The Players:
Helena Bonham Carter: Lucy Honeychurch
Julian Sands: George Emerson
Daniel Day Lewis: Cecil Vyse
Simon Callow: Reverend Beebe
Maggie Smith: Charlotte Bartlett
Rosemary Leach: Mrs. Honeychurch
Judi Dench: Miss. Lavish
Directed by: James Ivory
Produced by: Ismail Merchant
Screenplay by: Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
PG-13, 110m, 1986
Available on video.
T he pleasures and pains of courtship are eloquently detailed in this elegant Merchant Ivory presentation.
The movie, an adaptation from the E. M. Forster novel, opens in Florence and the ambiance is rightly sombre. Lucy Honeychurch (Helena Bonham Carter) is chaperoned around the usual sights by her prude aunt, Miss Bartlett (Maggie Smith). During the course of her travels she meets George Emerson, a brooder--and a complex young man who is often at odds with the universe. We feel he needs support from a stable source and very early on, Lucy Honeychurch, despite her youth, establishes herself as being extremely mature. George's attraction to Lucy is evident from the outset and his father (the always engaging Denholm Elliot) plays the matchmaker and pleads with Lucy to pay attention to his offspring. Through him, we get a valuable insight into George's character--as does Lucy. Somewhat intrigued by the old man's request, she departs after advising that, instead of daydreaming, his son ought to take up a hobby. Lucy Honeychurch and her reservations about George Emerson might seem inexplicable; indeed, no effort is made to explain those reservations other than that she is perhaps influenced by a society that discourages effervescent dalliances with the opposite sex, especially with those from a lower social class.
Many around George consider him to be dour and soulless. Soon, however, we see a disturbed young man who drops that facade of indifference after a quite consequential episode and remarks to Lucy that, "something great and important has happened." He does not elaborate; perhaps he is overwhelmed by their having witnessed an event together--an experience they both realize wouldn't easily be forgotten. Lucy staves off the importance of the moment when she perhaps should have reached out. We see the brief struggle within her, however, the bounds and norms of society prevail and she leaves behind a man who needs her desperately.
They meet again in a field of barley when, in a move completely uncharacteristic of
the man, George Emerson kisses her spontaneously and she responds intuitively. The union
is disrupted by the young woman's chaperone and the next time we see Miss. Honeychurch,
she is engaged to Cecil Vyse, an aristocrat with a glut of pretensions. We draw instant
comparisons to George, and Cecil, played by Daniel Day Lewis, comes up a cipher. We wonder what Lucy sees in Cecil, a thought that recurs over the next few
minutes and can be easily credited to Lewis's adroit rendition of a pompous nobleman. Lucy
seems to like him but we see a sinister shade to her love. She appears to give herself more
out of guilt--perhaps the affair in Italy forced her to re-evaluate her priorities--and hence,
she has settled on a beau more befitting to her stratum of society. She is convincing when
she looks at Cecil with adoration and although we hope to see love for another man in her
eyes, we do not.
Then George Emerson and father--much to Lucy's astonishment--take up summer residence nearby and do so at Cecil's unwitting invitation. The proximity to a former flame fans her loyalty to Cecil, although, a stolen kiss, engineered by a daring George, and chagrined exchanges between the two inspire no doubts within the ignorant fiancé. Meanwhile, George forges a bond with Freddie, the carefree brother of the woman he loves; perhaps through Freddie's gay abandon he realizes the courage to seize the momenent and speak to Lucy of his Love. Which he does breathlessly and with some aplomb. It is a concise scene, devoid of excessive interchange, but Lucy makes it clear she is perfectly happy with Cecil. George walks away, his face flush, perhaps regretting his brave move. The rest of the movie keeps us wondering if the breach between the sundered hearts will heal. For obvious reasons, I will not disclose the end.
My biggest complaint with A Room with a View is its lack of intensity. Other than the scene where George confronts Lucy with his feelings, there is little that gets the viewer involved with the emotional struggle and it becomes difficult to establish Lucy's intentions. Some might find the incertitude refreshing. Although there are enough hints, more time should have been devoted to exploring Lucy's inner thoughts and her desires. At times, the story telling is a little perfunctory, but the pace is maintained and the overall impression is one of being overwhelmed subtly.
A Room with a View is more than the tale of George and Lucy. It is a study in inhibitions, some self-imposed, others class and society instilled. It is about making choices, taking chances, and following the heart when reason and morality point elsewhere. It is about a young man who believes the universe is too distressing and confining a place, and then discovers someone who, he is adamant, would alleviate his distress. For George Emerson, the key to self freedom lay in freeing Lucy. This belief allows George, a normally diffident chap, to turn into someone who is all dash and dare to win the love of a woman whom he believes holds all the answers. In some ways, the movie glorifies the days of old when love and courtship were what they are supposed to be--romantic. It also takes a poke at the hypocrisy that reigned supreme while proving forbidden, or restricted love is so much more pleasurable. Be forewarned: the poignancy of the movie might be lost on a generation that finds and abandons love with nary a thought.
The direction is taut and no-nonsense so very little distracts the viewer from the key players. The mood and the ambiance are vintage Merchant Ivory, wavering from being gloomy one moment to downright auspicious the next. The fleeting imagery, and the diversity of the backdrop seems to remind us that as far as Love is concerned, time and space can be overcome and the implausible can be achieved.
Julian Sands is fine as George while Helena Bonham Carter's Lucy is a nearly ideal
foil. Watch in one sitting
to appreciate the movie's charm.
Reviewed 2/11/1996
Copyright©1996, Mesmer Productions. All rights reserved.
