From my favorite movies..

Captivating movie !

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

It is not a movie I would normally have gone near with a barge pole. However, It is such a visual feast and has such excellent acting that it proves I should never judge the proverbial book by its cover. A keeper.

The story is very nice although somewhat predictable. I personally relate to the story so much at the time I watch this movie the first time that it made me keep the movie in my "Keepworthy" list. I really like how the movie goes through all of its predictability by presenting the conflicts in a very much mild way and inserting some humor into the mix. Furthermore the movie made the humor as though they weren't intended to be humorous, not right after it comes into the picture. Another thing about the movie is that I realized that I watched Helena Bonham-Carter movies just on her older days, and she is very pretty. Well now I know that she's even prettier in her younger days. The acting overall in the movie is adequately nice. Helena Bonham-Carter's performance sure isn't her best here but she sure can act. Daniel Day Lewis really delved into his character and can really make the audience feel irritated to him. Maggie Smith had really depicted her character well enough and can make audience feel sorry for her. Simon Callow also presented his character well and brought a nice nuance to the movie.

You too might want to scream out, "Hush, hush sweet Charlotte!" after the tenth time cousin Maggie Smith sticks her foot in it. For the companion to the lovely Helena Bonham Carter to be so socially backwards while the rest of her family is so earthy adds great charm to Smith's Oscar Nominated performance. This is also an opportunity to see Dame Maggie working with her good friend, the future Dame Judi Dench, seen in the early sequences as a rather Bohemian writer.Carter and Smith are on vacation in Italy and the moment Maggie views the lack of a view from their window, she is up in arms. Cockney Denholm Elliott offers to switch his and his son Julian Sands room for theirs which has a view, and uppity Maggie declines, shocked that he would have the audacity to even speak to them, something she believes that the lower classes shouldn't do. But easy going Helena isn't so proud and graciously accepts, going as far as spending time with the educated Sands and growing fond of him in spite of the fact that she's already engaged to the stuffy Daniel Day Lewis.The romantic intrigue continues at Carter's summer home back in England where she must make some quick decisions in regards to stuffy Daniel. Elliott and Sands come for weekend where Carter's charming brother Rupert Graves is introduced, revealing a free spirit and almost Bohemian nature between the two siblings. This also creates a bond between Sands and Graves which borders on the homo-erotic, especially in a sudden nude scene that also includes the local minister Simon Callow.As the classes clash and Carter becomes torn between love and obligation, the film moves from drawing room comedy into social drama. The beauty of the dramatic parts is that it never looses the mood established in the first half. Everybody gets a chance to shine, but they are forced to step back every time Maggie Smith re-appears on the scene. Even when she has an argument with a cab driver over the cost, Smith tears the roof off.Elliott shows that just because someone is identified as lower class does mean that they lack in class. You can see how the gentleness transfered from father to son and how the desire to be something more than what he would have been a century earlier has inspired Sand's jovial character. Lewis headed to stardom quickly after this surprise hit, and Carter made a successful entrance into films with this and the same year's "Lady Jane", although this is a far cry from her more recent films under the direction of Tim Burton. Smith's character reminded me of a more comical version of Lady Rosamund, Smith's character's daughter on "Downton Abbey".

I will gush over this film because it is worthy of praise and a standing ovation. A Room With A View is likely one of the most perfect films to grace screens in decades. The E.M. Forrester story produced and directed by the team of Ivory and Merchant brings the tale of Miss Lucy Honeychurch (Helena Bonham-Carter) to life in perfect Edwardian splendor. Wonderful locations of the Florence cathedral, Palazzo Vecchio, sculpture by Donatello, and an assortment of rolling landscapes are stunning visual fodder for this comic tale of Apolonian vs. Dionesian parlor manners. Exquisite young Bonham-Carter's casting as the virginal heiress is thwarted by her traveling companion, the venerable Dame Maggie Smith as her meddling biddy chaperon, Aunt Charlotte, with Dame Judy Dench as a proto-Jackie Collins author, Elenore Lavish, Daniel Day-Lewis as the prissy snobbish Cecil Vyse, and, a gorgeous, naked Julian Sands as socialist George Emerson comprises a most outstanding casting achievement. The excellent soundtrack offering of Dame Kiri Te Kaniwa's rendition of "O Mio Caro" takes your breath away as are the bits of wonderful piano solos that Lucy produces throughout the film. The cinematography is most wonderful with scenic panoramas of the far off Florence or Lucy sauntering through a field of poppies and wildflowers to receive the kiss to curl your toes from George Emerson, well, can romantic love get any better? This video is required for collectors of films of Julian Sands and Daniel Day-Lewis, however, its real value is as one of the finest of the Merchant Ivory magic touch in film making.