A Room With a View (Two-Disc Special Edition) [DVD]

I hadn't seen this film since its original theatrical release. I honestly rented it hoping it would bring some good luck to Julian Sands, who has gone missing in the mountains near me. I probably loved the movie even more than when I first saw it because I could better relate it to life events since then. Definitely worth watching, and the cast is a who's who of British cinema.

"Smoking, alcohol use, nudity, foul language, sexual content, violence"How ridiculous! What sexual content, foul language or violence?!?!? I don't even recall anyone actually taking a drink of anything but lemonade or tea! The only alcohol remained in some ornate containers and the wine being sold from a cart that no one purchased. The only nudity was incidental of some people having a swim in perfect keeping with the period and setting. The absurdity of modern puritanism is a tragedy....

I loved every minute of it. Young Helena Bonham-Carter and Maggie Smith were superb, as was Daniel Day-Lewis as the stuffy Cecil. People complaining of the picture quality should read the description which mentions the year it was filmed - 1986. Made no difference to me.

The two main characters have SO much chemistry and potential, but they probably get 25 minutes MAX together on the screen. There is almost no conversation between the two in this film, but they end up married regardless at the end. I adored the actors and the cinematography, it is a beautifully shot film, but the relationship between these two had no real build up. I really would have loved to see more development between both of the characters and much more interaction. I could totally picture Lucy and George spending more time together, but there's almost no time in the film for them. It's hard to see how madly in love these two become with each other when they have hardly spoken more than 15 minutes to each other. Again, so much chemistry and potential with the two leads, but god, it felt like this film was all about the destination and not the journey. Don't get me wrong - I understand the tension between the two and I understand how conflicted Lucy is with her feelings. I love those kinds of stories! But aside from her fainting and her and George talking after that, there's nothing else between the two of them in this movie aside from them kissing each other randomly. Which is nice, but give us some more scenes to see what it is that these two people are crazy over! I really wish that the writers went further with this and it's a shame because the film was perfection in every other way, but gosh, it made it somewhat boring and empty to not see more interaction with the two main characters. I was left wondering "wow, that's it?". How are you going to make a love story but only have the two main love interests interact on screen together for less than half an hour of the film's total duration? That's the main thing that has lost me with this movie, and it's a shame because I wanted to watch this for such a long time, but I felt disappointed. It almost felt like I was watching some edited for TV version, but all the important parts were removed.

In high school, my firends and I watched this movie at least every other week. When I finally did visit Florence, I could hear "O Mio Bambino Caro" echoing in the Piazza and thought of A Room With A View. Florence, to date, is my favorite city in all of Europe.Now twenty years since the first release of the movie, we can relive the discovery of love between George Emerson and Lucy Honeychurch on a high-definition quality DVD. The beauty of Florence is captured even more so on DVD than I remember. The digital remastering is so stunning. There is not one trace of graininess in the movie that would give the film an outdated appearance. You really cannot tell that this movie was made twenty years ago.Watching Daniel Day Lewis play the bookish and unpassionate Cecil Vyse, after watching him in so many heroically masculine roles, is a treasure. He's not the raskish, broad-chested Mohican but the tall wiry, stiff erudite played spot on. Julian Sands is at his best in this film. After the Warlock movies, it kind of petered out from there. However, the ladies, Helena Bonham Carter, Dame Judi Dench and Maggie Smith are in constant demand today. Poor Charlotte, indeed.

I wrote a review in 2005 specifically about the  A Room With a View (Two-Disc Special Edition) version of this film, which I see is still being sold on Amazon. I will remain on record that you should not spend a dime on it. I returned 2 copies thinking it was a disc defect but the product was definitely flawed.If you love this movie and have held off this long, don't wait any longer. The  A Room with a View [Blu-ray ]version is one that you will want to have in your collection. The audio was corrected in this transfer, which was the most significant issue I had with the Special Edition DVD.I was also fortunate enough to have recently upgraded to a Panasonic plasma 55' GT30 series and I must say that the quality of this film is outstanding in the 1080/24p setting. You can almost smell Florence and the Arno.I purchased my copy of the Blu-Ray disc from an altenrate seller on Amazon and paid less than what was listed as the Amazon retail price. I guess copies are scarce and even $49.99 seemed a bit on the high side but once I saw the opening scenes, I was very happy with the investment.

Remaining objective is not easy for me when discussing this film- but I will do my best.First and foremost, the DVD transfer that I purchased many years ago (Universal release dated 2001) is of appalling quality- barely an improvement on the standard of a VHS tape.The Blu-Ray print is just what anyone who enjoys this film would hope for- beautiful. For me, after the disappointment of the DVD, the BD proved to be a huge relief- I was able to focus on the exquisite scenery, flawless performances and be transformed from Florence to rural Edwardian Surrey and back again.I have not read Forster's book- so you may not trust my opinion on what follows. The screenplay highlights a great deal of- what I believe- Forster felt strongly about and many of his characters aptly presented the peculiarities of Edwardian protocols, apart from snobbishness, foppishness, etc.Personally, I struggled to take in just how young (I first saw this film as a school boy in 1987) many members of the cast appear. Looking at all of the players afresh, I don't think there's a weak performance anywhere- most folk who watch this picture seem to develop similar feelings about the various portrayals.If you can't cope with male nudity, then give this a miss- albeit of a none sexual nature (though doubtless certain critics would take issue with my opinion!)Whether anyone watches this film as a result of this review or not, please take notice of my comments about the difference in quality from the DVD to the Blu-Ray, but no notice of what I say about the film and its production- please form your own judgement.Personally, I doubt that Merchant Ivory have ever made a better picture.

What an absolutely delightful film this is. The quaint Britishness of all its characters, both abroad in Italy and at home in the Surrey countryside makes for much gentle humour and the acting is rather sensational all round. The cast is quite stellar by today's standards: Maggie Smith and Judi Dench are expectedly delightful in what is the first of quite a few big screen collaborations of these two grand dames of British acting, the nineteen year old Helena Bonham Carter is delightful in what is her first feature film, and both Simon Callow and Denholm Elliot are wonderful in their respective roles. I also like Julian Sands very much in this. But it is Daniel Day-Lewis who absolutely steals the show as the thoroughly unlikable and utterly ridiculous Cecil Vyse. If period films are your thing and you haven't yet seen this little gem you're in for a real treat. Highly recommended.The Film Four Special DVD has very nice picture quality and the sound is good throughout. Subtitles are available for those who may need them. Also included are a number of extra features: - Commentary by Ismail Merchant, James Ivory, cinematographer Tony Pierce Roberts and actor Simon Callow - Clips of BBC Breakfast Show interviews from 1985/86 with Simon Callow and Daniel Day-Lewis - 'A Room with a View' opens in the US, news report - Original Trailer - A brief history of Merchant and Ivory - E.M. Forster tribute programme (by James Mossman)

The film is beautifully filmed and sensitively compiled, scene by scene as we are shown a slow, romantic drama set in an historic Italy and southern England during the Edwardian epoch. Many fine performances are offered by a cast who look accomplished and comfortable with this Merchant Ivory romantic production and dreamy directorial creation. We experience an effervescent chaperone in Maggie Smith, avant-garde Denholm Elliot and angst-ridden Julian Sands offering exquisite fineness of human nature and behaviour alongside a priggish but well-intentioned Daniel Day-Lewis whilst a clerical but playful Simon Callow and an uncertain-of-her-feelings Helena Bonham Carter complete the main acting troupe. Within the classical Florentine and charming English country scenes we see an evocative bygone period and a more charming age when people at least attempted to be gracious. EM Forster's book has been faithfully reproduced but I feel that the story might not be exciting enough for a modern society too often drip-fed on every conceivable Hollywood stimulus for the senses. By the way, the quality of my DVD, both in sound and picture, was perfect and so I recommend the film. Its charm will never date.

I loved this film after just 15 minutes. The score (opera), the performances, the locations, the focus on it’s characters and their situations as well as it’s beautiful photography all make this a strong memorable film. The story is set both in Edwardian Florence (around a small group of English people visiting). The second half of the story takes place in quiet Surrey. The film in keeping with Edwardian Fashion tends to avoid primary colours in it’s costumes, instead preferring blacks, whites, browns and greys. However when strong colours do appear they’re pretty striking. For a film that was released in 1985 the Blu Ray does a superb job at presenting the film with a pleasing finish. The aspect ratio is full screen and music and dialogue are all clear.My main critique of the film for me is it’s pacing, especially the second half set in England, the story nearly stops at times and characters aren’t really given anything important to do.The basic story is hardly original, girl meets boy, falls in love, trouble, more trouble, resolution. However it’s the social critique of society which still made it such an effective story. The colourful characters we meet in Florence, particularly the Emmersons are the future for their creator. They embody a new more liberal attitude, yet still very much grounded in common sense and decency. They are also the only ones who seem to have no servants. Lucy our heroine is well brought yet slightly adventurous young lady “transfigured by Italy” in the words of one character. Again not all that original yet somehow the film gets away with it. You can see where the film is going and it hits all the predictable beats along the way.The casting is all pretty much superb throughout this film but my favourite has got to be Daniel Day Lewis as the outrageously arrogant and sophisticated suitor to Lucy. Italy is portrayed as sensual, unrepressed, alluring and slightly dangerous, indeed Lucy witnesses a murder within days of arriving there. England on the other hand is portrayed as more restrictive, still obsessed with social classThe Art production and costume design is all worthy of high praise. It must be expensive shooting a period piece but the results are superb. The Edwardian era is fetishized somewhat, a period of idealic rustic green English communities, ladies in elegant dresses drink tea in beautiful gardens. Florence also seems somehow more beautiful, not the tourist trap it’s become,

I am not particularly a lover of ‘costume dramas’ but I do watch them as I like history and the contents of a particular period – the social make up, the attire, invention, war etc. etc. So of course I really enjoyed watching this, as for me it was outstandingly good on the eye. The Florence visuals were truly beautiful were they not? So too were all the period costumes and scenery, in fact the whole of the cinematography (HD version) was just wonderful. Unsurprisingly, the film won all the top awards for art & costume. As I live fairly close to Bath & Weymouth; I can well appreciate the Georgian period.The story line as such is a little thin and it’s quite obvious early on as to what the final outcome is going to be. Maggie Smith won a BAFTA. I was surprised that Judy Dench did so too, as for me, her role was little more than a cameo? Both of these performances paled into the ordinary compared to Daniel Day – Lewis’s, Cecil Vyse, who was outrageously good … and yet won nothing? Helena Bonham Carter’s performance did little for me - or the critic’s apparently? I found most of the other characters very well played and interesting.The book was written at the end of the rather ‘staid and stuffy’ Victorian period; it looked back over, what was considered to be a more vibrant, if morally inferior Georgian period. It depicts the rich upper classes which that period was well known for – the rich getting richer and the poor becoming ever more poorer!I can’t say that I thought the overall film was particularly brilliant, though for the aforementioned reasons, I still really enjoyed it.