Watching a Room with a View

On the topic of film adaptations of books again, I just had my last class of Late Victorian and Early Edwardian literature (I will sorely miss this and my wonderful professor) and we finished up the semester with watching the 1985 A Room with a View movie.

It is glorious.

First off, the cast: Maggie Smith, Daniel Day Lewis, Judi Dench, and a 19-year-old Helena Bonham Carter. Marvellous.

Written originally in 1908, it's a story about a moody young Lucy Honeychurch (Helena Bonham Carter), who goes on a tour du monde to Italy with neurotic, woebegone chaperone Charlotte Bartlett (Maggie Smith).

To their mutual dismay, they discover the room they had booked has no view. At dinner, however, a kind but low class father and his romantic son, George, offer to switch their room with a view for theirs. Cue romance! ...of the creepy, stalker, leering sort.

After that, it's just a hilarious early 20th century, 80's infused, rom-com satire. Granted, Forester's A Room with a View is a belly full of laughs itself, but it's rare that a translation between mediums can capture the essence of humour from an author as well as this was able to. (On a slight tangent, Lord of the Rings does this flawlessly also).

Anyhow this movie is worth watching for so many reasons. The editing, the acting, the scene structure with mildly surreal actions that are deemed only slightly unnatural by the actors, and of course the transition blocks with dramatic medieval-esque drawings, operatic music, and various chapter headings announcing the upcoming action of the scene. Whether or not this is to forewarn audiences so they don't get in tizzy of knicker wetting or just because it's the 80's, I've no idea. But it's awesome.

Also the costume designs are lovely. The Edwardians really knew how to dress.

Last but not least, there is a marvellous, prolonged naked-men-bathing-and-frolicking-and-wrestling-in-the-sun scene. Three full frontals. Our undergraduate class of 21+ year old students tittered like we were twelve.

It's overwrought and exaggerated and definitely not everyone's cup of Earl Grey Tea, but if you're a lit nerd or just someone with a good sense of humour, then I highly recommend this for one of those Friday nights where instead of sulking because your plans got cancelled, you rejoice in the opportunity to pop corn and wear slippers and enjoy this classic turn of the century adaptation.