was like taking a trip to Florence with a sound track of opera.
Once again Sam you are gushing, your love opera and the love of beautifully rendered film makes reading this such a joy.
I have seen this film several times yet not very recently so it is good to have another approach to view this classic Merchant and Ivory period piece !
Jeff, I salute you for all of that my friend! You leave me speechless, though I can derive great satisfaction that our tastes in film and music have been consistently aligned. Yes, A ROOM WITH A VIEW rewards re-viewings handsomely. It seems there is always something new to appreciate. Can’t thank you enough!
My Pleasure Sam! I will look for it at the local library ! Plus this film made us aware of Helena Bonham Carter, who I have followed and admire her role choices, and Rupert Graves who I may have seen in Maurice before this film who I find charming…
Lucy Honeychurch !
Love discovered me all weaponless,
and opened the way to the heart through the eyes,
which are made the passageways and doors of tears…
Lucy !
Da lei ti vèn l’amoroso pensero,
che mentre ‘l segui al sommo ben t’invia,
pocho prezando quel ch’ogni huom desia;
da lei vien l’animosa leggiadria
ch’al ciel ti scorge per destro sentero,
sí ch’i’ vo già de la speranza altero.
(From her to you comes loving thought,
that leads to highest good, while you pursue it,
counting as little what all men desire:
from her comes that spirit full of grace
that shows you heaven by the true way’:
so that in hope I fly, already, to the heights)